Cancer! As prevalent as this disease is today, it is still somewhat of a mystery to most doctors and scientist. It is the second leading cause of death in the United States. It drives fear in the hearts of not only baby boomers but all those that hear of the possibility of having the disease.

It is estimated that there are somewhere between 100 to 200 different types of the disease with lung cancer being the leading cause of death. However, there is not a part of the body that cannot be touched by it's ravaging effects.

Cancer is characterized by an abnormal growth of cells and the damage occurs when the cells divide in an uncontrollable way that causes lumps and tumors. There are exceptions, such as leukemia, where the abnormality exist in the blood stream.

The mutation of cells resulting in cancer may be caused by external and internal factors. Factors such as lifestyle habits (bad eating practices, smoking, constant lack of sleep), chemical, immune deficiencies, genetic, ect. may be some of the culprits. The process of apoptosis, organized cell death, may sometimes be interrupted and breaks the cycle of growth, division and death. Mutation then results and allows the disease to begin to grow.

Because of our advancing age, baby boomers are most at risk in the coming years. Medscape Medical News states "The aging of America will contribute to a 45% increase in the total number of annual cancer cases - from 1.6 million to 2.3 million - over the next 2 decades (from 2010 to 2030), according to a new cancer incidence report published online April 29 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology."

Scientists have now come to the knowledge that cancer is caused primarily by genetic changes that control the growth and death of cells. There is an exception or distinction to be made here. In the United States, only approximately 5% of cancers originate from inherited genetic mutations.

This, in my humble opinion, would indicate that cancer can be preventable or at least treatable. Baby boomers are now searching for an alternative cancer treatment. We are learning that herbs and holistic practices can play a huge part in it's prevention and treatment.

The following herbs are some of the more common as far as helping with cancer prevention and/or treatment. This information is meant only as a starting point for your further research and no specific claims for effectiveness or healing are being made.

"Cancer - Step Outside the Box" by Ty Bollinger Conventional medicine defines cancer as a colony of malignant cells, or a tumor. If you have a tumor, then the conventional oncologist will try to cut or slash it out via surgery. After they cut you, then they typically recommend chemo to try to kill any remaining cancer cells with toxic poisons. And they will finish off with radiation, to burn whatever cancer cells remain. This is why I, and many others, refer to "the Big 3" protocol as "Slash, Poison, and Burn." Alternative medicine sees cancer as a multidimensional, systemic total body disease. The tumor is merely a symptom and the purpose of the alternative cancer treatment is to correct the root causes of cancer in the whole body.

Echinacea

Echinacea is stated to be a blood and lymph cleaner and that also has mild antibiotic activity. Interferons, proteins made and released by cells and that triggers the protective defenses to help fight tumors, are also produced by it's action on the body.

Many of the scientic community claim no real evidence for it's anti-cancer activity effectiveness. On the other hand herbalist who have been using Ecinacea for decades to cure cancer state that many studies have been done to show its viability.

In one fairly recent study listed as
The Author (2005). Published by Oxford University Press. Echinacea: a Miracle Herb against Aging and Cancer? Evidence In vivo in Mice
is quoted in part as follows:
Our work over the past 5 years has led to conclusive answers to some of these questions, at least in mice. Our results have shown that daily consumption of Echinacea is indeed prophylactic, extends the life span of aging mice, significantly abates leukemia and extends the life span of leukemic mice. Given that humans are 97% genetically common with mice and that virtually all our basic physiology is identical, it is neither unjustified to extrapolate these observations to humans nor would it be an arduous task to perform many of these studies in humans, thus establishing viable scientific evidence replacing the anecdotal.

The Essiac Formula

The Essiac Formula is actually a combination of four herbs - Burdock Root, Sheep Sorrel, Slippery Elm Bark and Turkish Rhubarb Root - all carefully prepared to create a tea that has been hailed as a very efficient herbal cure and/or holistic treatment for cancer for decades.

The below recipe and preparation is copied, however, it may also be viewed at the following location:

Rene Caisse & Essiac Story

THE RECIPE

* 6 1/2 cups cut up Burdock Root 
* 1 pound powdered Sheep Sorrel 
* 1/4 cup powdered Slippery Elm Bark 
* 1 ounce powdered Turkish Rhubarb Root

[The burdock root should be cut up into pea-sized pieces - all other ingredients are powdered. Store ingredients in a dark, cool, dry place in sealed containers.]

The preparation of Essiac is as important as the formula itself. Essiac is a decoction, not an infusion. An infusion is what people do when they put a tea bag in a cup of hot water. Generally speaking, an infusion tends to extract vitamins and volatile oils. A decoction is used to extract minerals, etc. from roots, bark or seeds by boiling for ten minutes and then allowing the herbs to steep for several hours. Entrepreneurs often sell Essiac imitations in tincture form (herbs in alcohol) or in gelatin capsules; neither form is Essiac because Essiac is a decoction.

1. Using a stainless steel pot and lid, boil 1/2 cup of herb mix in one gallon of pure, unchlorinated water for ten minutes.

2. Turn off heat and allow herbs to steep for 12 hours.

3. Heat up tea to steaming, but not boiling. Allow herbs to settle a couple minutes.

4. Strain off hot liquid into sterilized canning jars. The remaining pulp can be used for healing poultices.

5. Refrigerate tea. For long-term storage use the boiling water bath canning method and store in a cool, dark, dry place.

6. For preventive purposes, people take 1 to 2 oz. (1/8 to 1/4 cup) per day diluted with about 1/2 cup hot water. Herbalists recommend increasing daily water intake due to diuretic and detoxifying action. People who are using Essiac to treat an illness or to eliminate toxins, sometimes take Essiac two or three times a day, depending on the situation. Do not eat or drink anything (except water) one hour before to one hour after taking Essiac; bedtime is recommended.

Make sure that the sheep sorrel you use is the small, wild variety of sheep sorrel and not a substitute like yellow dock or garden sorrel. Don't use imported turkey rhubarb root. Many Essiac merchants are unaware of the quality of their herbs. The best way to insure that you're getting true Essiac is to grow the herbs yourself. This puts you in control of product quality and takes out the commercialism. Burdock root is harvested in the fall of the first year. Slippery elm bark is wildcrafted and is easy to buy, but should also be homegrown so it doesn't become endangered. Turkey Rhubarb is the only herb in Essiac that cannot be wildcrafted in the U.S. It is an attractive ornamental that can be grown in a flower bed or garden.

Nitriloside

Vitamin B-17 (nitriloside) is included here because it can be found in as many as 800 plants. The most common nitriloside is amygdaline/laetrile (there is a slight difference in the formulas of the two). It occurs in the kernels of seeds of most fruits and most are edible. Some of the more common fruits that contain the highest concentrations are apricots, apples, peaches, plums and cherries.

Nitrilosides work when one of its compounds encounters a cancer cell. It breaks down into one molecule of hydrogen cyanide and one molecule of benzaldehyde, both being a glucose molecule. The cancer cells produce an abnormal amount of an enzyme called beta-glucosidase. This enzyme allows the hydrogen cyanide molecule to become part of the cancer cell causing the cell to promptly die.

Another enzyme, rhodanese, is high in quantity in normal cells and absent in cancerous cells. The enzyme prevents the breakdown of the molecules in the presence of the normal cells. This creates a fail proof mechanism and is a natural safety factor within the body that ensures the death of cancer cells and the protection of healthy cells.

The following link is a page that shows all six parts of World Without Cancer by G Edward Griffin.

Return to Herbs main page.

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