NATURAL & NON TOXIC THERAPIES AGAINST CANCER
A Safe Weapon for Every Cancer Patient
Cancer is one of the most potent diseases that afflicts us. The scary part is the rapid mutations that cancer cells do which help them survive various chemotherapies. Even if a small invisible number of cells survive they rebound again resistant and stronger than before which makes cancer such a sophisticated and dreaded killer. Recent evidence has shown the existence of Cancer Stem Cells CSCs.
Like other stem cells, cancer stem cells possess the ability to differentiate into various different cell types. In the case of cancer, stem cells differentiate into the various malignant cells that make up a tumor colony. Although they make up less than 1 percent of the cells in any given tumor, stem cells are immune to nearly all known or experimental chemotherapy agents. These cells are also able to replicate indefinitely, and they are capable of splitting off from their originating colony to start new tumors elsewhere.
They are key players in the process of metastasis, which is responsible for 90 percent of cancer-related deaths. New path to eliminating cancer by way of immunotherapies is giving us tremendous hope of finding a way to outsmart this killer (covered in my earlier post Goodbye Chemotherapy).
But the fear remains as we will only find out later whether the cancer stem cells can adapt to remove the receptors on the surface and inside of cancer cells which are targeted by immunotherapies. The ability of some cancer stem cells to mutate at a ferocious rate and their having a 'master switch' which helps them survive the incredible metabolic stress from such rapid mutations causes a sinking feeling to every doctor/scientist battling it.
DISCLAIMER: This post is for informational purpose only. I am not recommending any Natural Therapy or product. Reader must do their own research and fact finding along with consultations with their doctor before considering any therapy or product.
IMAGES: Copyright of all images belong to their original owners. They have been displayed here only for the benefit of cancer patients and their family.
BIOAVAILABILITY: Just by taking a nutrient in some form does not guarantee it's benefits. For example adding curry to diet or taking a turmeric pill may not provide anywhere close to the dose needed against cancer and this is where most natural interventions fail. One needs to take curcumin or turmeric with piperine to ensure sufficient uptake in the body. If you decide to incorporate any natural remedy please do research on safe but effective dosage and delivery strategies or synergistic pairings to ensure sufficient bioavailability. This is when one would begin to gain the full benefits of Nature's bounty.
| Cancer Stem Cells CSCs under a microscope |
They are key players in the process of metastasis, which is responsible for 90 percent of cancer-related deaths. New path to eliminating cancer by way of immunotherapies is giving us tremendous hope of finding a way to outsmart this killer (covered in my earlier post Goodbye Chemotherapy).
But the fear remains as we will only find out later whether the cancer stem cells can adapt to remove the receptors on the surface and inside of cancer cells which are targeted by immunotherapies. The ability of some cancer stem cells to mutate at a ferocious rate and their having a 'master switch' which helps them survive the incredible metabolic stress from such rapid mutations causes a sinking feeling to every doctor/scientist battling it.
| Lung Cancer stages to the dreaded Metastasis stage |
DISCLAIMER: This post is for informational purpose only. I am not recommending any Natural Therapy or product. Reader must do their own research and fact finding along with consultations with their doctor before considering any therapy or product.
IMAGES: Copyright of all images belong to their original owners. They have been displayed here only for the benefit of cancer patients and their family.
BIOAVAILABILITY: Just by taking a nutrient in some form does not guarantee it's benefits. For example adding curry to diet or taking a turmeric pill may not provide anywhere close to the dose needed against cancer and this is where most natural interventions fail. One needs to take curcumin or turmeric with piperine to ensure sufficient uptake in the body. If you decide to incorporate any natural remedy please do research on safe but effective dosage and delivery strategies or synergistic pairings to ensure sufficient bioavailability. This is when one would begin to gain the full benefits of Nature's bounty.
One of the options that is available to almost all cancer patients is to take advantage of weapons provided by Nature. What is important to note is that there are a few Natural products which have shown ability to target the elusive cancer stem cells. This can be the difference between life and death for the cancer patient. Unfortunately modern allopathic medical system does not train doctors to research and prescribe the best natural adjuvant treatment for you so cancer patients and their families have to rely on blogs like these and paid research services (cheap) like Health Cure Research www.healthcureresearch.com which help research and identify potent Natural compounds which can target the patients cancer. Whether some of them are potent enough to become the first line of defense against cancer and eradicate it or can be used as a second line of defense to improve the survival rate of the patient the good thing about Natural therapies is that in almost all cases it has minimal side effects if any at all. It is shocking to see how intelligently the natural compounds blend in our body's bio chemistry and fulfill their tasks. Natural compounds in so many different paths selectively kill cancer cells, even the dreaded cancer stem cells but leave healthy cells without any harm. How the natural compounds have such affinities, binding precision and bio chemical structures to selectively target a mutation in our body's cells is amazing! Makes you wonder if it is a mere random coincidence or a factor of design.
As almost all nature derived products in pure form should not show side effects in their appropriate doses it makes sense for every cancer patient to research and regularly take some natural therapies along with allopathic remedies. Many highly potent natural compounds and extracts have been discovered in lab experiments in vitro and in vivo but unfortunately not many have gone further to be exhaustively tested in lab animals and humans. So a lot of the confirmation of the efficacies may come in anecdotal form. Despite this I personally believe that if safety and dosage has also been tested in the labs then it is surely worth tailoring a natural therapy program selecting the ones that have shown benefit for a particular cancer.
Synergistic combinations are an exciting and unexplored treasure waiting to be mined in the future. And by Synergy I mean both a cocktail of Natural compounds or a Natural compound paired with a chemo, surgical or radiation therapy. From the very few that have been tested some have shown remarkable success clearing 100% of the cancer within weeks if not days and deliver the same potency as a pharmacological product. Another big low hanging fruit here is prevention. Here Natural products beat Pharma completely.
Shark Tank investor Robert Herjavec said that 50% of all Americans will be diagnosed with cancer at some point in their lives! What are the odds that you should be reading this post seriously? When SARS infects 0.01% of the population we are all in panic and wear masks and call it an epidemic. What do you call when a disease reaches 50%? Cancer is the fastest growing pandemic of the modern world. Cancer prevention is the best bet and natural therapies are the only solid approach for prevention.
To get you started I have listed a selected few natural products, extracts and therapies meeting my standards of success in experiments conducted by reputed researchers/labs or multiple peer reviewed studies published in reputed journals:
1. CURCUMIN/TURMERIC: The most potent Natural compound against cancers: curcumin appears to be universally useful for just about every type of cancer, which is really incredible since cancer consists of a wide variety of different molecular pathologies.
Curcumin modulates growth of tumor cells through regulation of multiple cell signaling pathways including cell proliferation pathway (cyclin D1, c-myc), cell survival pathway (Bcl-2, Bcl-xL, cFLIP, XIAP, c-IAP1), caspase activation pathway (caspase-8, 3, 9), tumor suppressor pathway (p53, p21) death receptor pathway (DR4, DR5), mitochondrial pathways, and protein kinase pathway (JNK, Akt, and AMPK). These interrelated pathways are activated by:
a) Caspase Activation
b) Induction of Death Receptors
c) Fas Receptor Aggregation
d) Induction of p53/p21 Pathway
e) Release of Apoptosis-Inducing Factor
f) Cell Cycle Regulation
g) Inhibition of PI3K-AKT Activation
h) Inhibition of mTOR
i) Down-Regulation of Androgen Receptors
j) Inhibition of Growth Factors and their Receptors
k) Inhibition of AMP-Activated Protein Kinase (AMPK)
l) Inhibition of COX2 and 5 LOX
m) Inhibition of Ornithine Decarboxylase
n) Inhibition of Acidic Sphingomyelinase
o) Inhibition of Phospholipase D
p) Activation of Thioredoxin Reductase
q) Inhibition of STAT3 Activation
r) Activation of c-Jun Kinase
s) Induction of DNA Fragmentation
t) Direct DNA Damage
u) Intracellular [Ca (2±)](i) Depletion
v) Mitochondrial Activation
w) Binding and Inhibition of Glyoxalase
x) Suppression of Antiapoptotic Proteins
y) Binding to Microtubules
z) Proteasome Activation
aa) Pro- and Antioxidant Mechanisms
bb) Autophagy
cc) Inhibition of NF-κB
dd) Inhibition of Wnt/beta-catenin Signaling
ee) Activation of Nrf2
ff) Inhibition of hTERT
Jayraj Ravindran, Sahdeo Prasad and Bharat Aggarwal from Cytokine Research Laboratory, Department of Experimental Therapeutics, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Cente, in their Paper Curcumin and Cancer Cells: How many ways can curry kill tumor cells selectively? concludes by saying that due to its multiple pathways to inhibiting and killing, cancer cells are unable to develop resistance to turmeric and curcumin.
Curcumin has the most evidence-based literature supporting its use against cancer of any nutrient. Curcumin has the ability to modulate genetic activity and expression—both by destroying cancer cells and by promoting healthy cell function. It also promotes anti-angiogenesis, meaning it helps prevent the development of additional blood supply necessary for cancer cell growth. As for its effect on molecular pathways, curcumin can affect more than 100 of them, once it gets into the cell. Some of the actions of Curcumin in non-medical terms: Inhibit the proliferation of tumor cells, Inhibit the synthesis of a protein instrumental in tumor formation, Inhibit the transformation of cells from normal to tumor, Help your body destroy mutated cancer cells so they cannot spread throughout your body, Help prevent the development of additional blood supply necessary for cancer cell growth.
There is so much incredible research about curcumin that it can fill a hundred pages easily of this blog post. I am citing only this recent study because it proves curcumin efficacy against the heart of cancer as per our new understanding of CSCs. In a recent study published in Cancer Letters it was observed that curcumin was a potent cancer fighter on its own and safe as an adjuvant to chemotherapy. Chemotherapy was effective in killing relatively benign 'daughter cells' of a tumor whereas curcumin attacked the relatively chemotherapy resistant cancer stem cells 'mother cells' at the heart of the tumor. So chemo may seem to reduce the volume of the tumor if administered alone but it left smaller but far more dangerous treatment resistant tumor which eventually killed the patient. This new revelation about cancer cells from these recent studies is shaking up the old beliefs. It seems there are only few mother stem cells CSCs (1%) at the heart of a tumor which possess the multiplication and mutagenic ability - majority of the cancer cells do not. Conventional Chemo kills these benign daughter cells and therefore we are puzzled when the CSCs rebound later to an aggressive and lethal cancer that eventually quickly kills the patient with a post chemo injured immune system. The conclusion of this study: Curcumin, as well as its modified forms (analogues or nanoparticle-encapsulated formulations), has shown great potential to inhibit CSCs in several types of cancer both in cell cultures and in mouse models, including glioma, breast, colorectal, pancreatic, brain, and esophageal cancers. Some analogues (e.g., CDF) and formulations (e.g., nanotechnology-based formulation) have exhibited improved efficacy against CSC-like cells and greater growth-inhibitory capacity in tumors. It is promising to evaluate curcumin and its modified forms in other types of CSCs.
For unknown reasons curcumin only kills cancer cells and does not kill healthy cells putting to shame chemo which does not differentiate. This seems to be a must therapy for all cancer patients along with whatever other treatment they are taking. But one of the biggest challenges to keep in mind is that turmeric and curcumin (an extract of turmeric) have low bioavailability much below the potency required to kill CSCs. A 95% concentration curcumin capsule will provide only 1% as bioavailable (boiling the contents of the capsule before consuming increases absorption to 12%). One can also remedy this by taking curcumin with piperine (extract of black pepper) which increases the bioavailability by 2,000% or turmeric should be consumed with healthy fats - it is otherwise difficult to absorb in the gut but is fat soluble so taken with healthy fats it is better absorbed. Quercetin is a plant flavonoid that inhibits the enzyme that deactivates curcumin so take it along with a Quercetin supplement. Turmeric is one of the most potent natural compounds in the world with 600 tested benefits! including anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, anti-viral, anti-bacterial, etc. Many more are being discovered every day.
2. GEDUNIN: Hsp90 is a heat shock protein which protects our cells during heat and stress based biological events. Cancer cells hijack this chaperone protein to protect itself while multiplying and mutating endlessly. Inactivation of he Hsp90 machinery would render cancer cells vulnerable and eventually lead to their death (apoptosis), No wonder a lot of cancer research is aimed at inactivating Hsp90 selectively in the cancer environment. The challenge with all the experiments so far has been that inhibiting Hsp90 has led to overexpression of other proteins like Hsp70 and Hsp27 which are anti-apoptotic negating the gains or worsening further. Gary E Brandt from the University of Kansas along with colleagues have been doing some interesting research work finding inhibitors of Hsp90. In 2008 he concluded that Gedunin an extract of the Neem tree of India inhibits Hsp90 without the negating overexpression of other proteins but he could not determine the mode of action. He also concluded that synthetic or semi synthetic derivatives of Gedunin were not at all effective as the natural extract itself.
Chaitanya A Patwardhan under Ahmed Chadli of the Cancer Research Center, Molecular Chaperones Program, Georgia Regents University along with fellow collaborators discovered the method by which Gedunin was effective. One of the co-chaperones of Hsp90 is called p23. Gedunin binds to p23 thereby inactivating it. The inactivation of p23 in turn renders Hsp90 inactive. Which in turn leads to apoptosis of cancer cells. In lab experiments Gedunin has shown clearing certain hormonal cancers in a weeks time. Subject to further tests Gedunin can become a great therapeutic candidate in the war against cancer. Research must also be done to identify the best form of Gedunin like Deoxygedunin a more stable form and the bioavailability of it to ensure clearance of all cancer cells. Good news is that it can be orally taken. Hormonal cancer patients like breast, endometrium, ovary, prostate, testis, thyroid and osteosarcoma should speak with their doctors about integrating Deoxygedunin into their therapy. I can't explain why but my favourite Natural compound against cancer is Gedunin on its own or combined with other compounds found in Neem or with other Natural compounds - I feel that if extracted correctly, if made amply bioavailable at the cellular level it can wipe out all hormonal cancer cells in a few days.
3. SUPER COCKTAIL: This is an important discovery as it demonstrates the power of synergy in using natural compounds. The combination of 6 powerful natural compounds killed 100% of all breast cancer cells while not harming healthy cells in vitro. Individually their effect was muted but in combination they proved synergistically powerful enough to kill ALL cancer cells in an experiment conducted by Dr. Madhwa Raj and colleagues of LSU Health and Science Center, New Orleans and its Stanley C Scott Cancer Center. Let me list out the super six:
a. Curcumin
b. Indol-3-Carbinol
c. Isoflavone (Genistein)
d. Spirulina extract combined with Selenium
e. Resveratrol
f. Quercetin
4. KILLING CANCER STEM CELLS: The new startling discovery about cancer biology which disclosed to us the dark heart of the cancer tumor holding the Cancer Stem Cells CSCs which as explained above do all the damage. CSCs have proven elusive to conventional chemo therapies. Scientists are now discovering that it is only Natural Compounds which have shown ability in various experiments to kill CSCs.
These natural killers so far discovered that attack CSCs in different pathways are:
a. Curcumin
b. Salinomycin
c. Sulforaphanes (extract from cruciferous vegetables like Broccoli)
d. BXL0124 (a novel analogue of vitamin D)
e. 6-Shogaol
f. Phenethyl isothiocyanate (PEITC)
5. 6-SHOGAOL (Extract of GINGER): 10,000 times more effective than chemo at killing CSCs as discovered in a recent study published in highly reputed PLoS Journal. The chemical, known as 6-shogaol, is produced when ginger roots are dried or cooked.
The researchers found that 6-shogaol is active against cancer stem cells at concentrations that are harmless to healthy cells. The researchers found that 6-shogaol targets breast cancer stem cells along several different pathways, including reducing the expression of surface markers, altering the cell cycle to increase the rate of cell death, inhibiting tumor formation, directly inducing programmed cell death, and flat-out poisoning cancer stem cells (cytotoxicity). The researchers then compared the cytotoxicity of 6-shogaol against human breast cancer stem cells with that of the widely used chemotherapy drug taxol. They found that while taxol did show cytotoxicity in a one-dimensional laboratory model of cancer ("monolayer"), it showed almost no effect in the three-dimensional ("spheroid") model that is now believed to be a more accurate model of real-world cancer tumors. 6-shogaol, however, was effective in both the monolayer and spheroid models. The researchers then increased the taxol concentration by 10,000 times, but it still showed no effectiveness in spheroid model. "Taxol, even though was highly active in monolayer cells, did not show activity against the spheroids even at 10,000 fold higher concentration compared to 6-shogaol," the researchers wrote.
Separately A study by the Georgia State University has found that ginger can decrease the size of a prostate tumour by 56%.
6. BEC5 (Eggplant Extract): One of the biggest success stories of Nature derived absolute cure of cancer - skin cancer - seems to have gone unnoticed by most of the world. The brilliant, unassuming scientist Dr. Bill Cham who deserves worldwide recognition for his incredible breakthrough in a major diseases like cancer. The discovery of BEC5 - Solasidine Glycoside -extracted from eggplant and Devil's Apple - was pointed out to us by cows! Cows stricken by eye cancer in Queensland, Australia cured it by rubbing on a plant called Devil's Apple. This was brought to the attention of Dr. Cham and he toiled away to develop the best available cure for malignant and non malignant skin cancers.
Stage III trials have confirmed that 8 weeks of topical application of BEC5 cream cured 78% of the skin cancer and Dr. Cham discovered that 12 weeks of topical use twice a day cured it 100%! without leaving any scar or harming the surrounding normal skin. tens of thousands of patients have benefited from this already with no remission even after 5 and 10 years after treatment. Now BEC is in trials for internal cancers and early results are promising.
7. SALINOMYCIN: One of the more exciting biochemicals which has shown potent anti cancer activity including for CSCs in in vivo human clinical trials. Salinomycin is made by a strain of streptomyces albus. Streptomyces is a form of bacteria, usually found in soil. Its a naturally occurring antibiotic. Promising results from preclinical trials in human xenograft mice and a few clinical pilot studies reveal that salinomycin is able to effectively eliminate CSCs and to induce partial clinical regression of heavily pretreated and therapy-resistant cancers.
The ability of salinomycin to kill both CSCs and therapy-resistant cancer cells may define the compound as a novel and an effective anticancer drug. Importantly, salinomycin is not only able to kill CSCs, but also regular tumor cells and highly indolent tumor cells displaying resistance to cytotoxic drugs, radiation, and induction of apoptosis hence salinomycin can be regarded as a triple-edged sword against cancer. This is what is reported in Wikipedia for it: Salinomycin has been shown by Piyush Gupta et al. of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Broad Institute to kill breast cancer stem cells in mice at least 100 times more effectively than the anti-cancer drug paclitaxel. The study screened 16,000 different chemical compounds and found that only a small subset, including salinomycin and etoposide, targeted cancer stem cells responsible for metastasis and relapse. In one recent peer reviewed study investigations revealed that salinomycin effect on cell cycle progression using OVCAR-8 ovarian cancer cell line and multidrug-resistant NCI/ADR-RES and DXR cell lines that are derived from OVCAR-8. Parental OVCAR-8 cells are sensitive to several anticancer drugs, but NCI/ADR-RES and DXR cells are resistant to several anticancer drugs. However, salinomycin caused cell growth inhibition and apoptosis via cell cycle arrest at G1 in all three cell lines! Their sdata indicate that salinomycin induces cell cycle arrest and apoptosis via downregulation or inactivation of cell cycle-associated oncogenes, such as Stat3, cyclin D1, and Skp2, regardless of multidrug resistance. Study was conducted by KH Koo at National Cancer Centre, Korea.
