AMAZING! Effective Cancer treatment kept under wraps

Herbal medicine uses plants, or mixtures of plant extracts, to treat illness and promote health. It aims to restore your body’s ability to protect, regulate and heal itself. It is a whole body approach, so looks at your physical, mental and emotional well being. It is sometimes called phytomedicine, phytotherapy or botanical medicine.

The two most common types of herbal medicine used in the UK are Western herbal medicine and Chinese herbal medicine. Some herbalists practice less common types of herbal medicine such as Tibetan or Ayurvedic medicine (Indian).

Many modern drugs are made from plants. But herbalists don’t extract plant substances in the way the drug industry does. Herbalists believe that the remedy works due to the delicate chemical balance of the whole plant, or mixtures of plants, not one particular active ingredient.

Herbal medicine has been used for centuries to treat many different health conditions. As with most types of complementary or alternative therapy, people may use it to help themselves feel better or feel more in control of their situation. Herbal medicine is often promoted as a natural way to help you relax and cope with anxiety, depression and other conditions such as hay fever, irritable bowel syndrome, menstrual (period) problems and skin conditions such as eczema.

Herbal medicine is one of the most commonly used complementary and alternative therapies (CAM) by people with cancer. Some studies have shown that as many as 6 out of every 10 people with cancer (60%) use herbal remedies alongside conventional cancer treatments. There are many different types of herbal medicines and some of them overlap with foods. Commonly used plants include echinacea, St John’s wort, green tea and ginger.

One study reported in early 2014. It looked at the behaviour, beliefs, knowledge, information sources and needs of people with cancer who take herbal medicines in the UK. The study involved looking at all the research so far, creating a questionnaire and then doing a survey of patients. It found that people with cancer mostly took herbal medicines to take back some control and responsibility for themselves and their disease. They also thought that the therapies would not cause side effects.

There is currently no strong evidence from studies in people that herbal remedies can treat, prevent or cure cancer. Some randomised clinical trials seem to show that some Chinese herbs may help people to live longer, reduce side effects, and help to prevent cancer coming back, especially when combined with conventional treatment. But many of the studies are published in Chinese, and some of them don’t list the specific herbs used. Some journal articles don’t describe in enough detail how the studies were done. 

It is difficult to know how reliable the research is and which herbs may be helpful. But trials are looking into this. This section has information about the current evidence for herbal medicine.

There is some evidence that particular herbal remedies may help to prevent or relieve the symptoms of cancer or treatment side effects.

Researchers in China in October 2007 looked at a range of studies of herbal medicine for many medical conditions, including chemotherapy side effects. They found that some standard herbal medicines could be helpful, but remedies made up specifically for individual patients were not helpful.

One review in 2005 looked at the studies of Chinese herbal medicines used to reduce side effects in people having chemotherapy for bowel cancer. The reviewers found 4 relevant studies that included a total of 342 patients. They found that from the limited information available, a type of herbal remedy called Huangqi compounds seemed to help to reduce some of the side effects. Patients who had Huangqi compounds alongside their chemotherapy were less likely to feel sick or be sick or have low white blood cell levels. There was some evidence to suggest that the herbal medicines also stimulated cells of the immune system but they did not affect levels of antibodies in the blood. The reviewers could not find any sign of harm from the use of Huangqi medicines. They suggested that more research is needed.

Chinese herbal medicine has been used to treat pancreatic cancer, especially in advanced cancer. A review in 2012 looked at 24 trials that used herbal medicines alongside chemotherapy for people with advanced pancreatic cancer. The reviewers found that the herbal medicines seemed to help some people to live longer, reduce chemotherapy and radiotherapy side effects, have a better quality of life, and reduce symptoms. The reviewers say though that the benefit is not strong enough to support the use of herbal medicines in the treatment of pancreatic cancer. 

Some herbal treatments may affect the way drugs are broken down by your body, or the way drugs are carried around your body. For example, information published by the US National Cancer Institute (NCI) suggests that St John’s wort can speed up the time that your body takes to get rid of the anti cancer treatment, imatinib (Glivec) by 44%. This could potentially mean that the treatment is less effective at fighting your cancer. Some herbal medicines may increase the effect of cancer drugs, meaning that you could be over treated.

Other examples include Asian ginseng and bilberry – they can interfere with some drugs and may increase the risk of bleeding after surgery. Some herbs can make your skin more sensitive to light and you should not take them during a course of radiotherapy. We need more research into how herbal treatments interact with cancer treatments.

Companies making herbal products bought over the counter in health food shops and pharmacies have to meet quality standards. They also need to provide information about their product, including the exact content and dose of the product and how safe it is. It is important to use only herbal products that are registered under the Traditional Herbal Remedies (THR) scheme. Remedies that are registered under the scheme have a THR mark and symbol on the packaging. THR products have been tested for quality and safety.

It is safest to buy plant remedies from a fully qualified herbal practitioner who is trained to work out which herbal medicines are appropriate for you. They can also trace where their herbs and plants come from.

Some plants or plant extracts have been found in laboratory tests to have anti cancer effects and have been turned into cancer drugs (such as Taxol from the yew tree). But there is no scientific evidence from patient trials that herbal medicine can cure cancer. We need to run large trials to find out whether some herbal products have anti cancer properties. Examples of herbal remedies that people have claimed can help to treat cancer are carctol and chaparral. But there is no evidence to support these claims.

Source: The most suppressed cancer treatment the government doesn’t want you to know about – YouTube