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The aim of this review is to critically examine the clinical trial research on Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) as an intervention in treating heroin addiction in People's Republic of China. This review examines Chinese-language-only publications for the patent medicines: Shenfu Tuodu, Fukang Pian, and Shifu Sheng. Other compound medicines will be reviewed in future publications.

A systematic review of the literature was conducted in Western and Chinese databases. Most trials were excluded because they did not declare randomization and had poor methodology or reporting. The majority of clinical evidence in the random controlled trials demonstrates good evidence for TCM patent medicines in heroin addiction treatment. When compared to typical Western medications, TCMs demonstrate fewer side-effects, in addition to equal measures of treatment efficacy and safety.

The ability of a laccase (EC 1.10.3.2) produced by Streptomyces ipomoea CECT 3341 (SilA) to delignify eucalyptus kraft pulp at acidic pH and to decolourise and detoxify an azo dye at alkaline pH was assessed. The biobleaching process of a eucalyptus kraft pulp carried out with SilA using ABTS as mediator result in a 12 % decrease in kappa number and in a significant increase in % ISO brightness. Moreover, it is also remarkable the save in H2O2 consumption obtained after the peroxide bleaching in the pulp treated with this laccase-mediator system. The decolourisation of Reactive Green 19 using a non-chromogenic mediator such as acetosyringone was assayed. Results showed that SilA-acetosyringone system at alkaline pH produced a 90% colour decrease and more than 50% detoxification after 4 h incubation. In addition, the efficiency of this enzyme was also supported by the maintenance of its activity in the presence of high concentration of salts which are commonly present in different steps industrial processes and/or their effluents.