Another Study by Florian Kopp and others reports "Our findings clearly show that salinomycin can strongly inhibit cancer cell migration independent of the induction of cell death. We furthermore demonstrate for the first time that salinomycin treatment reduces metastasis formation in vivo, strengthening its role as promising anti-cancer therapeutic". In another trial by Zhao P of University of Utah iTEP nanoparticle-delivered salinomycin displays an enhanced toxicity to cancer stem cells in orthotopic breast tumors. The amazing thing about this super drug is that compared to conventional chemo and radio therapies it has shown few side effects. In a documented human cancer patient case study intravenous salinomycin therapy resulted in minor acute side effects, including tachycardia and mild tremor for 30–60 min. after administration but lacked severe and long-term side effects observed with conventional chemotherapeutic drugs. With 12 cycles of salinomycin therapy greater than 85% of the cancer cells had undergone apoptosis. Similar results of salinomycin-induced partial tumor and metastasis regression were obtained in three other patients with metastatic breast cancer, one patient with metastatic ovarian cancer, and one patient with metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.
8. SALVESTROLS: Salvestrols are naturally occurring extracts of fruits and vegetables which are metabolized by the CYP1B1 enzyme in cancer cells. While harmless to normal cells, these metabolites will kill cancer cells in a process called apoptosis. The discovery of Salvestrols was due to the collaboration between two CYP 450 enzyme experts, Gerald Potter PhD a medicinal chemist,and Danny Burke PhD.
According to the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute CYP1B1 is found inside cancerous cells of tumours within the bladder, brain, breast, colon, kidney, liver, lung, oesophagus, ovary, skin, small intestine, stomach and uterus and is considered to be a tumour marker enzyme since it is virtually exclusive to cancer cells. So, CYP1B1 can be thought of as a Trojan Horse inside cancer cells, which merely has to be provided with Salvestrols in the diet in order to unleash a stream of chemical agents that are deadly to cancer cells. In other words, the presence of CYP1B1 in cancer cells seems to have provided cancer cells with the seeds of their own destruction.
So the logic sounds strong but the sad part is the lack of validation achieved in clinical trials yet. I am listing this only because of two reasons - The very distinguished career, awards and achievements of Dr. Gerald Potter and second because of the multitude of actual patient case studies published in reputed medical journals. Dosage (of Salvestrols Platinum) is reported to be in the 12,000 point range for cancers that have spread along with biotin, niacin, vitamin C and others. Chloroquine is also supposed to work well with Salvestrols but chloroquine must never ever be taken while one is on chemotherapy as it can cause severe kidney injury amongst other things. Salvestrols on their own have been allowed by many oncologists during chemotherapy as they do not show any contraindications probably due to their natural origin.
9. CRUCIFEROUS COMPOUNDS: Cruciferous vegetables like brocolli, kale, brussels sprouts, arugula, bokchoy, cabbage and cauliflower have not one but many powerful anti cancer compounds like Indole-3-Carbinol, DIM, Sufurophanes, Crambene and PEITC. Scientific observational studies have shown that eating cruciferous vegetables protects against cancer – here are a few examples:
Twenty-eight servings of vegetables per week decreased prostate cancer risk by 33%, but just 3 servings of cruciferous vegetables per week decreased prostate cancer risk by 41%.
One or more servings of cabbage per week reduced risk of pancreatic cancer by 38%.
One serving per day of cruciferous vegetables reduced the risk of breast cancer by over 50%
These powerful compounds work both as potent cancer preventives and cancer fighters. Their actions are multiple. Some things to keep in mind to get best results: have cruciferous veggies with yogurt. Do not over cook them, I3C is unstable but its metabolite DIM is not - so take I3C supplement with a DIM supplement and also with Crambene. Some of these compounds work better with vitamin D. One example of cruciferous nutrients less known is:
PEITC PHENETHYL ISOTHIOCYANATE: This chemical is produced from the reaction of a compound and an enzyme that occur in cruciferous vegetables, such as broccoli and cabbage. This reaction actually takes place simply when the vegetables are chewed, which means that eating cruciferous vegetables causes the human body to be exposed to PEITC. According to a May 2015 press release by researchers from the South Dakota State University Department of Health and Nutritional Sciences, PEITC has been successful at killing cervical cancer stem cells. The concentrations used in the study are actually achievable simply from a diet rich in cruciferous vegetables, the researchers said. The vegetables highest in PEITC potential are watercress and land cress. This research suggests that PEITC, and possibly even a diet rich in cruciferous vegetables, could assist in the prevention of or recovery from cancer.
One of the important actions of cruciferous veggie compounds is balancing hormones especially estrogen. They convert the dangerous forms of estrogen to protective forms thereby preventing cancer from forming.
For prevention and regression of hormonal cancers adding cruciferous veggies and supplements should be a must. My close relative was diagnosed with Fibroids and was looking at a debilitating surgery that would remove a lot of her womanhood. She tried concentrated supplement containing all the potent compounds found in cruciferous veggies and a miracle happened on pre-surgery visit to her gynac she was told that the Fibroids had disappeared much to the amazement of her doctor. So I have personally observed the benefit in a real life situation.
10. APIGENIN: A flavonoid found in many fruits. Apigenin has been shown to possess anti-mutagenic properties in a setting of nitropyrene-induced genotoxicity in Chinese hamster ovary cells. Apigenin has also been shown to inhibit benzo[a]pyrene and 2-aminoanthracene-induced bacterial mutagenesis. apigenin has been shown to increase the intracellular concentration of glutathione, enhancing the endogenous defense against oxidative stress. n another study, apigenin treatment resulted in suppression of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) α-induced Nuclear Factor (NF)-κB activation in human umbilical vein endothelial cells. Apigenin treatment has been shown to decrease the levels of phosphorylated EGFR tyrosine kinase and of other MAPK and their nuclear substrate c-myc, which causes apoptosis in anaplastic thyroid cancer cells. apigenin has been shown to inhibit the expression of casein kinase (CK)-2 in both human prostate and breast cancer cells.
Apigenin has also been shown to induce WAF1/p21 levels resulting in cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in androgen-responsive human prostate cancer, LNCaP cells and androgen-refractory DU145 cells. In vivo studies have also shown that apigenin inhibits melanoma lung metastases by impairing interaction of tumor cells with endothelium. Apigenin has also been shown to inhibit the expression of HIF-1α and VEGF via the PI3K/Akt/p70S6K1 and HDM2/p53 pathways in human ovarian cancer cells. Oral administration of apigenin was shown to suppresses prostate and breast cancer cell growth through estrogen receptor β1. Studies imply that apigenin may have the potential to inhibit hormone-related cancers as well. Studies have demonstrated anti-proliferative effects of apigenin on human breast cancer cell lines with different levels of HER2/neu expression. Apigenin exhibited potent growth inhibitory activity in HER2/neu over-expressing breast cancer cells. Induction of apoptosis was also observed in HER2/neu over-expressing breast cancer cells in a dose- and time- dependent manner after apigenin treatment. The first report about apigenin in human cervical carcinoma HeLa cells demonstrated apigenin inhibited the growth through an apoptotic pathway.Findings indicate that the induction of cell-cycle arrest by five of seven tested apigenin analogs and the additive induction by the combination of flavonoids at low doses cooperatively protect against colorectal cancer through conjoint blocking of cell-cycle progression. Apigenin was shown to be markedly more effective than other tested flavonoids in inducing apoptosis in human leukemia cells.
The effects of apigenin on lung cancer cells were evaluated, apigenin inhibited A549 lung cancer cell proliferation and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) transcriptional activation in a dose-dependent manner. Among the flavonoids tested, apigenin was the most potent inhibitor of the proliferation of human thyroid carcinoma cell lines. Exposure of human gastric carcinoma SGC-7901 cells to apigenin resulted in dose-dependent inhibition of the growth and clone formation of SGC-7901 cells by inducing apoptosis. Apigenin was also found to have inhibitory and apoptotic action on Liver cancer cells through various paths. Apigenin treatment has been shown to result in inhibition of colony-forming ability and survival, and induction of apoptosis in human neuroblastoma cells. The role of Apigenin in cancer prevention and therapy has been well documented by Sanjay Shukla and Sanjay Gupta from Department of Urology & Nutrition, Case Western Reserve University in their Paper Apigenin: A promisng molecule for cancer prevention. Overall it surely has shown effective in chemoprevention but therapeutic potency needs further evaluation. Also Dosage would be very important as in one sole in vitro test Apigenin was shown to be toxic to red blood cells.
11. SANGRE DE GRADO: This amazing compound has an unbelievable antioxidant count of 2,987.11 nmol/100g of antioxidants highest amongst 3,100 food items ranked in study conducted in Norway. As a comparison blueberry a favorite anti oxidant has count of 1.25 nmol/100g. So SDG is almost 3,000% more potent than blueberries.
The Sangre de Drago tree (Croton lechleri) is a tall, narrow tree that grows primarily in the Upper Amazon region of Peru, Ecuador, and Colombia. Sangre de Drago has 3 especially exciting cancer-slaying capacities: it can kill cancer cells, prevent tumor growth, and stop cell mutation.
In 2002, the Journal of Ethnopharmacology published a study conducted at Albany Medical College. The researchers there found that Sangre de Drago could induce apoptosis or cell death. Unfortunately these tests were in vitro - a long way from proving any efficacy in humans. Despite this I list this here because of its incredible antioxidant potency probably and by far the highest in the world amongst natural products. As we know that antioxidants can protect us from many causes of cancer in our body. I hope that very soon further research is done on SDG and that it will amaze us with its anti cancer therapeutic capabilities as well.
12. ROSEMARY: Has many compounds and extracts which have proven potent against cancers. Rosemary contains the active compounds alpha-pinene, beta-pinene and 1,8-cineole and powerful extracts like carnosic acid, rosemarinic acid, carnosol and SFRE.
