Cao, Yin, Hu, Yuan, Liu, Ping et al. · Journal of ethnopharmacology · 2012 · DOI
Researchers tested a traditional Chinese herbal formula called Kai Xin San (KXS) on mice that had been made fatigued through forced exercise. Mice treated with KXS showed improvements in physical recovery markers, better immune cell activity, and reduced signs of exhaustion compared to untreated fatigued mice. The results suggest this herbal combination may help reduce fatigue by affecting the body's energy metabolism and immune system.
Understanding how herbal interventions affect fatigue biomarkers and immune dysfunction could identify new therapeutic targets for ME/CFS. This study provides preliminary mechanistic evidence that traditional medicine approaches warrant further investigation in more rigorous human clinical trials.
This mouse study does not prove KXS is effective in humans with ME/CFS, nor does it establish causation between the observed biomarker changes and symptom improvement. The forced exercise model, while producing fatigue-like states, may not replicate the complex pathophysiology of human ME/CFS. Results cannot be generalized to female patients or other genetic backgrounds.
About the PEM badge: “PEM required” means post-exertional malaise was an explicit required diagnostic criterion for participant inclusion in this study — not that PEM was studied, observed, or discussed. Studies using criteria that do not require PEM (e.g. Fukuda, Oxford) are tagged “PEM not required”. How the atlas works →
The first block is for the primary paper and is the citation you should use in research work. The atlas-snapshot line only applies if you are specifically referring to this atlas’s reading of the paper on the date shown.
Primary citation
Cao, Yin, Hu, Yuan, Liu, Ping, Zhao, Hai-Xia, Zhou, Xiao-Jiang, & Wei, Ying-Mei (2012). Effects of a Chinese traditional formula Kai Xin San (KXS) on chronic fatigue syndrome mice induced by forced wheel running.. Journal of ethnopharmacology. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jep.2011.08.030
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-cao-2012-effects-chinese,
author = {Cao, Yin and Hu, Yuan and Liu, Ping and Zhao, Hai-Xia and Zhou, Xiao-Jiang and Wei, Ying-Mei},
title = {Effects of a Chinese traditional formula Kai Xin San (KXS) on chronic fatigue syndrome mice induced by forced wheel running.},
journal = {Journal of ethnopharmacology},
year = {2012},
doi = {10.1016/j.jep.2011.08.030},
note = {PubMed: 21884774},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/cao-2012-effects-chinese},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-30. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/cao-2012-effects-chinese
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