Common Name(s): Garlic , allium , stinking rose , rustic treacle ,
nectar of the gods , camphor of the poor , poor man's treacle

Dried Powder: 0.4 – 1.2 g daily

Oil:  2 – 5 mg daily

Pill:  300 to 1,000 mg 

·        Mild Gastro-Intestinal effects: bloating, gas, reflux, diarrhea

·        Garlic odor and Garlic breath

·        Not recommended above usual dietary intake during first trimester of pregnancy.
·        Not recommended for patients with bleeding disorders.

The cancer fighting properties of garlic have been trusted since ancient times. Hippocrates recommended garlic for cancerous growths.  In the literature review, the authors of this study cite a 1958 study by Weisberger& Pensky that first described garlic’s effectiveness inhibiting the growth of cancer cells. Organosulfur compounds in garlic have been credited as the primary anti-cancer compounds, which are either oil soluble (diallyl sulfide and trisulfide, dithiins, and ajoene)  or water soluble (S-allylcysteine or S-allylmercaptocysteine).  Previous studies have shown that these compounds have been effective in fighting esophageal, stomach, intestinal and pulmonary cancers. 

This quantitative experimental study aimed to answer the question: What effect will water soluble garlic compounds have on cultured cervical cancer cells when tested in differing concentrations?

Garlic was purchased and ground to a paste. Using water distillation method, the water soluble compounds (AGE) were extracted.

Cultured cervical cancer cells were measured and incorporated with a control solution, containing no AGE, and then concentrations of 100, 200, 300, 400, and 500ul of AGE, and incubated for 24 hours.  Afterward, percentage of cell death was measured at each concentration.

Results showed that the groups containing the garlic compound AGE had measurable and quite significant cell death.  As the concentration of garlic extract became stronger, the cancer cells had higher percentages of cell death. In the 500ul concentration, only 5% of cells survived. This study showed the significance of the potential for the use of garlic in the fight against cancer.

Islam, M., Kusumoto, Y. & Al-Mamun, M.  (2011).  Cytotoxicity and cancer (HeLa)  Cell killing efficacy of aqueous garlic (Allium sativum) extract.  Journal of Scientific Research, 3(2), pp375-382.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4202505/

Common Name(s): saffron crocus, autumn crocus

Although it was initially cultivated in Greece, Saffron is native to Southwest Asia, used for medicine, dye, seasoning, and, fragrance. “The color that it produces when clothing is dyed is a golden yellow that the Buddhist monks adopted as their color after the legend of the Buddhist missionary Madhyantikawas sent to Kashmir in 5th century B.C. and sowed a crop of saffron which spread all throughout the Indian subcontinent (Tarvand, 2005)”. 

 | Substance | Proportion
| Simple sugars | 12–15%
| Water | 9–14%
| Proteins, amino acids, other nitrogen compounds | 11–13%
| Cellulose (fiber) | 4–7%
| Fats | 3–8%
| Minerals (measured as acid soluble ash) | 1–1.5%
| Other non-nitrogen (mainly complex sugars) | about 40%

Saffron (C. sativus L.) contains two main carotenoids: crocin and crocetin. These carotenoids, which are responsible for the color of saffron, have potent anti-tumor effects. “Epidemiological evidence showed that a high dietary intake of fruits and vegetables rich in carotenoids is associated with a reduced risk for cancer (Azam Bolhassania, , Afshin Khavaria, S. Zahra Bathaieb)”. “In general, carotenoids possess potent cancer chemo-preventive properties. The mechanisms underlying cancer chemo-preventive activities of carotenoids include modulation of carcinogen metabolism; regulation of cell growth and cell cycle progression [e.g., cell-cycle delay in the G1 phase, reduction in cyclin D1 protein levels, inhibition of both Cdk4 and Cdk2 kinase activity, hypo-phosphorylation of pRb], inhibition of cell proliferation; anti-oxidant activity; immune modulation; enhancement of cell differentiation [e.g., activation of differentiation-related proteins: retinoid-like receptors (RAR), nuclear receptors effective in the differentiation of adipocytes (PPARγ), xenobiotic and orphan nuclear receptors such as the steroid/xenobiotic receptor/pregnane X receptor (SXR/PXR)/or the constitutive androstane receptor (CAR), reduction of growth factor-induced stimulation of AP-1 transcriptional activity by altering the composition of AP-1 complexes bound to DNA, inhibition of Wnt/β-catenin signaling via the connection along the Akt/GSK3β/β-catenin]; hormone and growth factor signaling [e.g., inhibition of insulin growth factor (IGF)-1]; stimulation of cell-to-cell gap junction communication; apoptosis and retinoid-dependent signaling (Azam Bolhassania, , Afshin Khavaria, S. Zahra Bathaieb)”.    

