Ginger, mistletoe, tulsi – many plants are said to have medicinal properties that help against cancer. We take a look at what science has to say about five of the most popular complementary treatments.
00:00These plants are said to help against cancer, combating tumours naturally.
00:05What's behind the claims?
00:07It depends why you're taking them. Many are thought to have healing properties.
00:12Dr Jutta Hubner has studied complementary cancer medicines for over 20 years
00:17and published over 100 studies on the tricky subject.
00:21Patients simply want to be cured of their disease.
00:25But we can't promise anyone that with 100% certainty.
00:29Conventional cancer treatments like surgery, chemotherapy, radiation and immunotherapy have proven benefits.
00:38But they can take time to show results.
00:41And these therapies may give patients side effects like nausea or fatigue as if their batteries were drained.
00:48So it's understandable that some look for alternative treatments such as the medicinal plants,
00:53turmeric, ginger, ashwagandha, tulsi and mistletoe.
00:58Chopped up fresh or in dry form as tea or capsules.
01:03What does the science say? Is there evidence these five plants work?
01:07Let's start with turmeric.
01:09The spice plant contains a substance that's supposed to help cancer patients, curcumin.
01:14At first glance, it looks promising.
01:17The compound has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, which can help shield cells from potentially harmful free radicals.
01:26Can these properties be used to shrink tumours?
01:30It works in the test tube, but in all likelihood not in the human body.
01:35In fact, turmeric can weaken conventional cancer therapies.
01:39Chemotherapy involves infusions of medications that prevent cancer cells from dividing uncontrollably.
01:45With radiotherapy, doctors target tumour tissue in the patient's body with radiation in order to kill it.
01:53Both conventional therapies trigger inflammation in the cancer cells.
01:58But high doses of turmeric can counter the inflammation, limiting the destructive effect.
02:04That's why we're cautious and don't recommend high doses of curcumin or even dietary supplements containing it during active tumour therapy.
02:15So turmeric doesn't help with cancer. What about its relative ginger?
02:20Like with turmeric, there's no evidence that ginger root has any effect on tumours.
02:26However, studies show it can help with nausea, which is common in patients undergoing chemotherapy.
02:33It's usually consumed as tablets or tea, and should be taken in addition to nausea medication, not instead of.
02:42Most patients tolerate ginger well, though it makes some feel even more nauseous.
02:47That means patients who take ginger should keep a close eye on how they feel.
02:53If you think it's helping, then it's okay.
02:56But if you think it's making things worse, stop taking it.
03:01Next up, the medicinal plant ashwagandha.
03:04Also known as Indian ginseng, it's used in that part of the world to treat many illnesses, including cancer.
03:11Lab studies have shown that ashwagandha produces a group of secondary plant metabolites thought to kill cancer cells.
03:19But that alone doesn't say much.
03:22Honestly, any secondary plant metabolite can do that. It's a question of dosage.
03:29At some point, you have so much of a compound in the test tube or petri dish that a single cancer cell will just collapse.
03:36The crucial question is whether such high concentrations can be reached therapeutically in the human body without causing significant side effects like damage to healthy organs.
03:46And those studies are lacking.
03:49Is there more data on our next candidate?
03:52Tulsi, also called tulasi or holy basil, is used in Ayurvedic medicine.
03:58The plant is said to slow growth in cancer cells.
04:01Animal experiments involving oil from its seeds indicate it works.
04:06What about in humans?
04:08There are very few studies and the few that I'm aware of are poorly designed with small numbers of patients.
04:17We can't draw any conclusions from them.
04:19So I currently see no application for it in cancer settings.
04:23Tulsi can also increase hemorrhage risk.
04:29Patients should therefore not take it directly before or after tumour surgery.
04:34Last to be put to the test, mistletoe.
04:37Can it help shrink or eliminate tumours?
04:40The plant grows as a kind of parasite on trees, similar to a tumour in the human body.
04:45We've long known that mistletoe makes substances that inhibit growth in tumour cells and can even kill them, but only in very high doses.
04:54Those effects are not actually achievable within the scope of normal therapy.
04:59So mistletoe can't kill tumour cells.
05:02And taking it during immunotherapy for cancer could prove dangerous.
05:06That's when doctors use the body's own immune system to fight the disease.
05:10Concurrent mistletoe therapy could cause a patient's immune system to initiate a severe allergic reaction.
05:16I don't recommend mistletoe therapy and in many cases advise against it,
05:22with what I believe to be good reason.
05:25In a few cases I tell patients they can decide for themselves if they're no longer in active therapy.
05:31So which plants from the medicinal jungle could help with cancer?
05:36Mistletoe and turmeric can cause dangerous interactions with other therapies.
05:41Current findings and little data mean ashwagandha and tulsi aren't recommended either.
05:46Ginger though might help with nausea.
05:49Disappointing? Not really.
05:52I think something else is hidden in there, a really positive message.
05:56It's that you don't have to spend lots of money on capsules or tablets.
06:00There are many healthy foods, fruits, veggies, salads that contain lots of different secondary metabolites.
06:06And together they have an impact.
06:08And if you top things off with a ginger tea and ensure your overall diet is healthy,
06:15that's the best foundation a cancer patient can have.
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