The essential oil of the common herb rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) was shown in this lab study to potently reduce the viability of two types of human ovarian cancer cells: (SKOV-3) by up to 94% and HO-8910 by up to 90%. In addition, the essential oil also reduced the viability of liver cancer cells (Bel-7402) by 90%, all after 48 hours of treatment. Another result of experiments with carnosol and carnosic acid: Rosemary extract, carnosol and carnosic acid, increased apoptosis, decreased viability in colon cancer cell lines. Rosemary extract, carnosol and carnosic acid significantly upregulated the expression of Nrf2 and ERK. Rosemary extract also effectively suppressed tumor growth in a xenograft tumor model without affecting body weight. In experiments done for prostrate cancer findings suggest that these polyphenols target multiple signaling pathways involved in cell cycle modulation and apoptosis. Essentially both diterpenes carnosol and cornosic acid inhibit cancer by promoting apoptosis and inhibiting the critical PI3K/Akt signaling pathway which is an important regulator of tumor cell survival.
13. LYCOPENE: Is a pigment that helps give red fruits and vegetables their color. It is most abundantly found on the skin of tomatoes. Cooking tomatoes multiplies the available lycopene. Otherwise getting sufficient lycopene in our bloodstream to have potent cancer protective and cancer therapeutic potency is quite difficult requiring is to eat 3 dozen tomatoes at a time.
There is a patented pill that has found a way to upregulate the amount of lycopene absorbed into our bloodstream. Lycopene scavenges free radicals to prevent cancers. Scientific studies show that lycopene helps prevent prostate, lung, and stomach cancers.
There is also scientific evidence that cancers of the pancreas, colon and rectum, esophagus, oral cavity, breast, and cervix could be reduced with increased lycopene intake. Added bonus is its ability to mitigate atherosclerosis and blood pressure.
14. BERBERINE: Berberine is a quaternary ammonium salt from the protoberberine group of isoquinoline alkaloids. It is found in Oregon grape, Tree turmeric, Barberry, Goldenseal and others. Its use in ancient times is found both in traditional Chinese medicines and Ayurveda. It has shown many benefits which will be listed in my forthcoming blog post on anti aging naturals. Fortunately there have been many studies done for Berberines anti cancer abilities including animal studies.
As on Wikipedia it seems to suppress the growth of a wide variety of tumor cells, including breast cancer, leukemia, melanoma, epidermoid carcinoma, hepatoma, pancreatic cancer, oral carcinoma, tongue carcinoma, glioblastoma, prostate carcinoma and gastric carcinoma. Animal studies have shown that berberine can suppress chemical-induced carcinogenesis, clastogenesis, tumor promotion, tumor invasion, prostate cancer, neuroblastoma, and leukemia. Dr. Bran D Lawenda on his quite useful blog Integrative Oncology Essentials lists what Berberine does against cancer: It slows cancer growth and causes cancer cell death through a variety of mechanisms: tumor cell apoptosis and cell cycle arrest, inhibits blood vessel growth to tumors, inhibition of tumor cellular invasion and metastases (spread), etc. One of the main anti-cancer targets that is inhibited by berberine is NF-kappaB. NF-kappa B is one of the most important proteins in our cells, acting as a key switch in the development and progression of inflammation and cancer. Cancer (and precancerous cells) often have a permanently activated NF-kappa B, which keeps the cells proliferating and prevents them from dying (apoptosis). Chronic inflammation can also be a result of activated NF-kappa B, and we know that chronic inflammation can lead to cancer growth. Additionally, berberine is a radio-sensitizer of tumor cells, but not of normal cells (in fact, it may protect normal cells.) Therefore, berberine may make radiation therapy more effective.
Berberine also inhibits the tendency of cancer cells to become drug resistant over time by inhibiting the cellular membrane proteins that pump drugs out of the cell. When berberine is taken with numerous chemotherapy drugs, studies have shown that they work synergistically against cancer cells.
Combination of Berberine with Curcumin have shown some spectacular results in studies showing above 99% inhibition in A549, Hep-G2, MCF-7, Jurkat, and K562 cancer cell lines. Another study concluded their data suggest use of berberine and curcumin as adjunct therapeutics to overcome chemoresistance during treatment of gastric malignancies.
As with other promising anti-cancer plant compounds (i.e. green tea, turmeric, etc.), there are data suggesting that using the whole plant extract (Coptidis rhizoma or “huanglian”) may be more effective than simply taking berberine, alone. This is potentially due to synergistic effects of the many known and unknown anti-cancer compounds in the whole plant. He has mentioned a dose of 500 mg 2-3 times a day. While taking Berberine one must take precautions about its Metformin like efficacy in controlling diabetes. If you are already taking medicine for controlling blood sugar then you must ensure that combining that with Berbeine does not cause low sugar. Another thing to keep in mind is that taking berberine along with Sylimarin increases its bioavailability. It is also found that Melatonin enhances the atitumor activity of berberine.
15. FUCOIDAN AND AHCC: Fucoidan is a valuable substance that is obtained from the sliminess of most brown seaweeds. Fucoidan is considered to be a polysaccharide. It was discovered in 1913 by Professor Johann Kylin in Sweden. AHCC is a remarkable natural compound that is made from the roots of Japanese medicinal mushrooms. During the past few years it is gaining use as an immune modulator and chemotherapeutic agent. AHCC is the most popular immune-supplement in Japan. There are hundreds of scientific papers showing the benefits of medicinal mushrooms in cancer and in immunity. In the case of AHCC there are more than 20 human clinical studies and it has been used in over 1000 clinics. AHCC works by modulating the immune system so that the body can:
Increase the production and activity of immune cells to stimulate the suppressed immune function.
Protect itself from the side effects of chemotherapy such as nausea and hair loss.
It can enhance the liver function to increase survival rate and better quality of life.
Unlike other medicinal mushrooms AHCC seems to modulate our immune system essentially “training” the immune cells to respond to pathogens, toxins, cancerous cells, and other dangers.
Hundreds of Studies have proven the plant compound Fucoidan to kill cancer cells and protect against radiation.
For years scientists couldn’t really figure out why people on a small island off of Japan hardly ever suffered from cancer – until they stumbled onto a curious fetish the Okinawans had for a seaweed delicacy called Kombu (Mozuku) - there is a long chain carbohydrate in this seaweed called Fucoidan that has proven to fight cancer. It seems Fucoidan is lethal to certain types of cancerous cells. There are 600 peer reviewed studies that have proven its various efficacies against cancer. Fucoidan works by causing cancer cell apoptosis (causing death of cancer cells), cancer cell angiogenesis suppression (suppressing the blood vessels supporting the tumor) and boosting multiple immune mechanisms mainly via our intestinal flora. It has also been proven radioprotective. There is a book by Dr. Susana Trujillo about the synergy of Fucoidan and AHCC.
16. PTEROSTILBENE, HPSB AND RESVERATROL: Both the stilbenes one found in blueberries and one in red grapes have shown anti cancer activity in hundreds of peer reviewed studies and in vivo. One study has also shown a synergistic benefit but they have a difference in bioavailability that puts Pterostilbene ahead. Resveratrol is rapidly cleaned out by the liver while pterostilbene is allowed to continue on in the blood stream and eventually localize in the areas of need in the body.
A recent paper has demonstrated that when administered orally, Pterostilbene shows 95% bioavailability while resveratrol only has 20% bioavailability. Additionally, pterostilbene’s lower total body clearance rates suggest extensive tissue distribution. In a study by Dr. Wang it was concluded that pterostilbene could markedly inhibit the growth of two independent breast cancer cell lines. Both apoptosis and cell cycle arrest as well as the inhibition of wnt singling was induced by pterostilbene. Interestingly, pterostilbene induced autophagy and blockage of autophagy augmented pterostilbene-induced growth inhibition, suggesting that the combination of autophagy inhibitors with pterostilbene and other therapeutics such as endocrine drugs could serve as a new and promising strategy for the treatment of breast cancer cell. In vitro models have shown that pterostilbene inhibits cancer growth through alteration of the cell cycle, induction of apoptosis, and inhibition of metastasis. In vivo, pterostilbene inhibits tumorigenesis and metastasis with negligible toxicity. Pterostilbene has also been shown to be effective as an inducer of antioxidant capacity in multiple cancer cell lines that may facilitate its function as an anticarcinogenic compound. Additionally, preliminary studies show that pterostilbene exhibits much greater bioavailability compared with other stilbene compounds. 3′-hydroxypterostilbene (HPSB), a natural pterostilbene analogue, was more potent than pterostilbene against the growth of human cancer cells. HPSB effectively inhibited the growth of human colon cancer cells by inducing apoptosis and autophagy. Significant therapeutic effects were demonstrated in vivo by treating nude mice bearing COLO 205 tumor xenografts with HPSB. A study led by Salvador Mena in Plos One Journal showed the mecahnism by which pterostilbene acts against cancer:Pterostilbene promotes cancer cell death via a mechanism involving lysosomal membrane permeabilization. Different grades of susceptibility were observed among the different cancer cells depending on their lysosomal heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) content, a known stabilizer of lysosomal membranes. A375 melanoma and A549 lung cancer cells with low levels of HSP70 showed high susceptibility to pterostilbene, whereas HT29 colon and MCF7 breast cancer cells with higher levels of HSP70 were more resistant. Inhibition of HSP70 expression increased susceptibility of HT29 colon and MCF7 breast cancer cells to pterostilbene. Our data indicate that lysosomal membrane permeabilization is the main cell death pathway triggered by pterostilbene.
