Researchers in the United States are experimenting on the use of spices to prevent and treat the early stages of cancer.
Their studies on small animals have shown that chemical compounds present in many spices used regularly in Indian households can inhibit the growth of cancerous cells – a significant development that might revolutionize the treatment and prevention of cancer across the world.
"Over the last 10 years, almost every academic institution and industrial group in the United States has started researching in the cancer-fighting properties of natural substances. Primarily, Indian-American doctors are involved in this, followed by Chinese and Koreans," said Dr. Shrikant Anant of the University of Kansas Medical Center, United States.
"The reason for the boom is primarily because allopathic medicines have short-term benefits and long-term side effects, whereas it is the reverse with natural substances," said Dr. Bal Lokeshwar from the University of Miami.
"At present, a lot of research is going on in the United States to study the cancer-preventing and treating properties of various spices like turmeric, garlic, ginger, Jamaican pepper and saffron. We are looking for partners to conduct research and India might be the perfect choice, as the country has a lot of patients suffering from head and neck cancer – our area of research," Anant said.
Lokeshwar and his team found BIRM – an herbal potion used as a local medicine in Latin American countries, extracted from the roots of Bryophyllum – which contains cancer-fighting properties. "We conducted an experiment by injecting mice with cancerous cells and treated a few of them with BIRM for 28 days, while others were left untreated. In mice treated with BIRM, the size of the tumor reduced from 100 units to 50, while in the untreated, the tumor grew from 100 to 250 units," he said.
Dr. Animesh Dhar, of the University of Kansas Medical Centre, has been studying the use of saffron in prevention and treatment of pancreatic cancer. He said he had achieved partial success. "Crocetin – a compound found in saffron, which has cancer-fighting properties – was extensively used in ancient Chinese and Egyptian medicine," said Dhar. "Our experiments on small animals have shown that Crocetin prevents proliferation of cancer cells. We are waiting for permission from the government to carry out clinical trials," he explained.
