Beware Of Boluoke Imitation Products
Don’t be fooled by imitation products. There is only one Boluoke® (lumbrokinase),
the one that is backed by Phase I – III clinical trials in China, the
one that is first used in hospitals in China, and covered by the Chinese
National Fundamental Health Insurance. Currently some companies are
making products with 250mg or 230mg of lumbrokinase per capsule and
trying to quote Boluoke®’s credential as their own. Boluoke®’s capsules
are of 200mg in size, and contain 20mg of lumbrokinase inside each
capsule.
In addition, Boluoke®’s enzymatic strength is standardized against urokinase and t-PA. The imitation products are likely just earthworm protein extract containing little pure lumbrokinase or lumbrokinase of low enzymatic strength.
Some products may even claim to have lumbrokinase mixed with
proprietary herbal formula, and the ingredients of which they do not
disclose.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ON BOLUOKE:
The
conservative approach is to stop Boluoke® 1 week prior to surgery. The
patient may resume taking Boluoke® 15 days after surgery if no
complication or earlier if the physician deems appropriate.
Boluoke® does not significantly affect blood tests like PT and aPTT
(thus it does not affect INR). However, patients should always consult
their physicians before taking Boluoke® while on any prescriptions.
The capsules used in Boluoke® are enteric coated capsules. They are
designed to resist stomach acid and dissolve in the small intestines,
because lumbrokinase may be inactivated by stomach acid. Preliminary
in-house tests using Sonoclot® machine (manufactured by Sienco, Inc.)
indicated that Boluoke® is still effective when taken without the
capsules on an empty stomach. However, it is highly recommended that the
patients take Boluoke® in its original capsulated format whenever
possible.
Contra-indications for Boluoke® are: allergy to lumbrokinase or
earthworm; recent surgery; pre-surgery; lumbar puncture or arterial
puncture; trauma; active internal bleeding or GI ulceration; any other
bleeding disorders/tendencies. Patients should always consult their
physicians before taking Boluoke®.
The earthworm has been used in Traditional Chinese Medicine for a few
thousand years, and is considered to be one of the safest ingredients in
the traditional pharmacopoeias. The studies on Boluoke® showed that
when taken at high dosage, some people may experience nausea, diarrhea,
bloating, skin itch/rash, which resolved when the product was stopped.
There is a theoretical possibility that Boluoke® may be cleaved and
rendered ineffective by other enzymes, so we currently do not recommend
taking Boluoke® with another enzyme product at the same time. If you do
have to take other enzyme products while on Boluoke®, try to space more
time between the dosing of the two enzyme products (i.e. at least 2
hours).
Boluoke®
is the only lumbrokinase that has been thoroughly researched and its
enzymatic strength is standardized. Other lumbrokinase products
currently on the market often are citing Boluoke®’s credentials and
research, and are not disclosing the enzymatic strength of their
lumbrokinase. On the raw material market, the price of lumbrokinase can
vary by up to 15 folds, and the enzymatic strengths of various
lumbrokinase also differ greatly.
In addition,
lumbrokinase is a preparation containing multiple enzyme fractions, and
the extraction and purification methods would determine the final
compositions of the various enzyme fractions. Therefore, different
products would have different lumbrokinase compositions and cannot be
considered the same. This is also the reason why Boluoke® does not
significantly affect blood tests like prothrombin time (PT) or activated
partial thromboplastin time (aPTT), while other lumbrokinase products
may affect the test results.
The statements above have not been evaluated by the FDA.
This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.