17. HONEY, ROYAL JELLY, PROPOLIS AND BEE POLLEN: A fantastic review by Dr. Sarfaraz Ahmed and Othman of Department of Pathology, School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia concluded that evidence is growing that honey may have the potential to be anticancer agent through several mechanisms. Studies have shown it has the following actions on cancer;
Its Apoptotic
Its Antiproliferative
It Effects Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF)
Its Anti-Inflammatory and Immunomodulatory
Its Antioxidant
Its Antimutagenic
Estrogen Modelator
In an article "Honey a Powerful Anicancer Agent" Sayer Ji says that Indeed, a recent study published in the journal Molecules looked at the role of honey in positively impacting the development and progression of tumors or cancers. Some honeys – such as Tualang honey – exhibit the property of selective cytotoxicity, meaning they target cancer cells by inducing programmed cell death while leaving non-cancerous cells unharmed. Another recent study compared the effect of Tualang honey with that of the pharmaceutical tamoxifen (an estrogen receptor antagonist) in two breast cancer cell lines (MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231). The study found that the anti-cancer effect of tualang honey on breast cancer cells was comparable to that of tamoxifen, a multi-billion dollar blockbuster drug. This is all the more remarkable, considering that Tamoxifen is classified by the World Health Organization and the American Cancer Society to be a human carcinogen, and is technically a xenobiotic chemical – inherently toxic and biologically alien to human physiology proving honey to be better than chimotherapy. According to the study, animal research has established honey’s significant anti-cancer properties, specifically in regard to inhibiting metastasis (invasiveness). Honey Kills A Wide Range of Cancers:
Liver Cancer: Gelam honey has been found to kill liver cancer cells, exhibiting selective cytotoxicity, anti-angiogenic, cytotoxic, and anti-proliferative properties, in both cell and animal research.
Colorectal Cancer: gelam and nenas monofloral honeys exhibit anti-cancer properites in colorectal cell lines. Prostate Cancer: Greek honeys (thyme, pine and fir honey) have been found to exhibit anti-proliferative properties.
Other Forms of Cancer: There has been a battery of studies on the anti-cancer properties of honey, focusing on the following types: a) bladder b) endometrial c) renal cell carcinoma d) skin cancer cells e) cervical f) non-small cell lung cancer g) mouth cancer h) bone cancer (osteosarcoma)
ROYAL JELLY: is a milky substance secreted from the glands in the hypopharynx of worker bees. It isn’t honey or bee pollen but those who are allergic to bees should not use royal jelly. Worker bees feed royal jelly to larvae and adult queen bees. In fact, it is the queen’s principal food throughout her lifetime, enabling her to lay 2,000 eggs a day and live for 5 to 8 years. The queen bee lives 40 times longer than worker bees and researchers are discovering that royal jelly might hold the key to their longevity, strength and size says Ty Bollinger in a poast called Can Royal Jelly Cure Cancer? It contains an abundance of health benefits that meet specific needs for cancer patients, keeping them strong and healthy before, during and after traditional treatments. It helps cancer patient by Immune System: Royal jelly is a natural immune system modulator and booster + Blood Sugar Controls:controls blood serum sugar levels with its insulin-like activity + Anti-Inflammatory:suppresses pro-inflammatory cytokines, lowers your risk of cancer and controls inflammation during treatment + Antioxidant:contains concentrated levels of several antioxidants + Liver Protection: dead tumor tissue makes the liver toxic and can lead to liver cancer. The liver-protective compounds in royal jelly help to flush these toxins + Protection from Breast Cancer:nhibited the growth promoting effects of BPA on breast cancer MCF-7 cells, even though it did not affect the proliferation of cells in the absence of BPA. +
ccording to a study published in a 2009 edition of the BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine, royal jelly fights cancer by suppressing the blood supply to tumors + There are studies regarding royal jelly in treating leukemia + Several clinical tests have proven that royal jelly reduces the harmful effects of cisplatin (chemotherapy drug) on the kidneys and liver. Can it cure cancer is still up for speculation but there is no doubt that supplementation by cancer patient may lead to many benefits and that is the reason it features here.
PROPOLIS: Propolis is the "caulk" honeybees use to patch holes in their hives. New research has revealed another exciting use for this seemingly miraculous substance, this time in the fight against cancer.In an article in Greenmedinfo Eleni Roumeliotou writes about Extreme Anticancer Potential of Propolis. One of the well-studied compounds of propolis is caffeic acid phenethyl ester, abbreviated as CAPE. CAPE has great medicinal properties, but its anti-cancer capacity is of particular interest. A study from the "Journal of Radiation Research" shows that just within 2 days after treatment with CAPE, 46% of lung cancer cells had been destroyed and the cancer growth was reduced by 60%. Three days after the treatment 67% of cancer cells were dead. A similar study published in the journal "Anticancer Drugs" in 2006 found that CAPE prevents colon cancer cells from multiplying and induces programmed cell death of the malignant cells without affecting healthy cells. These impressive results have been replicated in more types of cancer cells, such as breast, gastric, skin and pancreas cancer and glioma cells, a type of inoperable brain cancer. The available data show that CAPE can selectively stop the cell cycle and destroy cancer cells, prevent angiogenesis and block cancer growth. Luckily, it is not just CAPE having this impressive ability. The same anti-cancer properties are even more pronounced and superior in propolis as a whole food. In cells grown in a lab, even small doses of CAPE slowed the growth of tumor cells. And when low oral doses were given to mice with prostate tumors, tumor growth slowed by 50 percent! What's more, feeding CAPE to mice daily caused the tumors to stop growing, although they returned when the CAPE was removed from their diets. there are at least four studies on propolis' apoptotic properties, indicating that technically it is capable of directly killing cancer cells, including prostate cancer, melanoma and more. In 2009, propolis was found to suppress the growth of neurofibromatosis-associated tumors (tumors on nerve tissue) by blocking PAK1 signaling. Researchers noted: "Since more than 70% of human cancers such as breast and prostate cancers require the kinase PAK1 for their growth, it is quite possible that GPE [green propolis extract] could be potentially useful for the treatment of these cancers, as is Bio 30 [a CAPE-based propolis extract]." as quoted by Dr. Mercola. Perhaps the most exciting discovery about the healing effect of propolis and CAPE comes from a recent study published in the journal "Cancer Science and Therapy" in 2014, which shows that treatment with propolis can actually change the expression of DNA. Propolis and CAPE have a dramatic effect on specialized enzymes (called histone deacetylases), which are responsible for regulating the expression of DNA, preventing epigenetic modifications. Eleni adds that The scientific and commercial implications of these findings are so important that an international patent application on this finding was published in January, 2013 by the group, Omene C, O'Connor OA and Frenkel K. all cells have in their DNA specialized genes, called tumour suppressor genes, which are expected to be activated if a cell becomes cancerous and either promote healing or induce programmed cell death, if the genetic damages are beyond repair. These protective genes are usually deactivated in cancer cells, allowing them to bypass the security mechanisms built in the DNA. This is exactly where propolis acts; by restoring the functions of DNA, it re-activates the ability of the cell to fight off the malignancy and regulate its replication, therefore blocking tumour growth proving that CAPE and propolis are naturally occurring epigenetic therapeutic agents.
18. CAPSAICIN: A compound (vanilloid family of compounds) found in chlli peppers has been shown to selectively kill cancer cells. In a report filed in September 2015 says that capsaicin has been known to kill prostate cancer cells for about a decade. Researchers have moved closer to a way of using the molecule in cancer treatment by figuring out how it works, they report in a new study. A recent study in China found it can lower the risk of death from cancer, heart and respiratory diseases. In 2006, a study found that capsaicin can cause prostate cancer cells in mice to die while leaving healthy cells alone.
It caused 80 per cent of
As almost all nature derived products in pure form should not show side effects in their appropriate doses it makes sense for every cancer patient to research and regularly take some natural therapies along with allopathic remedies. Many highly potent natural compounds and extracts have been discovered in lab experiments in vitro and in vivo but unfortunately not many have gone further to be exhaustively tested in lab animals and humans. So a lot of the confirmation of the efficacies may come in anecdotal form. Despite this I personally believe that if safety and dosage has also been tested in the labs then it is surely worth tailoring a natural therapy program selecting the ones that have shown benefit for a particular cancer.
Synergistic combinations are an exciting and unexplored treasure waiting to be mined in the future. And by Synergy I mean both a cocktail of Natural compounds or a Natural compound paired with a chemo, surgical or radiation therapy. From the very few that have been tested some have shown remarkable success clearing 100% of the cancer within weeks if not days and deliver the same potency as a pharmacological product. Another big low hanging fruit here is prevention. Here Natural products beat Pharma completely.
Shark Tank investor Robert Herjavec said that 50% of all Americans will be diagnosed with cancer at some point in their lives! What are the odds that you should be reading this post seriously? When SARS infects 0.01% of the population we are all in panic and wear masks and call it an epidemic. What do you call when a disease reaches 50%? Cancer is the fastest growing pandemic of the modern world. Cancer prevention is the best bet and natural therapies are the only solid approach for prevention.
To get you started I have listed a selected few natural products, extracts and therapies meeting my standards of success in experiments conducted by reputed researchers/labs or multiple peer reviewed studies published in reputed journals:
1. CURCUMIN/TURMERIC: The most potent Natural compound against cancers: curcumin appears to be universally useful for just about every type of cancer, which is really incredible since cancer consists of a wide variety of different molecular pathologies.
Curcumin modulates growth of tumor cells through regulation of multiple cell signaling pathways including cell proliferation pathway (cyclin D1, c-myc), cell survival pathway (Bcl-2, Bcl-xL, cFLIP, XIAP, c-IAP1), caspase activation pathway (caspase-8, 3, 9), tumor suppressor pathway (p53, p21) death receptor pathway (DR4, DR5), mitochondrial pathways, and protein kinase pathway (JNK, Akt, and AMPK). These interrelated pathways are activated by:
a) Caspase Activation
b) Induction of Death Receptors
c) Fas Receptor Aggregation
d) Induction of p53/p21 Pathway
e) Release of Apoptosis-Inducing Factor
f) Cell Cycle Regulation
g) Inhibition of PI3K-AKT Activation
h) Inhibition of mTOR
i) Down-Regulation of Androgen Receptors
j) Inhibition of Growth Factors and their Receptors
k) Inhibition of AMP-Activated Protein Kinase (AMPK)
l) Inhibition of COX2 and 5 LOX
m) Inhibition of Ornithine Decarboxylase
n) Inhibition of Acidic Sphingomyelinase
o) Inhibition of Phospholipase D
p) Activation of Thioredoxin Reductase
q) Inhibition of STAT3 Activation
r) Activation of c-Jun Kinase
s) Induction of DNA Fragmentation
t) Direct DNA Damage
u) Intracellular [Ca (2±)](i) Depletion
v) Mitochondrial Activation
w) Binding and Inhibition of Glyoxalase
x) Suppression of Antiapoptotic Proteins
y) Binding to Microtubules
z) Proteasome Activation
aa) Pro- and Antioxidant Mechanisms
bb) Autophagy
cc) Inhibition of NF-κB
dd) Inhibition of Wnt/beta-catenin Signaling
ee) Activation of Nrf2
ff) Inhibition of hTERT
Jayraj Ravindran, Sahdeo Prasad and Bharat Aggarwal from Cytokine Research Laboratory, Department of Experimental Therapeutics, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Cente, in their Paper Curcumin and Cancer Cells: How many ways can curry kill tumor cells selectively? concludes by saying that due to its multiple pathways to inhibiting and killing, cancer cells are unable to develop resistance to turmeric and curcumin.
