Ginseng May Work Better Than Chemo and Radiation. Here's How...

Known for thousands of years as a powerful tonic for health, new research reveals that ginseng and other cancer stem cell killing plants may provide highly effective treatments for cancer.

Cancer stem cells are one of the keys to understanding both the root cause(s) and the most appropriate treatment approaches for cancer.

As we have explored in previous writings, cancer stem cells have been identified to be at the heart of most cancer malignancies. These extraordinarily resilient and proliferative cells, while only making up a minority of cells within a tumor (about 1 in 1,000), are relatively immortal and resistant to conventional treatments.

In fact, chemotherapy and radiation treatments have been found to increase the cancer stem cell populations by number and by their malignant/invasive intensity. In fact, radiotherapy has even been found to convert non-malignant breast cells into highly malignant breast cancer stem cells, resulting in increasing their malignancy by 30 fold. The use of these inappropriate treatments has resulted in an epidemic of iatrogenically caused secondary cancers, and patient deaths, that have largely gone unreported by the very medical system responsible for causing them, and which comes to no surprise by those who have been following our decade long reporting on the tragedy of cancer overdiagnosis and overtreatment, which has affected millions around the world.

Given this concerning backdrop, and our ongoing focus on unearthing and reporting on thousands of natural, evidence-based alternatives that address and resolve the root cause(s) of disease, it is exciting to report on research published last year, titled, "Functional mechanism of Ginsenosides on tumor growth and metastasis," which summarizes the increasingly robust peer-reviewed literature on the role of ginseng in preventing and treating cancer. Within the review, the therapeutic properties of ginseng are discussed in light of the following effects:

Ginsenosides regulate tumor cell cycle
Ginsenosides induce tumor cell differentiation
Ginsenosides target tumor stem cells
Ginsenosides reduce the product of reactive oxygen species (ROS)
Ginsenosides suppress tumor angiogenesis
Ginsenosides downregulate the activity of matrix metalloproteinases (MMP) on tumor metastasis

Clearly, as with almost all time-tested, multi-culturally validated botanicals, there are a wide range of therapeutic properties operative within the highly complex plant extract -- not only stem cell targeting effects. That said, stem cell targeting is an extremely important part of the equation. You can destroy 999 of 1,000 cancer cells in a tumor, but if the one left remaining is a cancer stem cell, it will have the ability and potential to grow an entirely new tumor all on its own. This is why stem cell targeting substances are so important in turning the tides against the increasingly violent and ineffective (albeit extremely profitable) war against cancer.

The authors of the ginseng study ended their review with the following optimistic conclusions:

"Given the increasing number of studies on ginsengs, ginsengs are likely to be used as antitumor drugs for controlling multiple types of cancer. Ginsenosides have been proven to regulate known oncogenes, such as Stat3. Since ginsenoside-induced death of cancer cells is achieved via multi-target pathways, it is difficult to some extent for cancer cells to develop drug resistance. Moreover, another advantage of ginsenosides is that the small side effect is shown when killing cancer cells. Thus ginsenosides may be considered as a good drug candidate for cancer treatment."

But ginseng is only one of a wide range of newly identified cancer stem celling natural substances. Here is a list of an additional 25 cancer stem cell killing natural substances 'smarter' than chemo and radiation:

Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) - Green Tea
6-Gingerol - Ginger
β-Carotene - Carrot, Leafy Greens
Baicalein - Chinese Skullcap
Curcumin - Turmeric
Cyclopamine - Corn Lilly [we do not suggest consuming this plant; this simply illustrates natural components exist that kill cancer stem cells]
Delphinidin - Blueberry, raspberrry
Flavonoids (Genistein) - Soy, red clover, coffee
Gossypol - Cottonseed [we do not suggest consuming this plant; this simply illustrates natural components exist that kill cancer stem cells]
Guggulsterone - Commiphora (myrrh tree)
Isothiocyanates - Cruciferous vegetables
Linalool - Mint
Lycopene - Grapefruit, tomato
Parthenolide - Feverfew
Perylill alcohol - Mint, cherry, lavender
Piperine - Black pepper
Placycodon saponin - Playycodon grandifloruim
Psoralidin - Psoralea corylilyfolia
Quercetin - Capers, onion
Resveratrol - Grapes, plums, berries
Salinomycin - Streptomyces albus
Silibinin - Milk Thistle
Ursolic acid - Thyme, basil, oregano
Vitamin D3 - Fish, egg yolk, beef, cod liver oil
Withaferin A - Withania somnifera (ashwaganda)

Another substance that appears in the list above is turmeric, which I have featured specifically in previous writings as a cancer stem cell killing herb, including this article: Turmeric Extract Strikes To The Root Cause of Cancer Malignancy.

To learn more about why these substances have not yet received the research dollars and support needed to elevate them to the level of clinical trial work and FDA drug approval, read my previous articles on the topic: