The traditional Chinese herb Scutellaria (called skullcaps in the West) contains a combination of plant chemicals that together can significantly slow the growth of several different cancers, according to a study published in the January 2009 issue of Planta Medica.

The authors say this herb might prove an important addition to current cancer treatments. "On the basis of our preliminary results, we expect maximum benefit from Scutellaria…in combination with standard therapy such as surgery, chemotherapy, and immunotherapy," says Prahlad Parajuli, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Neurosurgery at Wayne State University and Karmanos Cancer Institute in Detroit, Michigan.

Past studies have shown that Scutellaria has potent antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and anti-cancer properties, which come primarily from natural plant chemicals (phytochemicals) called flavonoids. Most of the research conducted on Scutellaria so far has focused on the roots of the herb, which are rich in the flavonoid wogonin. However, the leaves and stems are also thought to be high in cancer-fighting phytochemicals, according to study co-author Nirmal Joshee, PhD, assistant professor of Plant Science at Fort Valley State University in Georgia.

To learn more about this herb and how it might combat cancer, the researchers analyzed leaf, stem, and root extracts from 13 different Scutellaria species. They found that each extract contained different combinations of six flavonoids: apigenin, baicalein, baicalin, chrysin, scutellarein, and wogonin. Most extracts contained three or four different flavonoids. Two extracts contained all six flavonoids.

They then treated human breast, prostate, and brain cancer cells, as well as non-cancerous cells, with the Scutellaria extracts. Nine of the extracts significantly halted the spread of cancer cells. The higher the dose and longer the duration of treatment, the more effectively the extracts killed cancer cells. Four extracts-all from the Scutellaria leaf-were particularly effective at triggering the death (apoptosis) of brain cancer cells.

The researchers also looked at how the flavonoids in Scutellaria-both individually and in combination- affected cancer cells. A combination of four flavonoids, each at a low dose, blocked the growth of brain cancer cells by almost 50 percent. However, when those same flavonoids were given individually at the same dose, they had no effect on the cancer, which suggests that each one possesses a different anti- cancer mechanism and the effects are amplified when the different flavonoids work together.

Future studies will help determine which combination, or combinations of phytochemicals have the greatest cancer-fighting ability. "Combining phytochemicals with synergistic anti-cancer activity would allow use of individual components at a very low dose, which would eliminate or reduce toxicity," explains Dr. Parajuli.

Certain flavonoids in Scutellaria also appeared to target specific types of cancer. For example, baicalein significantly slowed the growth of brain cancer cells. This may be because individual flavonoids affect mechanisms that are unique to each cancer, the authors say.

Based on the promising results of studies done so far, the researchers say they may launch a human clinical study to investigate Scutellaria as an adjuvant cancer treatment within a few years.

Source:

Parajuli P, Joshee N, Rimando AM, Mittal S, Yadav AK. In vitro antitumor mechanisms of various Scutellaria extracts and constituent flavonoids. Planta Medica. 2009;75:41-48.

Adding a mushroom extract to interferon therapy for prostate cancer significantly improves the treatment's effectiveness, and may help reduce both its cost and side effects, according to a study published in the Journal of Hematology and Oncology.

Prostate cancer is the second deadliest cancer among elderly men in the United States. Although treatments such as surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, and hormone therapy are available, their benefits aren't always long-lasting, they can have significant side effects, and the disease can return. Another treatment option is immunotherapy with a class of drugs known as interferons. These drugs provoke the body's immune system to respond against the cancer, and they are thought to inhibit the cancer cells' ability to grow and differentiate. However, studies on interferons have shown mixed results.

"The efficacy of these interferons has not been as good as we expected and also they are rather expensive," says study author Sensuke Konno, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Urology at New York Medical College.

To improve the effectiveness of interferons and reduce the cost of treatment, researchers have been looking at combining these drugs with other substances. Dr. Konno investigated a treatment combining interferon- alpha with D-fraction (PDF), an extract from the maitake mushroom (Grifola frondosa). Past studies have shown that this extract can stimulate an immune response against cancer cells. Dr. Konno and his team wanted to find out if the two substances combined might have a synergistic effect on prostate cancer cells.

The authors tested out the two substances, first alone and then together, on prostate cancer cells in the laboratory. Individually the interferon and mushroom extract had no real effects on the cancer, except in very high doses. However, when the two substances were combined, they slowed the growth of prostate cancer cells by up to 65 percent. The combination of the two substances effectively halted the cancer cell cycle, preventing the prostate cancer cells from dividing and multiplying.

Combining interferon-alpha and PDF also reduced the amount of each drug that was needed. Interferon was reduced to one-fifth of its original dose. "It is thus plausible that PDF may not only help potentiate the interferon activity, but also help cut the cost down," says Dr. Konno.

Dr. Konno is cautiously optimistic about the possibility of using combinations of interferon and PDF or other substances in the future. "Although the combination of interferon and PDF in our study looks good and promising, I try to be a little more cautious because this is an in vitro study (using cell cultures) and we still have a long way to go," he explains. The next step in the research would be to test out this treatment combination on animals with cancer to determine the appropriate dose, and learn whether it might cause any unwanted side effects. Depending on the results of animal studies, the combination therapy might move forward into human clinical trials.

Source:

Pyo P, Louie B, Rajamahanty S, Choudhury M, Konno S. Possible immunotherapeutic potentiation with D- Fraction in prostate cancer cells. J Hematol Oncol. 2008;1:25.

An herb many Americans take to get an energy boost might also help doctors treat one of the most common-and deadly-cancers. Researchers have discovered that ginseng, particularly when heated, may be very effective against colorectal cancer, according to a study in The American Journal of Chinese Medicine.

