Herbs for Cancer Support

 Cancer and herb support

Notes taken from The holistic herbalism podcast

https://open.spotify.com/episode/2lp6KYFeQBvAs31ygyDmK0?si=kvMNWHcVTump43DPdGhWjQ&context=spotify%3Ashow%3A2fgAloNB8wwN5oACleJXPq&dl_branch=1

There is no herb that cures cancer, There is also no pharmaceutical that cures cancer.

A high sugar diet sets the stage in the body for cancer

Studies have shown that people who eat more vegetables have less cancer in general.

Note: don't use the essential oils, use the plant

Almost all culinary herbs have shown to have anticancer activity in studies

Parsley  studies have isolated a constituent called apigenin that has shown to inhibit angiogenesis which is when a tumor creates its own blood vessels to get the supplies to grow.

A lot of other herbs have apigenin, garlic, chamomile, alfalfa, ginkgo.

Parsley is also a diuretic which supports kidney health, parsley is economical

Rosemary is a famous anti cancer herb because studies have shown some of the fatty acid constituents and terpenes in rosemary encourage apoptosis (programmed cell death)and can get a tumor to stop growing. Also rosemary resensitizes the tumor to respond to chemo 

Some of the Adaptogen herbs help chemotherapy drugs and help your body tolerate the process, adaptogen herbs help your body withstand stress.

 

Eleuthero studies on breast cancer have shown that taking this herb one hour before before chemotherapy and one hour after made treatment more effective and lessened the side effects

Astragalus boosts the production of red blood cells and white blood cells

Codonopsis helps with white blood cell counts, it has a lot of nutritional benefits as well

Nettle leaf and/or seed helps with chemo in particular because it nourishes everything, even hair

Ashwagandha for adrenals and circadian rhythm

Elecampane for respiratory health but also gut health and breaks up biofilms, 

A biofilm is an assemblage of surface-associated microbial cells that is enclosed in an extracellular polymeric substance matrix

Kidney Yin Deficiency

Yin Deficiency - Notes from the book “Healing with whole foods” by Paul Pitchford 

Traditional Chinese Medicine sees health as a relative balance between the yang (heat) in your body and the Yin (fluids). 

 Excess heat in the body can be caused by too many heating foods, (meat, oil, dairy, alcohol) also too much activity or work, stress, exposure to heat. 

According to TCM, heat profoundly affects the heart, mind and vascular system. 

Deficiency heat aka deficient yin is similar to excess heat but it includes a deficiency of yin. This is very common among people over 40. 

This TCM imbalance is an excess of heat due to a deficiency of yin fluids which attempt to provide balance for the heat of the body. 

Yin aspects of the body include not only fluids (blood ,lymph, fluids, hormones, all secretions, intracellular fluids), but also the bones, muscles and other tissues. 

Symptoms include Inflammations, infections, hyperglycemia, diabetes, anxiety, insomnia, hot flashes, aversion to heat.

Specific foods that tonify the yin Millet, Barley, wheat germ, rice, seaweeds, micro-algae, especially chlorella and spirulina, tofu, black beans, kidney beans, beets, banana, watermelon, lettuce, summer squash, radish cucumber, eggplant, spinach, tomato, cabbage, zucchini, broccoli, cauliflower, dandelion greens, peppermint tea, lemon balm tea, apple, pear It is beneficial to prepare some of the foods in a watery medium as in soups, stews. Avoid frying and baking