Curcumin has the most evidence-based literature supporting its use against cancer of any nutrient. Curcumin has the ability to modulate genetic activity and expression—both by destroying cancer cells and by promoting healthy cell function. It also promotes anti-angiogenesis, meaning it helps prevent the development of additional blood supply necessary for cancer cell growth. As for its effect on molecular pathways, curcumin can affect more than 100 of them, once it gets into the cell. Some of the actions of Curcumin in non-medical terms: Inhibit the proliferation of tumor cells, Inhibit the synthesis of a protein instrumental in tumor formation, Inhibit the transformation of cells from normal to tumor, Help your body destroy mutated cancer cells so they cannot spread throughout your body, Help prevent the development of additional blood supply necessary for cancer cell growth.
There is so much incredible research about curcumin that it can fill a hundred pages easily of this blog post. I am citing only this recent study because it proves curcumin efficacy against the heart of cancer as per our new understanding of CSCs. In a recent study published in Cancer Letters it was observed that curcumin was a potent cancer fighter on its own and safe as an adjuvant to chemotherapy. Chemotherapy was effective in killing relatively benign 'daughter cells' of a tumor whereas curcumin attacked the relatively chemotherapy resistant cancer stem cells 'mother cells' at the heart of the tumor. So chemo may seem to reduce the volume of the tumor if administered alone but it left smaller but far more dangerous treatment resistant tumor which eventually killed the patient. This new revelation about cancer cells from these recent studies is shaking up the old beliefs. It seems there are only few mother stem cells CSCs (1%) at the heart of a tumor which possess the multiplication and mutagenic ability - majority of the cancer cells do not. Conventional Chemo kills these benign daughter cells and therefore we are puzzled when the CSCs rebound later to an aggressive and lethal cancer that eventually quickly kills the patient with a post chemo injured immune system. The conclusion of this study: Curcumin, as well as its modified forms (analogues or nanoparticle-encapsulated formulations), has shown great potential to inhibit CSCs in several types of cancer both in cell cultures and in mouse models, including glioma, breast, colorectal, pancreatic, brain, and esophageal cancers. Some analogues (e.g., CDF) and formulations (e.g., nanotechnology-based formulation) have exhibited improved efficacy against CSC-like cells and greater growth-inhibitory capacity in tumors. It is promising to evaluate curcumin and its modified forms in other types of CSCs.
For unknown reasons curcumin only kills cancer cells and does not kill healthy cells putting to shame chemo which does not differentiate. This seems to be a must therapy for all cancer patients along with whatever other treatment they are taking. But one of the biggest challenges to keep in mind is that turmeric and curcumin (an extract of turmeric) have low bioavailability much below the potency required to kill CSCs. A 95% concentration curcumin capsule will provide only 1% as bioavailable (boiling the contents of the capsule before consuming increases absorption to 12%). One can also remedy this by taking curcumin with piperine (extract of black pepper) which increases the bioavailability by 2,000% or turmeric should be consumed with healthy fats - it is otherwise difficult to absorb in the gut but is fat soluble so taken with healthy fats it is better absorbed. Quercetin is a plant flavonoid that inhibits the enzyme that deactivates curcumin so take it along with a Quercetin supplement. Turmeric is one of the most potent natural compounds in the world with 600 tested benefits! including anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, anti-viral, anti-bacterial, etc. Many more are being discovered every day.
2. GEDUNIN: Hsp90 is a heat shock protein which protects our cells during heat and stress based biological events. Cancer cells hijack this chaperone protein to protect itself while multiplying and mutating endlessly. Inactivation of he Hsp90 machinery would render cancer cells vulnerable and eventually lead to their death (apoptosis), No wonder a lot of cancer research is aimed at inactivating Hsp90 selectively in the cancer environment. The challenge with all the experiments so far has been that inhibiting Hsp90 has led to overexpression of other proteins like Hsp70 and Hsp27 which are anti-apoptotic negating the gains or worsening further. Gary E Brandt from the University of Kansas along with colleagues have been doing some interesting research work finding inhibitors of Hsp90. In 2008 he concluded that Gedunin an extract of the Neem tree of India inhibits Hsp90 without the negating overexpression of other proteins but he could not determine the mode of action. He also concluded that synthetic or semi synthetic derivatives of Gedunin were not at all effective as the natural extract itself.
| Cancer Killer from Neem Tree |
3. SUPER COCKTAIL: This is an important discovery as it demonstrates the power of synergy in using natural compounds. The combination of 6 powerful natural compounds killed 100% of all breast cancer cells while not harming healthy cells in vitro. Individually their effect was muted but in combination they proved synergistically powerful enough to kill ALL cancer cells in an experiment conducted by Dr. Madhwa Raj and colleagues of LSU Health and Science Center, New Orleans and its Stanley C Scott Cancer Center. Let me list out the super six:
a. Curcumin
b. Indol-3-Carbinol
c. Isoflavone (Genistein)
d. Spirulina extract combined with Selenium
e. Resveratrol
f. Quercetin
4. KILLING CANCER STEM CELLS: The new startling discovery about cancer biology which disclosed to us the dark heart of the cancer tumor holding the Cancer Stem Cells CSCs which as explained above do all the damage. CSCs have proven elusive to conventional chemo therapies. Scientists are now discovering that it is only Natural Compounds which have shown ability in various experiments to kill CSCs.
These natural killers so far discovered that attack CSCs in different pathways are:
a. Curcumin
b. Salinomycin
c. Sulforaphanes (extract from cruciferous vegetables like Broccoli)
d. BXL0124 (a novel analogue of vitamin D)
e. 6-Shogaol
f. Phenethyl isothiocyanate (PEITC)
5. 6-SHOGAOL (Extract of GINGER): 10,000 times more effective than chemo at killing CSCs as discovered in a recent study published in highly reputed PLoS Journal. The chemical, known as 6-shogaol, is produced when ginger roots are dried or cooked.
The researchers found that 6-shogaol is active against cancer stem cells at concentrations that are harmless to healthy cells. The researchers found that 6-shogaol targets breast cancer stem cells along several different pathways, including reducing the expression of surface markers, altering the cell cycle to increase the rate of cell death, inhibiting tumor formation, directly inducing programmed cell death, and flat-out poisoning cancer stem cells (cytotoxicity). The researchers then compared the cytotoxicity of 6-shogaol against human breast cancer stem cells with that of the widely used chemotherapy drug taxol. They found that while taxol did show cytotoxicity in a one-dimensional laboratory model of cancer ("monolayer"), it showed almost no effect in the three-dimensional ("spheroid") model that is now believed to be a more accurate model of real-world cancer tumors. 6-shogaol, however, was effective in both the monolayer and spheroid models. The researchers then increased the taxol concentration by 10,000 times, but it still showed no effectiveness in spheroid model. "Taxol, even though was highly active in monolayer cells, did not show activity against the spheroids even at 10,000 fold higher concentration compared to 6-shogaol," the researchers wrote.
Separately A study by the Georgia State University has found that ginger can decrease the size of a prostate tumour by 56%.
6. BEC5 (Eggplant Extract): One of the biggest success stories of Nature derived absolute cure of cancer - skin cancer - seems to have gone unnoticed by most of the world. The brilliant, unassuming scientist Dr. Bill Cham who deserves worldwide recognition for his incredible breakthrough in a major diseases like cancer. The discovery of BEC5 - Solasidine Glycoside -extracted from eggplant and Devil's Apple - was pointed out to us by cows! Cows stricken by eye cancer in Queensland, Australia cured it by rubbing on a plant called Devil's Apple. This was brought to the attention of Dr. Cham and he toiled away to develop the best available cure for malignant and non malignant skin cancers.
| Dr. Bill Cham |
7. SALINOMYCIN: One of the more exciting biochemicals which has shown potent anti cancer activity including for CSCs in in vivo human clinical trials. Salinomycin is made by a strain of streptomyces albus. Streptomyces is a form of bacteria, usually found in soil. Its a naturally occurring antibiotic. Promising results from preclinical trials in human xenograft mice and a few clinical pilot studies reveal that salinomycin is able to effectively eliminate CSCs and to induce partial clinical regression of heavily pretreated and therapy-resistant cancers.
| Salinomycin can kill CSCs |
Another Study by Florian Kopp and others reports "Our findings clearly show that salinomycin can strongly inhibit cancer cell migration independent of the induction of cell death. We furthermore demonstrate for the first time that salinomycin treatment reduces metastasis formation in vivo, strengthening its role as promising anti-cancer therapeutic". In another trial by Zhao P of University of Utah iTEP nanoparticle-delivered salinomycin displays an enhanced toxicity to cancer stem cells in orthotopic breast tumors. The amazing thing about this super drug is that compared to conventional chemo and radio therapies it has shown few side effects. In a documented human cancer patient case study intravenous salinomycin therapy resulted in minor acute side effects, including tachycardia and mild tremor for 30–60 min. after administration but lacked severe and long-term side effects observed with conventional chemotherapeutic drugs. With 12 cycles of salinomycin therapy greater than 85% of the cancer cells had undergone apoptosis. Similar results of salinomycin-induced partial tumor and metastasis regression were obtained in three other patients with metastatic breast cancer, one patient with metastatic ovarian cancer, and one patient with metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.
