Research progress on the anti-cancer mechanisms of edible salty-flavored Chinese materia medica

Edible salty-flavored Chinese materia medica (ESCM) refers to a category of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) that also serve as food, characterized by their salty flavor. According to the TCM theory, ESCM can soften and disperse knots, thus potentially offering benefits for cancer prevention and t...

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Main Authors: Zhongqi Shen, Meng Yu, Zhenguo Wang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2025-06-01
Series:Frontiers in Pharmacology
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Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphar.2025.1598978/full
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author Zhongqi Shen
Meng Yu
Zhenguo Wang
author_facet Zhongqi Shen
Meng Yu
Zhenguo Wang
author_sort Zhongqi Shen
collection DOAJ
description Edible salty-flavored Chinese materia medica (ESCM) refers to a category of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) that also serve as food, characterized by their salty flavor. According to the TCM theory, ESCM can soften and disperse knots, thus potentially offering benefits for cancer prevention and treatment. With cancer remaining a major global health challenge, its primary prevention strategies, especially through dietary modification, are crucial. ESCM have recently garnered substantial attention, due to their remarkable clinical efficacy and low side-effect profile. Researches on ESCM demonstrate that they mainly function through inhibition of cancer cell proliferation, migration, and invasion, induction of cancer cell apoptosis and autophagy, regulation of the cell cycle, suppression of tumor angiogenesis, and anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant properties. Herein, we systematically explore the well-documented ESCM’s extracts or constituents with explicit anti-cancer properties, alongside their underlying mechanisms and pathways. The review further highlights both the primary preventions and clinical trials of ESCM-related products, offering valuable insights for the development of novel dietary approaches and therapeutic interventions in cancer management.
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spelling doaj-art-b8776d7839fc4da7b00fed0daae631f52025-08-20T02:09:31ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Pharmacology1663-98122025-06-011610.3389/fphar.2025.15989781598978Research progress on the anti-cancer mechanisms of edible salty-flavored Chinese materia medicaZhongqi Shen0Meng Yu1Zhenguo Wang2Institute of Chinese Medical Literature and Culture, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, Shandong, ChinaInnovative Institute of Chinese Medicine and Pharmacy, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, Shandong, ChinaInstitute of Chinese Medical Literature and Culture, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, Shandong, ChinaEdible salty-flavored Chinese materia medica (ESCM) refers to a category of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) that also serve as food, characterized by their salty flavor. According to the TCM theory, ESCM can soften and disperse knots, thus potentially offering benefits for cancer prevention and treatment. With cancer remaining a major global health challenge, its primary prevention strategies, especially through dietary modification, are crucial. ESCM have recently garnered substantial attention, due to their remarkable clinical efficacy and low side-effect profile. Researches on ESCM demonstrate that they mainly function through inhibition of cancer cell proliferation, migration, and invasion, induction of cancer cell apoptosis and autophagy, regulation of the cell cycle, suppression of tumor angiogenesis, and anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant properties. Herein, we systematically explore the well-documented ESCM’s extracts or constituents with explicit anti-cancer properties, alongside their underlying mechanisms and pathways. The review further highlights both the primary preventions and clinical trials of ESCM-related products, offering valuable insights for the development of novel dietary approaches and therapeutic interventions in cancer management.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphar.2025.1598978/fulledible salty-flavored Chinese materia medicatraditional Chinese medicineanti-cancerprimary preventionhealth products
spellingShingle Zhongqi Shen
Meng Yu
Zhenguo Wang
Research progress on the anti-cancer mechanisms of edible salty-flavored Chinese materia medica
Frontiers in Pharmacology
edible salty-flavored Chinese materia medica
traditional Chinese medicine
anti-cancer
primary prevention
health products
title Research progress on the anti-cancer mechanisms of edible salty-flavored Chinese materia medica
title_full Research progress on the anti-cancer mechanisms of edible salty-flavored Chinese materia medica
title_fullStr Research progress on the anti-cancer mechanisms of edible salty-flavored Chinese materia medica
title_full_unstemmed Research progress on the anti-cancer mechanisms of edible salty-flavored Chinese materia medica
title_short Research progress on the anti-cancer mechanisms of edible salty-flavored Chinese materia medica
title_sort research progress on the anti cancer mechanisms of edible salty flavored chinese materia medica
topic edible salty-flavored Chinese materia medica
traditional Chinese medicine
anti-cancer
primary prevention
health products
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphar.2025.1598978/full
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