Natural Ginger is Up to 10,000 Times More Effective Than Chemo...

(NaturalNews) Ginger naturally contains a compound that is up to 10,000 times more effective than chemotherapy drugs at killing the cancer stem cells that make malignant tumors so dangerous, according to a study published in the journal PLoS.

The chemical, known as 6-shogaol, is produced when ginger roots are dried or cooked. The researchers found that 6-shogaol is active against cancer stem cells at concentrations that are harmless to healthy cells. This is dramatically different from conventional chemotherapy, which has serious side effects largely because it kills healthy as well as cancerous cells.

Cells responsible for 90 percent of cancer death?

Like other stem cells, cancer stem cells possess the ability to differentiate into various different cell types. In the case of cancer, stem cells differentiate into the various malignant cells that make up a tumor colony. Although they make up less than 1 percent of the cells in any given tumor, stem cells are impervious to nearly all known or experimental chemotherapy agents. These cells are also able to replicate indefinitely, and they are capable of splitting off from their originating colony to start new tumors elsewhere. They are key players in the process of metastasis, which is responsible for 90 percent of cancer-related deaths.

The persistence of cancer stem cells also explains why cancers can recur even after seemingly successful tumor eradication via chemotherapy, radiation or surgery.

"Cancer stem cells pose serious obstacle to cancer therapy as they can be responsible for poor prognosis and tumour relapse," the researchers wrote. "To add into the misery, very few chemotherapeutic compounds show promise to kill these cells."

Kills cancer cells on many fronts

The researchers found that 6-shogaol targets breast cancer stem cells along several different pathways, including reducing the expression of surface markers, altering the cell cycle to increase the rate of cell death, inhibiting tumor formation, directly inducing programmed cell death, and flat-out poisoning cancer stem cells (cytotoxicity).

The researchers then compared the cytotoxicity of 6-shogaol against human breast cancer stem cells with that of the widely used chemotherapy drug taxol. They found that while taxol did show cytotoxicity in a one-dimensional laboratory model of cancer ("monolayer"), it showed almost no effect in the three-dimensional ("spheroid") model that is now believed to be a more accurate model of real-world cancer tumors. 6-shogaol, however, was effective in both the monolayer and spheroid models.

The researchers then increased the taxol concentration by 10,000 times, but it still showed no effectiveness in spheroid model.

"[T]axol, even though was highly active in monolayer cells, did not show activity against the spheroids even at 10,000 fold higher concentration compared to 6-shogaol," the researchers wrote.

To read further and learn more:   http://www.naturalnews.com/052009_ginger_chemotherapy_cancer_treatment.html#ixzz3ryTPuUoT

Medicinal herb ginger helps protect against the effect of chemical parabens

Traditional healers often use ginger to treat ailments ranging from nausea to arthritis pain. Recent studies highlight another use for ginger, the amelioration of the impact of parabens, a chemical widely used in the food and beverage industry and as a preservative in personal care products, drugs, and cosmetics. Parabens have been in the news recently thanks to studies which show the vast majority of Americans show signs of exposure. If ginger does indeed reduce parabens' impact that gives it increased importance as a significant natural health therapy.

Studies show parabens are widespread in the human population

Parabens role as a pseudo or xenoestrogen means they may be implicated in a number of health conditions such as the early onset of puberty and hormonally related illnesses such as breast and colon cancer. Parabens have also been linked to oxidative degradation of fats and reduced levels of anti-oxidants in the livers of mice.

How common are parabens? In a 2010 study in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, scientists evaluated over 2,500 urine samples from Americans over the age of six and found exposure to methyl parabens in over 99% of the sample and to propyl parabens in over 92%.

Of special interest is their evaluation of the sample by age and sex which found adolescent and adult females had significantly higher concentration of methyl and propyl parabens than did any males. The authors attribute this to the fact that women and girls use many more personal care products than do males at any age.

These results also suggests the importance of considering the cumulative impact of parabens. Manufacturers may be correct in claiming that the amount in any one product does not pose a health risk, however since most women use multiple products, their cumulative impact can be significant.

Parabens may be linked to breast cancer

Studies of biopsy tissue from women with breast cancer have found measurable levels of parabens which are associated with the growth of cancer cells in test tubes. An article published in January of 2012 in the Journal of Applied Toxicology measured parabens found in breast tissue from 40 women who had undergone a mastectomy. Measurements were taken at four locations across the breast. One or more parabens were found in 99% of the samples and five different parabens were found in 60% of the samples.

The study results also showed that the highest concentrations of parabens were found in the underarm area and entered the body through the skin.

Ginger can help ameliorate the impact of parabens

In a 2009 animal study reported in the journal Acta Poloniae Pharmaceutica-Drug Research, scientists in India orally administered parabens to mice. The result was increased oxidative degradation of fats and decreased levels of anti-oxidants in the livers of of the treated mice compared to the controls. Another group was given both parabens and ginger. In this group there was a significant decrease in paraben induced liver damage along with an increase in anti-oxidant levels. The scientists concluded that ginger can significantly reduce paraben induced liver damage.

In a 2006 study in the same journal human red blood cells were treated with parabens in a test tube. The result was a significant increase in the rate of hemolysis, or breakdown of the cells. When ginger was introduced to the samples along with parabens the result was a significant decrease in the rate of breakdown.

Sources used in this article include:

http://www.breastcancerfund.org
http://www.greenmedinfo.com
http://www.ptfarm.pl/pub/File/Acta_Poloniae/2009/3/225-228.pdf
http://www.greenmedinfo.com

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/035937_parabens_ginger_breast_cancer.html#ixzz1vdZ0dlpi