Herbs for Cancer
Herbal medicine has much to offer people who have cancer, or who have had cancer in the past and want to ensure that they remain cancer free.
If you are undergoing chemotherapy, radiation, or surgical treatments currently, it is essential that you discuss simultaneously using herbal remedies with your health care providers, as some herbs may interact with chemotherapeutic agents or reduce/increase the effectiveness and dosage of medications used for cancer therapy. It is best to also talk with an expert in herbal medicine.
In most cases, I recommend that herbal medicine and conventional medicine be used simultaneously, but for different purposes. For example, conventional approaches to cancer treatment are often superior to herbal therapies for ridding the body of cancer. However, they weaken the body’s immune system and create serious side effects. Herbal medicine strengthens the immune system and helps to relieve side effects.
Using both types of therapies together results in a highly effective treatment plan that is better tolerated than if just conventional therapies are utilized.
Let’s take a look at some of the most useful herbs that may be employed when treating cancer.
1. Artemisia Annua/ Wormwood
Artemisia has been used by herbalists for hundreds of years. It belongs to an important class of herbs known as alteratives, which enhance the health of the entire body. As the whole body is tonified, it becomes more resistant to illness and able to tolerate physical and mental stressors more effectively.
Artemisia benefits the hepatic, renal and lymphatic systems. It aids the elimination of toxins, including those due to cancer, chemotherapy and radiation. Artemisia helps to balance hormone levels and enhances the health of the immune system.
Compounds within artemisia destroy a wide range of cancer cell types. The herb should only be used under the supervision of a qualified practitioner.
Resources
National Institutes of Health (Green tea polyphenol epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) as adjuvant in cancer therapy.)National Institutes of Health (Effects of a green tea extract, Polyphenon E, on systemic biomarkers of growth factor signalling in women with hormone receptor-negative breast cancer)
Some of the best essential oils for cancer patients are frankincense, clary sage, lavender, citrus oils, lemongrass, myrrh, peppermint, and spearmint.
