What herbs and supplements can be used during chemotherapy?

Hi psycadelicladybug,

The Complementary/Integrative Medicine Educational Resources (CIMER)
at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, provides an
excellent comprehensive website, and it along with the Sloan Kettering
Cancer website, should be able to answer most of your questions. Each
plant's name is actually a link to the review containing Evidence |
Dosing | Safety | Interactions | Updates | Selected References. To get
a unbaised opinion, I've not looked at any commercial websites.

>>>>>> University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center

University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center:
Complementary/Integrative Medicine Education Resources
"When properly combined with standard cancer treatments, some
complementary therapies can enhance wellness and quality of life, but
others may be harmful during or after treatment for cancer. M. D.
Anderson Cancer Center?s Complementary/Integrative Medicine Education
Resources (CIMER) Web site is offered to help patients and physicians
decide how best to integrate such therapies into their care. "
Is it safe? Is it effective?
"What do studies show? Our Reviews of Therapies contain evidence-based
reviews of published research studies on a variety of
complementary/integrative or alternative cancer therapies such as
alternative medical systems (e.g., traditional Chinese medicine),
herbal/plant (e.g., essiac), other biologic/organic/pharmacologic
substances (e.g., cartilage), nutrition and special diets (e.g.,
macrobiotic), body-manipulative therapies (e.g., massage), energy
(e.g., tai chi) and mind-body approaches (e.g., support groups). "
http://www.mdanderson.org/departments/cimer/

Reviews of Therapy: Herbal / Plant Therapies:
    * Alfalfa - Natural Standard Review
    * Aloe vera - Natural Standard Review
    * Astragalus - Natural Standard Review
    * Bitter Almond & Laetrile - Natural Standard Review
    * Black Cohosh - Natural Standard Review
    * Blessed Thistle - Natural Standard Review
    * Burdock - Natural Standard Review
    * Cat's Claw
    * Chamomile - Natural Standard Review
    * Chaparral, Nordihydroguaiaretic acid (NDGA) - Natural Standard Review
    * Coriolus versicolor (mushroom)
    * Cranberry - Natural Standard Review
    * Dong Quai, Chinese Angelica - Natural Standard Review
    * Echinacea - Natural Standard Review
    * Essiac
    * Flaxseed and Flaxseed Oil - Natural Standard Review
    * Garlic - Natural Standard Review
    * Ginger - Natural Standard Review
    * Green Tea - Natural Standard Review
    * Hops - Natural Standard Review
    * Horsetail - Natural Standard Review
    * Hoxsey
    * Kava - Natural Standard Review
    * Lactobacillus acidophilus - Natural Standard Review
    * Laetrile - National Cancer Institute Review
    * Lavender - Natural Standard Review
    * Lycopene - Natural Standard Review
    * Maitake Mushroom & Beta Glucan - Natural Standard Review
    * Marshmallow - Natural Standard Review
    * Milk Thistle - Natural Standard Review
    * Mistletoe - National Cancer Institute Review
    * Modified Citrus Pectin
    * Oleander - Natural Standard Review
    * Panax ginseng - Natural Standard Review
    * Passion Flower - Natural Standard Review
    * PC-SPES - Natural Standard Review
    * Psyllium - Natural Standard Review
    * Red Clover - Natural Standard Review
    * St. John's Wort - Natural Standard Review
    * St. John's Wort - NCCAM Health Information
    * Saw Palmetto - Cochrane Review
    * Selected Vegetables/Sun Soup - NCI-OCCAM Review
    * Soy - Natural Standard Review
    * Spirulina - Natural Standard Review
    * Tea Tree Oil - Natural Standard Review
    * Turmeric and Curcumin - Natural Standard Review
    * Wild Yam - Natural Standard Review
http://www.mdanderson.org/departments/CIMER/display.cfm?id=73835819-07FC-11D5-810C00508B603A14&method=displayFull&pn=6EB86A59-EBD9-11D4-810100508B603A14

>>>>>> Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

About Herbs (requires acceptance of terms):
http://www.mskcc.org/mskcc/html/11571.cfm

>>>>>> The Duke Patient/Family Resource Center

The Duke Patient/Family Resource Center link which follows led me to
the M.D. Cancer Center and Sloan Kettering websites (I unfortunately
know Sloan Kettering all too well). I've copied down some highlights,
but please click on the link to view the entire article.

