Herbal Aids for Cancer...continued

Green Tea

Although it is better known as a cancer preventive, preliminary studies suggest green tea (Camellia sinensis) also may be a useful treatment for cancer or an adjuvant to chemotherapy.¹⁹ Green tea contains catechins, antioxidantlike polyphenolic compounds, that can inhibit the spread of cancer.²⁰

A recent animal study by Sadao Hirota from the University of Shizuoka in Japan showed that, when taken with chemotherapy, steeped green tea also enhanced the therapeutic effects of the drugs. Mice with cancer were treated with the widely used anti-tumor drug doxorubicin and given green tea orally. After 18 days, tumor size in the green tea plus doxorubicin-group decreased 37 percent compared with 25 percent in the mice given only doxorubicin. Researchers found that the concentration of doxorubicin increased in the tumors of animals receiving the green tea but not in normal tissue, which may explain the drug's increased effectiveness.²¹

Echinacea

Many laboratory studies document echinacea's (Echinacea spp.) traditional use as an immune stimulator. The active polysaccharide fraction of echinacea increases phagocytosis, or ingestion of foreign particles, and stimulates production of the cytokines interleukin-1, interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor.²²

One human study by Wolfram Grimm of Philipps University in Marburg, Germany, showed that echinacea had some ability to prevent upper respiratory tract infections and shorten their duration. His double-blind study of 109 people showed that taking 4 mL of E. purpurea extract twice daily for eight weeks decreased the risk of infection by 22 percent and shortened the duration of colds by two days.²³ Although the improvement is modest, it may have important implications to someone on chemotherapy. Some herbalists, however, warn that using echinacea for long periods can decrease immunity. Herbalist Christopher Hobbs suggests using echinacea for only a week or 10 days at a time.²⁴

Another study using cells from healthy volunteers, chronic fatigue syndrome patients and AIDS patients, showed that combined extracts of panax and echinacea enhanced natural killer cell function, an important component of cellular immunity. This was true for all the cells.²⁵

Although echinacea is usually recommended for upper respiratory tract infections and there is little data on its use as an adjuvant to chemotherapy, it is reasonable to expect its immune-enhancing effects to decrease the risk of infection in people receiving cancer treatments.

Garlic

Garlic (Allium sativum) may be an effective adjuvant treatment for cancer because of its effects on the liver, tumor cells and the immune system.¹⁰

Its ability to reduce the side effects of cancer treatment was demonstrated in an animal study in which garlic given orally to rats significantly reduced liver damage caused by the cancer-causing aflatoxins found in molds.²⁶ Researchers speculate that because garlic enhances the activity of glutathione S-transferase, a liver enzyme that helps detoxify and remove toxins from the body, it may detoxify aflatoxins before they cause damage.

A more recent study by Dale Riggs at West Virginia University in Morgantown indicated aged garlic extracts are effective against bladder cancer. Garlic extracts were injected four times during a one-week period into mice with bladder cancer. The mice showed significant reduction in tumor growth compared with mice that did not receive injections. Garlic extract was also effective when given orally. High doses of garlic (greater than 12.5 mL per injection) caused toxicity, but effective doses (6.3 mL) did not cause side effects.²⁷ When garlic extracts were given orally in the animals' drinking water (29 mL/day), tumors decreased significantly with no side effects.

In another experiment, a water-soluble extract of fresh garlic given orally to mice for five days prior to gamma-radiation treatment protected against the chromosomal damage caused by treatment.²⁸

With luck, researchers will continue to find inexpensive and nontoxic BRMs. In addition to their usefulness as adjuvants to chemotherapy, such herbs may also help treat AIDS, chronic fatigue syndrome and other immune-depressing diseases. Although inferring meaningful effects for humans from laboratory and animal studies is not easy, in most cases these herbs have few side effects when compared to pharmaceuticals and are generally safe to use. Advise customers to talk to their doctors before pursuing supplemental cancer treatments so that potential side effects, as well as therapeutic effects, can be monitored. Many of these treatments require injections that should be administered only by a qualified medical professional.

Cindy L.A. Jones, Ph. D., is a freelance writer and author of The Antibiotic Alternative due out soon from Healing Arts Press. She lives in Colorado where she teaches and writes.

Cindy Jones, Ph.D. is a nutrition educator and author of "The Antibiotic Alternative" and "Herbs for Healthy Skin". Her web site is http://www.sagescript.com