Herbs, spices and cancer 141
They work well on Va t a and Kapha cancers. Besides these categories, there are herbs
that are pungent or bitter and have fat reducing and toxin destroying properties.
Thus in Ayurveda, the herbs used in cancer treatment are categorized based on
their action in different basic elements, i.e., herbs for vata are Acorus calamus,
Terminalia chebula, Commiphora wightii, triphala formulation (Terminalia bellirica,
Terminalia chebula and Emblica officinalis), etc.; in Pitta: Crocus sativus, Rubia
cordifolia and Curcuma longa; vegetables, juice diets, etc.; in Kapha: Piper nigrum,
Piper longum, Zingiber officinale, Commiphora wightii, turmeric and trikatu formulation
(Piper nigrum, Zingiber officinale, Piper longum).
Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) has gained popularity among
cancer patients also worldwide. Among cancer patients, use of CAM ranges between
30 and 75% worldwide and includes dietary approaches, herbals and other biologically
based treatments. Yamini et al. (2005) reviewed the use of complementary and alternative
medicine (CAM) in developed countries, already in use as traditional medicines in
various Asian countries. The Indian system of medicine, named as Ayurveda has an
edge in this field. In 1998, the US Congress mandated the creation of the National
Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) to conduct and support
such research of CAM therapies in the USA (Richardson, 2001).
A study conducted in Israel (Pud et al., 2005) indicated that the key benefits from
CAM reported by patients included improvement in emotional and physical well-
being and increased ability to fight the disease. The most frequently used CAM
method appeared to be herbal therapy, and the most commonly used herb was the
stinging nettle in Turkey. Patients’ responses indicated that ‘the desire to do everything
possible to fight the disease’ and ‘the idea that it may be helpful, at least it’s not
harmful’ were the two most common reasons for using CAM (Algier et al., 2005). A
study conducted at Michigan (Wyatt et al., 1999) showed that approximately 33% of
older cancer patients reported using complementary therapies. Traditional Indian
systems of medicine, such as Siddha, have been reported to benefit patients in India
through herbal interventions for cancer (Srinivasan et al., 2004). A survey conducted
in the US (David et al., 1998) showed that alternative medicine use and expenditure
on it increased substantially between 1990 and 1997, attributable primarily to an
increase in the proportion of the population seeking alternative therapies.
Cancer chemo-prevention by phyto-chemicals may be one of the most feasible
approaches for cancer management. For example, phyto-chemicals obtained from
vegetables, fruits, spices, teas, herbs and medicinal plants, such as carotenoids, phenolic
compounds and terpenoids, have been proven to suppress experimental carcinogenesis
in various organs. Phyto-chemicals may also be useful to develop ‘designer foods’ or
‘functional foods’ for cancer prevention (Nishino, 2000).
Gupta et al. (2002) studied the prevalence of use of CAM cancer therapies in
leukaemia patients visiting haematology clinics of a north Indian tertiary CARE
hospital. Prevalence of CAM use in leukaemia patients was found to be 56.6% and
Ayurveda was the most commonly used CAM (33%). Most of the patients sought
conventional medicine first, followed by CAM therapies.
Singh (2002) reviewed the Ayurvedic concept of cancer diathesis. A retrospective
meta-analysis of observations on 85 plant drugs reported to have an anticancer effect
indicates that herbs with Katu means bitter, Tikta means pungent Kasaya Rasa astringent
taste, Usna Virya means hot biopotency and Katu Vipaka means catabolic active
metabolites, and herbs with dry, coarse, light, and sharp biophysical properties have
significantly greater possibilities of producing anticancer effects. Studies suggested