Nutritional and Herbal Supplements"
"In our July issue of the newsletter devoted to cancer and nutrition,
we promised you a follow-up dealing with "all those pills" - the
substances extracted from normal food or from roots and herbs and sold
as health enhancers of one sort or another. Genistein, from soy;
Vitamins A,C, and E from plant foods; gingko biloba, from the leaves
of the gingko tree; quercetin, from various plant pigments - all are
examples of what we will, for present purposes, call simply
"supplements."  All are purported to have some medicinal or beneficial
properties. Some are promoted for preventing cancer; others for
fighting cancer. Even more are promoted as helping to ameliorate the
side effects of chemotherapy and radiation. Recent studies have raised
red flags about some, and all cost money that your insurance company
will not reimburse. It is estimated that up to 25% of cancer patients
experiment with supplements. But how promising is this path?"
"M.D. Anderson is Houston's world-renowned comprehensive cancer
center. It's main website, www.mdanderson.org, is vast and excellent.
We plan to review it at greater length in a future newsletter. For
now, we will confine ourselves to that one branch that leads you to
supplementals."
"We also urge you to visit the herbal page for Memorial
Sloan-Kettering, the world renowned cancer center of New York City."
The Antioxidant Controversary
"Perhaps the best-known supplements relevant to cancer are the
"antioxidants." Several vitamins and minerals have antioxidant
properties...  People with diagnosed cancer began gulping antioxidants
even while undergoing standard treatment.  Then controversy erupted!"
"Some antioxidants seem to support some chemotherapies and radiation
for certain cancers"
http://cancer.duke.edu/pated/PFRCNews/PFRCNewsletterAugust03.asp

>>>>>>

Additional Links:

University of Maryland Medicine:
Astragalus
Ginger
Glutamine
http://www.umm.edu/altmed/ConsLookups/Uses/chemotherapysupport.html

Rush University Medical Center
http://www.rush.edu/rumc/page-P07183.html

University of Colorado Health Sciences Center
http://www.uchsc.edu/news/bridge/2003/July%202003/altcancer.html

UCLA's Jonsson Cancer Center
http://www.cancer.mednet.ucla.edu/newsmedia/news/pr012803.html

Pharmacist Toolkit
http://healthlinks.washington.edu/pharmacist

University of Florida: Links
http://womenshealth.ufl.edu/sunna/cancerres.htm


I hope this is just what you were hoping for. If you have any
questions, please post a clarification request before closing/rating
my answer and I'll be happy to reply.

Thank you,
hummer

Google Search Terms Used:

herbs supplements chemotherapy site:.edu
herbs supplements chemotherapy

Hello,

I underwent Chemotherapy for stage 4 stomach Cancer and was told at
the time to stay away from most supplements inc Vit C etc, upon
research I decided to ignor the Oncologists recommendations and took
many supplements and Essiac tea as well...I was told I handled the
Chemo surprisingly well and put this down to the alternatives I
took......after chemo I still had several tumors in my liver and was
told it was just a matter of time... I was given 8 months, I turned to
alternatives and settled on a combination of Pau'd'arco, essiac and
various supplements as well as fresh juicing twice per day...it is
pulling up on four years and I am Cancer Free ( just got the results
from my last CT scan 2 days ago)....my advice to anyone who is told
"death is inevitable...get your afairs in order" is to not believe the
prognosis take your health into your own hands and research
alternatives...I'm sure glad I did...
You can read about the teas I mentioned at http://www.herb-care.com