Saffron spice is mainly produced and exported from countries such an Iran and India with almost 90% of the world production in 2007 coming from Iran (ncat.org). The life of the flower that it produces is less than a day long and they bloom at different points in the season, not all at the same time (ncat.org). Elderly women were usually given the job of removing the saffron stigmas from the crocus flowers, a very strenuous job, because there are no machines that can separate the three delicate stigmas from the flower to produce the spice (uwlax.edu). 

 

Tarvand Saffron (2005), “What is Saffron?”, Tarvand Saffron Company [January 10, 2006]. 

 

What information can you give me on growing saffron ... (n.d.). Retrieved October 23, 2016, from https://attra.ncat.org 

 

Bolhassani, A., Khavari, A., & Bathaie, S. Z. (2014). Saffron and natural carotenoids: Biochemical activities and anti-tumor effects. Biochimica Et Biophysica Acta (BBA) - Reviews on Cancer, 1845(1), 20-30. doi:10.1016/j.bbcan.2013.11.001 

 

What's the right dose of saffron? | NutritionFacts.org. (n.d.). Retrieved October 23, 2016, from http://nutritionfacts.org/questions/how-do-you-dose-saffron/

Braun, L. & Cohen, M. (2015). Herbs and Natural Supplements, an evidence-based guide, volume 2. Elsevier, Australia.

Parvez, A., Sanjita, D., Basu, S., & Saumya, D. (2012). Herbs against cancer: an update, Journal of Drug Delivery & Therapeutics, 2(2), pp. 34-38.

Sakarkar, D. & Deshmukh, V. (2011). Ethnopharmacological review of traditional  Medicinal plants for anticancer activity, International Journal of PharmTech Research, 3(1), pp. 298-308.

 

retrieved from:

Common names: red clover, cow clover, meadow clover, wild clover

History:

·         a wild plant belonging to the legume family

·         Grows in the wild meadows of Asia and Europe

·         Used to treat whooping cough, prostate cancer, non-estrogen sensitive breast cancer, psoriasis, respiratory problems and menstrual symptoms 

(University of Maryland Medical Center, 24 Mar. 2015)

(University of Maryland Medical Center, 24 Mar. 2015)

·Do not take with anticoagulants; red clover heightens the blood thinning effects of anti-coagulants
·Since Red clover have estrogen-like abilities, It should not be taken with hormone replacement therapies or bill control pills

·Red clover have been shown to interfere with Tamoxifen 

·Do not take with Methotrexate

(University of Maryland Medical Center, 24 Mar. 2015)

·Do not use if you are pregnant, thinking of becoming pregnant or breast-feeding

·It should be used with caution in patients with thyroid disorders, red clover have demonstrated and increase in thyroid hormone activity. 

·PT/PTT should be done prior to initiating therapy and the plant should not be used with patients who have a history or bleeding disorders. 

Used with caution in patients with estrogen sensitive breast cancer.

(Vadeboncoeur, Sarah, 2015­)

(University of Maryland Medical Center, 24 Mar. 2015)

 

Fritz, H., Seely, D., Flower, G., Skidmore, B., Fernandes, R., Vadeboncoeur, S., ... & Sabri, E. (2013). Soy, red clover, and isoflavones and breast cancer: a systematic review. PloS one, 8(11), e81968.

"Red Clover." Benefits of Health Foundation. Jon Barron, 2016. Web. 

 

"Red Clover." Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, 2016. Web. 

"Red Clover." University of Maryland Medical Center. University of Maryland Medical Center, 24 Mar. 2015. Web. 

 

Vadeboncoeur, Sarah. "Red Clover (Trifolium Pratense)." / Herbal Products / CAM-Cancer. Complementary and Alternative Medicine for Cancer, 29 Jan. 2015. Web.