Colorectal cancer is one of the most common types of cancer in the United States, and among the deadliest. Half of patients diagnosed with colorectal cancer eventually die from the disease, and less than 10 percent of patients with colorectal cancer that has spread will survive more than five years after diagnosis.

Because chemotherapy and other standard treatments aren't always effective and may have serious side effects, many patients have turned to herbal remedies. Ginseng has been a staple of Asian herbal medicine, and studies have indicated that it might help not only prevent cancer, but also relieve some of the side effects (such as nausea and vomiting) of cancer therapies.

Ginseng comes in Asian and American varieties, both of which contain active compounds called saponins, which are responsible for the herb's anti-cancer properties. Although Asian ginseng has a long history of use, and research, American ginseng has not been as well studied. Last year researchers at The University of Chicago launched a $6 million effort funded by the National Institutes of Health to investigate the anti-cancer potential of American ginseng.

As part of that study, the researchers treated human colorectal cancer cells with extracts of American ginseng berry and root that had been steam heated. The steamed extracts increased the saponin activity, and halted the cancer cells' growth by as much as 99 percent. Steaming the Chinese herb notoginseng similarly increased its anti-cancer effect.

Although treatment with ginseng doesn't work as well as chemotherapy, it might be an effective adjuvant cancer treatment, says study author Chun-Su Yuan, MD, PhD, Director of the Tang Center for Herbal Medicine Research at The University of Chicago. "It could be used together with chemotherapy to increase its efficacy and also to reduce the chemotherapy side effects," he says. "It possibly could be a single compound that could be a new-generation cancer drug."

Although ginseng doesn't have any noticeable adverse effects in moderate doses, when given in larger amounts patients have noted increased heart rate, nausea, headaches, and difficulty sleeping, among other symptoms. The challenge is to determine the optimal dose, and figure out how to deliver ginseng in the most effective way to target the cancer cells without causing significant side effects. Future research should help resolve these issues. "We would like to start human trials in the future," Dr. Yuan says. "Our initial results were promising."

Currently researchers are only in the animal testing phase, and Dr. Yuan does not recommend that patients take ginseng supplements for cancer prevention or treatment. Ginseng hasn't yet been studied well enough for this purpose, and there is no guarantee that the active components Dr. Yuan's team identified in the study will be in any given bottle of supplements.

If you are interested in taking ginseng be sure to speak with your licensed healthcare practitioner.

Source:

Wang Chong-Zhi, Yuan Chun-Su. Potential role of ginseng in the treatment of colorectal cancer. The American Journal of Chinese Medicine. 2008;36:1019- 1028.

To ease treatment symptoms and improve quality of life, many cancer patients turn to Chinese herbs and other complementary remedies. Research conducted so far on complementary treatments has not been thorough enough to prove any benefits or identify potential side effects, according to a recent study published in Complementary Therapies in Medicine.

Up to 91 percent of cancer patients say they have tried at least one complementary therapy, particularly Chinese medicinal herbs. Although many people who use herbal remedies are under the impression that these treatments are natural and therefore safe, some herbs can have side effects, and they may interact with other medications, potentially decreasing their effectiveness.

Human clinical trials can help illuminate the benefits and risks of taking herbal remedies, yet very few high- quality studies have been done. When researchers at the University of Manchester in England reviewed the clinical trials on Chinese herbs for cancer, they discovered only 49 studies, and all but one were poorly designed and reported.

Although there are many reasons as to why more thorough studies on complementary cancer therapies aren't being undertaken, money is one of the biggest problems. "The difficulty in securing funding is the key issue, as there is a need to compete with all other studies, and these studies on herbs seem to be of low priority," explains Alexander Molassiotis, RN, MSc, PhD, professor of Cancer & Supportive Care at the University of Manchester.

Most of the studies that have been done originated in China, suggesting that Western doctors aren't fully on board with herbal remedies. "Conventional medicine is unconvinced about the use of herbs and worried about their use," says Professor Molassiotis. "There is much negative press around such treatments. Also there is a difficulty understanding a different medical philosophy, such as that of Chinese medicine."

The studies that have been done on complementary Chinese therapies - though not of the highest quality - do suggest some benefit to cancer patients. Some studies have indicated that Chinese herbs can help relieve the side effects of conventional cancer treatments, while others have found that they improve symptoms and quality of life in cancer patients. A few studies have even suggested that Chinese herbs might slow cancer growth and improve patient survival. None of the studies included in this review noted any side effects from the use of herbs.

The results of existing studies are promising, but better quality research is needed to confirm any real benefits, say the authors of the review. "It seems that certain herbs could assist in the management of side effects and improve the quality of life in cancer patients, but current evidence is not enough to change practice," says Professor Molassiotis. "Rigorous trials are necessary to explore the effectiveness of Chinese herbal medicines."

Source:

Molassiotis A, Potrata B, Cheng KKF. A systematic review of the effectiveness of Chinese herbal medication in symptom management and improvement of quality in life in adult cancer patients. Complementary Therapies in Medicine. 2009;17:92- 120.

Editor's Note:

This study underscores the fact that while herbs and other natural supplements may prove to be safe and effective to manage cancer, more research is needed. The question is why has this research not been completed. Unfortunately, the answer is economic, not scientific. To a large extent, pharmaceutical companies determine what potential cancer therapies will be studied and funded with the estimated 300 million dollars required to take a therapy through clinical trials. But, no drug company will spend that amount of money on a therapy that cannot be patented. Because Chinese herbs and other natural supplements exist in nature and were not created in a laboratory they are very difficult to patent. If they cannot be patented they cannot be owned by a corporation. If they cannot be owned by a corporation why would a company invest money to bring it to market? This fundamental economic dilemma may be the reason why there are no 100% whole natural supplements approved for the treatment of cancer.

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