8. SALVESTROLS: Salvestrols are naturally occurring extracts of fruits and vegetables which are metabolized by the CYP1B1 enzyme in cancer cells. While harmless to normal cells, these metabolites will kill cancer cells in a process called apoptosis. The discovery of Salvestrols was due to the collaboration between two CYP 450 enzyme experts, Gerald Potter PhD a medicinal chemist,and Danny Burke PhD.
| Discovered and sold Abiraterone Prostrate Cancer decimater smart bomb for US$ 1 billion |
So the logic sounds strong but the sad part is the lack of validation achieved in clinical trials yet. I am listing this only because of two reasons - The very distinguished career, awards and achievements of Dr. Gerald Potter and second because of the multitude of actual patient case studies published in reputed medical journals. Dosage (of Salvestrols Platinum) is reported to be in the 12,000 point range for cancers that have spread along with biotin, niacin, vitamin C and others. Chloroquine is also supposed to work well with Salvestrols but chloroquine must never ever be taken while one is on chemotherapy as it can cause severe kidney injury amongst other things. Salvestrols on their own have been allowed by many oncologists during chemotherapy as they do not show any contraindications probably due to their natural origin.
9. CRUCIFEROUS COMPOUNDS: Cruciferous vegetables like brocolli, kale, brussels sprouts, arugula, bokchoy, cabbage and cauliflower have not one but many powerful anti cancer compounds like Indole-3-Carbinol, DIM, Sufurophanes, Crambene and PEITC. Scientific observational studies have shown that eating cruciferous vegetables protects against cancer – here are a few examples:
Twenty-eight servings of vegetables per week decreased prostate cancer risk by 33%, but just 3 servings of cruciferous vegetables per week decreased prostate cancer risk by 41%.
One or more servings of cabbage per week reduced risk of pancreatic cancer by 38%.
One serving per day of cruciferous vegetables reduced the risk of breast cancer by over 50%
These powerful compounds work both as potent cancer preventives and cancer fighters. Their actions are multiple. Some things to keep in mind to get best results: have cruciferous veggies with yogurt. Do not over cook them, I3C is unstable but its metabolite DIM is not - so take I3C supplement with a DIM supplement and also with Crambene. Some of these compounds work better with vitamin D. One example of cruciferous nutrients less known is:
PEITC PHENETHYL ISOTHIOCYANATE: This chemical is produced from the reaction of a compound and an enzyme that occur in cruciferous vegetables, such as broccoli and cabbage. This reaction actually takes place simply when the vegetables are chewed, which means that eating cruciferous vegetables causes the human body to be exposed to PEITC. According to a May 2015 press release by researchers from the South Dakota State University Department of Health and Nutritional Sciences, PEITC has been successful at killing cervical cancer stem cells. The concentrations used in the study are actually achievable simply from a diet rich in cruciferous vegetables, the researchers said. The vegetables highest in PEITC potential are watercress and land cress. This research suggests that PEITC, and possibly even a diet rich in cruciferous vegetables, could assist in the prevention of or recovery from cancer.
| PEITC preventing metastasis in lung cancer |
One of the important actions of cruciferous veggie compounds is balancing hormones especially estrogen. They convert the dangerous forms of estrogen to protective forms thereby preventing cancer from forming.
For prevention and regression of hormonal cancers adding cruciferous veggies and supplements should be a must. My close relative was diagnosed with Fibroids and was looking at a debilitating surgery that would remove a lot of her womanhood. She tried concentrated supplement containing all the potent compounds found in cruciferous veggies and a miracle happened on pre-surgery visit to her gynac she was told that the Fibroids had disappeared much to the amazement of her doctor. So I have personally observed the benefit in a real life situation.
10. APIGENIN: A flavonoid found in many fruits. Apigenin has been shown to possess anti-mutagenic properties in a setting of nitropyrene-induced genotoxicity in Chinese hamster ovary cells. Apigenin has also been shown to inhibit benzo[a]pyrene and 2-aminoanthracene-induced bacterial mutagenesis. apigenin has been shown to increase the intracellular concentration of glutathione, enhancing the endogenous defense against oxidative stress. n another study, apigenin treatment resulted in suppression of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) α-induced Nuclear Factor (NF)-κB activation in human umbilical vein endothelial cells. Apigenin treatment has been shown to decrease the levels of phosphorylated EGFR tyrosine kinase and of other MAPK and their nuclear substrate c-myc, which causes apoptosis in anaplastic thyroid cancer cells. apigenin has been shown to inhibit the expression of casein kinase (CK)-2 in both human prostate and breast cancer cells.
| Celery source of Apigenin |
| Swiss Chard contains apigenin flavonoids, namely vitexin, vitexin-2-O-rhamnoside and vitexin-2-O-xyloside, which show antiproliferative activity on cancer cell lines |
11. SANGRE DE GRADO: This amazing compound has an unbelievable antioxidant count of 2,987.11 nmol/100g of antioxidants highest amongst 3,100 food items ranked in study conducted in Norway. As a comparison blueberry a favorite anti oxidant has count of 1.25 nmol/100g. So SDG is almost 3,000% more potent than blueberries.
| Sangre de Grado Tree |
| The most powerful antioxidant in the world - The Sap from the tree |
| The blood red Sap |
12. ROSEMARY: Has many compounds and extracts which have proven potent against cancers. Rosemary contains the active compounds alpha-pinene, beta-pinene and 1,8-cineole and powerful extracts like carnosic acid, rosemarinic acid, carnosol and SFRE.
| Rosemary plant can be grown year round |
The essential oil of the common herb rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) was shown in this lab study to potently reduce the viability of two types of human ovarian cancer cells: (SKOV-3) by up to 94% and HO-8910 by up to 90%. In addition, the essential oil also reduced the viability of liver cancer cells (Bel-7402) by 90%, all after 48 hours of treatment. Another result of experiments with carnosol and carnosic acid: Rosemary extract, carnosol and carnosic acid, increased apoptosis, decreased viability in colon cancer cell lines. Rosemary extract, carnosol and carnosic acid significantly upregulated the expression of Nrf2 and ERK. Rosemary extract also effectively suppressed tumor growth in a xenograft tumor model without affecting body weight. In experiments done for prostrate cancer findings suggest that these polyphenols target multiple signaling pathways involved in cell cycle modulation and apoptosis. Essentially both diterpenes carnosol and cornosic acid inhibit cancer by promoting apoptosis and inhibiting the critical PI3K/Akt signaling pathway which is an important regulator of tumor cell survival.
There is a patented pill that has found a way to upregulate the amount of lycopene absorbed into our bloodstream. Lycopene scavenges free radicals to prevent cancers. Scientific studies show that lycopene helps prevent prostate, lung, and stomach cancers.
There is also scientific evidence that cancers of the pancreas, colon and rectum, esophagus, oral cavity, breast, and cervix could be reduced with increased lycopene intake. Added bonus is its ability to mitigate atherosclerosis and blood pressure.
14. BERBERINE: Berberine is a quaternary ammonium salt from the protoberberine group of isoquinoline alkaloids. It is found in Oregon grape, Tree turmeric, Barberry, Goldenseal and others. Its use in ancient times is found both in traditional Chinese medicines and Ayurveda. It has shown many benefits which will be listed in my forthcoming blog post on anti aging naturals. Fortunately there have been many studies done for Berberines anti cancer abilities including animal studies.
As on Wikipedia it seems to suppress the growth of a wide variety of tumor cells, including breast cancer, leukemia, melanoma, epidermoid carcinoma, hepatoma, pancreatic cancer, oral carcinoma, tongue carcinoma, glioblastoma, prostate carcinoma and gastric carcinoma. Animal studies have shown that berberine can suppress chemical-induced carcinogenesis, clastogenesis, tumor promotion, tumor invasion, prostate cancer, neuroblastoma, and leukemia. Dr. Bran D Lawenda on his quite useful blog Integrative Oncology Essentials lists what Berberine does against cancer: It slows cancer growth and causes cancer cell death through a variety of mechanisms: tumor cell apoptosis and cell cycle arrest, inhibits blood vessel growth to tumors, inhibition of tumor cellular invasion and metastases (spread), etc. One of the main anti-cancer targets that is inhibited by berberine is NF-kappaB. NF-kappa B is one of the most important proteins in our cells, acting as a key switch in the development and progression of inflammation and cancer. Cancer (and precancerous cells) often have a permanently activated NF-kappa B, which keeps the cells proliferating and prevents them from dying (apoptosis). Chronic inflammation can also be a result of activated NF-kappa B, and we know that chronic inflammation can lead to cancer growth. Additionally, berberine is a radio-sensitizer of tumor cells, but not of normal cells (in fact, it may protect normal cells.) Therefore, berberine may make radiation therapy more effective.
Berberine also inhibits the tendency of cancer cells to become drug resistant over time by inhibiting the cellular membrane proteins that pump drugs out of the cell. When berberine is taken with numerous chemotherapy drugs, studies have shown that they work synergistically against cancer cells.
Combination of Berberine with Curcumin have shown some spectacular results in studies showing above 99% inhibition in A549, Hep-G2, MCF-7, Jurkat, and K562 cancer cell lines. Another study concluded their data suggest use of berberine and curcumin as adjunct therapeutics to overcome chemoresistance during treatment of gastric malignancies.
| The bark of the rhizome of Oregon Grapes is one of the sources of Berberine |
As with other promising anti-cancer plant compounds (i.e. green tea, turmeric, etc.), there are data suggesting that using the whole plant extract (Coptidis rhizoma or “huanglian”) may be more effective than simply taking berberine, alone. This is potentially due to synergistic effects of the many known and unknown anti-cancer compounds in the whole plant. He has mentioned a dose of 500 mg 2-3 times a day. While taking Berberine one must take precautions about its Metformin like efficacy in controlling diabetes. If you are already taking medicine for controlling blood sugar then you must ensure that combining that with Berbeine does not cause low sugar. Another thing to keep in mind is that taking berberine along with Sylimarin increases its bioavailability. It is also found that Melatonin enhances the atitumor activity of berberine.
