Artemisinin (Wormwood) for Cancer
THE USE FOR MALARIA
This treatment for malaria was, however, lost over time. It was only rediscovered in an archeological dig in the 1970s where its medicinal use was found in a recipe inside a tomb. The formula was dated back to 168 B.C. where the Chinese chemist isolated the primary active ingredient from the leafy portion of plant called A. annua L.
In 1972, scientists in the West called this crystalline compound "qinghaosu" or "artemisinin". Since then, studies in China and Vietnam have confirmed that artemisinin is a highly effective compound with close to 100 percent response rate for treating malaria. It has the ability to destroy the malaria parasite by releasing high doses of free radicals that attack the cell membrane of the parasite in the presence of high iron concentration. In fact, over one million malaria patients have been cured via this method. Their symptoms also subsided in a matter of days.
However, the treatment using this herb to treat malaria is not approved for use in the U.S.A due to the concern that it has a 21 percent recrudescent rate. Scientists believe that this is more likely due to patients not taking the compound for a long period. Many of them actually stop taking it as soon as their symptoms subside.
It has been shown that this herb works via highly reactive oxygen-based free radicals that becomes activated in the presence of iron. Iron is an oxidant, and our body tries to protect us from excessive iron moving it to a binded state such as hemoglobin and enzymes. The malaria parasite accumulates iron by infecting iron-rich red blood cell. Excessive iron that is spilled onto the surrounding tissues will activate the artemisinin to generate a burst of free radicals that attack the iron rich cells, killing the parasite in the process.
In other words, this compound works well in an iron rich environment (remember that malaria lives in the red blood cell rich in iron) through the release of free radicals that serve to damage the malaria organism. It is also interesting to note that drugs known to work by enhancing oxygen radical effects such as doxorubicin can enhance the effects of artemisinin.
For malaria, there is no resistance nor toxicity at the dosage of 3 grams, (about 50mg/kg) administered over a 3 to 5 day period. It is especially useful in the treatment of drug resistant malaria.
Outside of the United States, artemisinin is the number one natural herb used for malaria treatment.
THE USE FOR CANCER
So far, the most extensive study on the use of Artemisinin as an anti-cancer agent was carried out by bioengineering scientists Drs Narenda Singh and Henry Lai of the University of Washington. This study was reported in the Journal Life Science (70 (2001): 49-56).
Iron is required for cell division, and it is well known that many cancer cell types selectively accumulate iron for this purpose. Most cancers have large number of iron attracting transferring receptors on their cell surface compared to normal cells. In laboratory studies of radiation, resistant breast cancer cells that has high propensity for accumulating iron revealed that artemisinin has 75 percent cancer cell killing properties in a 8 hours and almost 100 percent killing properties within 24 hours when these cancer cells are "pre-loaded" with iron after incubation with holotransferrin. On the other hand, the normal cells remained virtually unharmed. Another study showing the effectiveness of artesunate in treatment of cancer was also published in Oncology (April 2001: 18(4): 767-73).
Artemisinin is effective against a wide variety of cancers as shown in a series of successful experiments. The most effective is leukemia and colon cancer. Intermediate activities were also shown against melanoma, breast, ovarian, prostate, CNS and renal cancer. Although artemisinin is insoluble in water, it is able to cross the blood brain barrier (the water soluble artesunate is the weakness among the derivates) and may be particularly suitable for curing brain tumors, together with Poly-MVA (an metalo-vitamin)
In laboratory studies, iron needs to be added to enhance the effects of artemisinin. Within the human body, no such addition is necessary, as iron already exist in the body. Animals get plenty in their diet. It can also be taken orally and therefore high doses are not required. Some people believe that as nitrogen (tertiary amine) is absent in ART, cancer cells cannot get rid of it once it enters into the cancer cell. As a result, ART stays in the cell much longer.
In addition to the high affinity for iron in aggressive cancer cell types, most cancer cells also lack the enzyme catalayse and gutathione peroxidase. Catalayse breaks down hydrogen peroxide. A low catalayse content means a higher hydrogen peroxide load, which can release superoxide free radicals when properly stimulated to do so. This is in fact one common mechanism among chemotherapeutic agents. These traits make cancer cells more susceptible to oxidative damage as compare to normal cells in the presences of hydrogen peroxide.
According to Dr Rowen , a naturally oriented medical doctor and editor of the medical newsletter " Second Opinion" , the Hoang family of physicians in Vietnam had used arteminisin in the treatment of cancer for years. They have reported that, over a 10-year period, more than 400 patients were treated with artemisinin in conjunction with a comprehensive anti-cancer program with 50 to 60 percent long-term remission rate. The safety record of artemisinin has well been studied for over 25 years. No significant toxicity in short-term use for malaria at high dose of up to 70 mg/kg per day has been reported.
Artemisinin is not a stand-alone chemotherapeutic agent. A combination of nutritional supplements as well as a good anti-cancer diet is required.
TOXICITY AND SIDE EFFECTS
When ART is tested with monkeys, they showed no toxicity when they received up to 292 mg/kg of artemether over 1 to 3 months. This is equal to a human dose of 20,000 mg for a 70 kg male (Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine 2(1):31-36 1982). In another study, there was also no sign of toxicity in over 4000 patients. This does not exclude possible cases of long-term cumulative toxicity which is unknown at this time.
(my 80 pound dog takes 200mg)
CAUTIONS
a. No artesminin should be taken within 30 days of radiation therapy because of possible free iron leaks to the surrounding tissues after radiation therapy.
DOSAGE
The therapeutic dose ranges from 200 mg a day up to 1,000 a day (in divided doses ) depending on cancer types and the source of the herb.In laboratory studies, significant CANCER cell toxicity is shown to have been effected at dosage as little as 1-2 mg/kg body weight.
The exact dosage is highly controversial. In addition to the lack of clinical trials and individual variations, the dosage is highly dependent on the purity and potency of the herb itself.
(my 80 pound dog takes 200mg)
Artemisinin should always be taken with food. Flax oil, cottage cheese, or fish oil mixed may be administered at the same time to enhance absorption.
Always take artesminin at least 2-3 hours aside from antioxidants.
Despite its seemingly high degree of effectiveness, it is important to note that artemisinin is not a stand-alone compound. Concurrent use of liver detoxification, immune enhancement, and periodic laboratory measurement should also be considered as part of an overall aggressive anti-cancer program.
