By Dr. Frank Shallenberger
By Dr. Frank Shallenberger
I'm always looking for natural substances that throw a "monkey wrench" into the peculiar metabolism of cancer cells. It's vital these substances kill cancer cells and leave normal cells untouched. I've told you about some of my discoveries in the past. They include resveratrol, green tea, Seanol, and others. But today I'm going to tell you about another plant that safely starves cancer cells as efficiently as a powerful chemo drug. In fact, it even works on pancreatic cancer cells, which are particularly difficult to kill.
This plant is a common vegetable from Asia called "bitter melon." It is popular among the long-lived population of Okinawa, Japan.
Bitter melon juice diluted to just 5% in water showed remarkable potency in severely damaging all four pancreatic cancer cell lines researchers tested. The bitter melon reduced the viability of two cancer cell lines by 90%, while it knocked off the other two lines by a staggering 98%. And it did so after just 72 hours of treatment!
In the past, I've told you about apoptosis. That's nature's way of dealing with wayward cells. They simply kill themselves. Bitter melon juice induced this programmed cell death along several different pathways. And even better, it also activated a pathway, which shows that it knocks out the cancer cells' metabolism of glucose. In other words, it literally starved them of the sugar they need to survive.
Do these lab dish studies apply to living animals? A resounding yes! University of Colorado researchers gave mice bitter melon at doses easily achievable in humans. The animals had a 64% reduction in pancreatic tumor size without side effects! This level of effectiveness beat the most commonly used chemo drugs for this lethal cancer.
The dose used in mice translates to 6 grams of powder for an average-sized adult (75 kg). Big Pharma is rushing to find patentable petrochemicals to achieve what God put into the bitter melon fruit. It baffles Big Pharma that a simple plant can starve cancer cells of their fuel. You don't need any fancy chemicals to make it happen.
What's more, the actions of bitter melon may help diabetics as well. Researchers recently found that bitter melon ameliorates metabolic syndrome by its beneficial effects on glucose metabolism.
This is wonderful news. We won't beat cancer by any one approach. I believe it must be multifocal. In other words, beef up the immune system, detoxify, eliminate dental infections and toxic dental materials, alkalinize your body, oxidize the body with oxidation therapy, and give specific nutrients to throw a monkey wrench into cancer's peculiar metabolic pathways.
All cancer cells show disturbed energy production utilizing inefficient glucose fermentation. Bitter melon may be a huge pipe wrench to uncouple cancer's wayward energy production. You can find bitter melon at most health food stores and online.
What is Bitter Melon?
Bitter melon is a tall-growing annual plant cultivated in Asia, Africa, South America, and India. The plant has lobed leaves, yellow flowers, and edible but bitter-tasting orange-yellow tropical fruit. The unripe fruit is green and cucumber-shaped with surface bumps. The fruit, leaves, seeds, seed oil, and roots are used.
What is it used for?
Traditional/Ethnobotanical uses
Bitter melon has been used as a folk remedy for cancer, asthma, skin infections, stomach problems, high blood pressure, and diabetes symptoms. The plant has been used as a traditional medicine in China, India, Africa, and the southeastern US. In the 1980s, the seeds were investigated in China as a potential contraceptive.
General uses
There is insufficient evidence from high-quality clinical trials to recommend the use of bitter melon as a therapeutic option in type 2 diabetes.
What is the recommended dosage?
Bitter melon juice has been recommended for diabetes at daily doses of 50 to 100 mL; 900 mg of fruit given 3 times/day has also been given for the same indication. There are insufficient clinical trials available to substantiate these doses.
How safe is it?
Contraindications
Patients deficient in the glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase gene should avoid consumption of bitter melon preparations due to the presence of vicine in the seeds.
Pregnancy/nursing
Documented adverse reactions include stimulating menstruation and inducing abortion. Avoid use.
Interactions
None well documented.
Side Effects
Bitter melon generally causes few adverse reactions. GI effects (eg, abdominal pain, diarrhea) and headache have been reported in clinical trials. Case reports exist of low blood sugar coma and heart atrial fibrillation associated with bitter melon intake. Bitter melon should be used with caution in patients with impaired liver function.
Toxicities
The red arils around bitter melon seeds are toxic to children.
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