15. FUCOIDAN AND AHCC: Fucoidan is a valuable substance that is obtained from the sliminess of most brown seaweeds. Fucoidan is considered to be a polysaccharide. It was discovered in 1913 by Professor Johann Kylin in Sweden. AHCC is a remarkable natural compound that is made from the roots of Japanese medicinal mushrooms. During the past few years it is gaining use as an immune modulator and chemotherapeutic agent. AHCC is the most popular immune-supplement in Japan. There are hundreds of scientific papers showing the benefits of medicinal mushrooms in cancer and in immunity. In the case of AHCC there are more than 20 human clinical studies and it has been used in over 1000 clinics. AHCC works by modulating the immune system so that the body can:
Increase the production and activity of immune cells to stimulate the suppressed immune function.
Protect itself from the side effects of chemotherapy such as nausea and hair loss.
It can enhance the liver function to increase survival rate and better quality of life.
Unlike other medicinal mushrooms AHCC seems to modulate our immune system essentially “training” the immune cells to respond to pathogens, toxins, cancerous cells, and other dangers.
| Recommended Reading |
For years scientists couldn’t really figure out why people on a small island off of Japan hardly ever suffered from cancer – until they stumbled onto a curious fetish the Okinawans had for a seaweed delicacy called Kombu (Mozuku) - there is a long chain carbohydrate in this seaweed called Fucoidan that has proven to fight cancer. It seems Fucoidan is lethal to certain types of cancerous cells. There are 600 peer reviewed studies that have proven its various efficacies against cancer. Fucoidan works by causing cancer cell apoptosis (causing death of cancer cells), cancer cell angiogenesis suppression (suppressing the blood vessels supporting the tumor) and boosting multiple immune mechanisms mainly via our intestinal flora. It has also been proven radioprotective. There is a book by Dr. Susana Trujillo about the synergy of Fucoidan and AHCC.
16. PTEROSTILBENE, HPSB AND RESVERATROL: Both the stilbenes one found in blueberries and one in red grapes have shown anti cancer activity in hundreds of peer reviewed studies and in vivo. One study has also shown a synergistic benefit but they have a difference in bioavailability that puts Pterostilbene ahead. Resveratrol is rapidly cleaned out by the liver while pterostilbene is allowed to continue on in the blood stream and eventually localize in the areas of need in the body.
| Blueberries a source of Pterostilbene |
17. HONEY, ROYAL JELLY, PROPOLIS AND BEE POLLEN: A fantastic review by Dr. Sarfaraz Ahmed and Othman of Department of Pathology, School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia concluded that evidence is growing that honey may have the potential to be anticancer agent through several mechanisms. Studies have shown it has the following actions on cancer;
Its Apoptotic
Its Antiproliferative
It Effects Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF)
Its Anti-Inflammatory and Immunomodulatory
Its Antioxidant
Its Antimutagenic
Estrogen Modelator
In an article "Honey a Powerful Anicancer Agent" Sayer Ji says that Indeed, a recent study published in the journal Molecules looked at the role of honey in positively impacting the development and progression of tumors or cancers. Some honeys – such as Tualang honey – exhibit the property of selective cytotoxicity, meaning they target cancer cells by inducing programmed cell death while leaving non-cancerous cells unharmed. Another recent study compared the effect of Tualang honey with that of the pharmaceutical tamoxifen (an estrogen receptor antagonist) in two breast cancer cell lines (MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231). The study found that the anti-cancer effect of tualang honey on breast cancer cells was comparable to that of tamoxifen, a multi-billion dollar blockbuster drug. This is all the more remarkable, considering that Tamoxifen is classified by the World Health Organization and the American Cancer Society to be a human carcinogen, and is technically a xenobiotic chemical – inherently toxic and biologically alien to human physiology proving honey to be better than chimotherapy. According to the study, animal research has established honey’s significant anti-cancer properties, specifically in regard to inhibiting metastasis (invasiveness). Honey Kills A Wide Range of Cancers:
Liver Cancer: Gelam honey has been found to kill liver cancer cells, exhibiting selective cytotoxicity, anti-angiogenic, cytotoxic, and anti-proliferative properties, in both cell and animal research.
Colorectal Cancer: gelam and nenas monofloral honeys exhibit anti-cancer properites in colorectal cell lines. Prostate Cancer: Greek honeys (thyme, pine and fir honey) have been found to exhibit anti-proliferative properties.
Other Forms of Cancer: There has been a battery of studies on the anti-cancer properties of honey, focusing on the following types: a) bladder b) endometrial c) renal cell carcinoma d) skin cancer cells e) cervical f) non-small cell lung cancer g) mouth cancer h) bone cancer (osteosarcoma)
ROYAL JELLY: is a milky substance secreted from the glands in the hypopharynx of worker bees. It isn’t honey or bee pollen but those who are allergic to bees should not use royal jelly. Worker bees feed royal jelly to larvae and adult queen bees. In fact, it is the queen’s principal food throughout her lifetime, enabling her to lay 2,000 eggs a day and live for 5 to 8 years. The queen bee lives 40 times longer than worker bees and researchers are discovering that royal jelly might hold the key to their longevity, strength and size says Ty Bollinger in a poast called Can Royal Jelly Cure Cancer? It contains an abundance of health benefits that meet specific needs for cancer patients, keeping them strong and healthy before, during and after traditional treatments. It helps cancer patient by Immune System: Royal jelly is a natural immune system modulator and booster + Blood Sugar Controls:controls blood serum sugar levels with its insulin-like activity + Anti-Inflammatory:suppresses pro-inflammatory cytokines, lowers your risk of cancer and controls inflammation during treatment + Antioxidant:contains concentrated levels of several antioxidants + Liver Protection: dead tumor tissue makes the liver toxic and can lead to liver cancer. The liver-protective compounds in royal jelly help to flush these toxins + Protection from Breast Cancer:nhibited the growth promoting effects of BPA on breast cancer MCF-7 cells, even though it did not affect the proliferation of cells in the absence of BPA. +
ccording to a study published in a 2009 edition of the BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine, royal jelly fights cancer by suppressing the blood supply to tumors + There are studies regarding royal jelly in treating leukemia + Several clinical tests have proven that royal jelly reduces the harmful effects of cisplatin (chemotherapy drug) on the kidneys and liver. Can it cure cancer is still up for speculation but there is no doubt that supplementation by cancer patient may lead to many benefits and that is the reason it features here.
PROPOLIS: Propolis is the "caulk" honeybees use to patch holes in their hives. New research has revealed another exciting use for this seemingly miraculous substance, this time in the fight against cancer.In an article in Greenmedinfo Eleni Roumeliotou writes about Extreme Anticancer Potential of Propolis. One of the well-studied compounds of propolis is caffeic acid phenethyl ester, abbreviated as CAPE. CAPE has great medicinal properties, but its anti-cancer capacity is of particular interest. A study from the "Journal of Radiation Research" shows that just within 2 days after treatment with CAPE, 46% of lung cancer cells had been destroyed and the cancer growth was reduced by 60%. Three days after the treatment 67% of cancer cells were dead. A similar study published in the journal "Anticancer Drugs" in 2006 found that CAPE prevents colon cancer cells from multiplying and induces programmed cell death of the malignant cells without affecting healthy cells. These impressive results have been replicated in more types of cancer cells, such as breast, gastric, skin and pancreas cancer and glioma cells, a type of inoperable brain cancer. The available data show that CAPE can selectively stop the cell cycle and destroy cancer cells, prevent angiogenesis and block cancer growth. Luckily, it is not just CAPE having this impressive ability. The same anti-cancer properties are even more pronounced and superior in propolis as a whole food. In cells grown in a lab, even small doses of CAPE slowed the growth of tumor cells. And when low oral doses were given to mice with prostate tumors, tumor growth slowed by 50 percent! What's more, feeding CAPE to mice daily caused the tumors to stop growing, although they returned when the CAPE was removed from their diets. there are at least four studies on propolis' apoptotic properties, indicating that technically it is capable of directly killing cancer cells, including prostate cancer, melanoma and more. In 2009, propolis was found to suppress the growth of neurofibromatosis-associated tumors (tumors on nerve tissue) by blocking PAK1 signaling. Researchers noted: "Since more than 70% of human cancers such as breast and prostate cancers require the kinase PAK1 for their growth, it is quite possible that GPE [green propolis extract] could be potentially useful for the treatment of these cancers, as is Bio 30 [a CAPE-based propolis extract]." as quoted by Dr. Mercola. Perhaps the most exciting discovery about the healing effect of propolis and CAPE comes from a recent study published in the journal "Cancer Science and Therapy" in 2014, which shows that treatment with propolis can actually change the expression of DNA. Propolis and CAPE have a dramatic effect on specialized enzymes (called histone deacetylases), which are responsible for regulating the expression of DNA, preventing epigenetic modifications. Eleni adds that The scientific and commercial implications of these findings are so important that an international patent application on this finding was published in January, 2013 by the group, Omene C, O'Connor OA and Frenkel K. all cells have in their DNA specialized genes, called tumour suppressor genes, which are expected to be activated if a cell becomes cancerous and either promote healing or induce programmed cell death, if the genetic damages are beyond repair. These protective genes are usually deactivated in cancer cells, allowing them to bypass the security mechanisms built in the DNA. This is exactly where propolis acts; by restoring the functions of DNA, it re-activates the ability of the cell to fight off the malignancy and regulate its replication, therefore blocking tumour growth proving that CAPE and propolis are naturally occurring epigenetic therapeutic agents.
18. CAPSAICIN: A compound (vanilloid family of compounds) found in chlli peppers has been shown to selectively kill cancer cells. In a report filed in September 2015 says that capsaicin has been known to kill prostate cancer cells for about a decade. Researchers have moved closer to a way of using the molecule in cancer treatment by figuring out how it works, they report in a new study. A recent study in China found it can lower the risk of death from cancer, heart and respiratory diseases. In 2006, a study found that capsaicin can cause prostate cancer cells in mice to die while leaving healthy cells alone.
| Prostrate Cancer under microscope |
