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As Agents to
Slower the Progress of Cancer:
There are many circumstances where chemotherapy,
radiotherapy or surgery is contra-indicated or not
prescribed. The reasons may include age factor, body
resistance, severe side effects, location, etc. Such
patients usually come to an Ayurvedic practitioner.
Interestingly, the response of these patients to
Ayurvedic treatments is very inspiring. Here, I would
like to talk about a few cases where the patients
underwent a positive experience.
Atul was suffering from rectal cancer. He had a plethora
of symptoms that made his life a living hell, including
bleeding from the rectum, severe constipation, disturbed
sleep, weight loss, constant tiredness, and occasional
vomiting. Doctors estimated that he would die within 4-6
weeks. He came to us as a last-ditch attempt to see if
there was anything Ayurveda could do to help him. We
treated him with a special enema (Anuvaasana Basti)
using the herb Ashwagandha Tailam. The results
were excellent. The treatment reduced all his symptoms
significantly, and enabled him to get sound rest. Atul
surprised the other doctors by surviving for 6 months,
but more importantly, his quality of life during his
last months was remarkably better.
A similar case occurred with Philip, who had Lung Cancer
(Squamous Cell Carcinoma). This patient was suffering
from severe weight loss, daily hemoptysis, and pain,
radiating from the right arm. His ultrasound image
showed metastatic changes in the liver. The allopathic
doctors said that he would live no longer than 5–6
months, and the toxic effects of his treatment ensured
that his remaining time would be spent in pain and
misery. When Philip approached us, we prescribed drugs
such as Aampachana vati, Sitopladi churan,
Samir pannaga rasa, etc. He responded to them
very well and the frequency of hemoptysis reduced to
only once in a week. Not only that, he gained an
additional 5 kg weight. With the help of Ayurvedic
treatment, we were able to drastically reduce his pain
and symptoms, and extend his life for over two years!
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As Anti-Tumour
Drugs:
The Central Drug Research Institute (CDRI), Lucknow,
India, started a programme in 1964 for screening plant
extracts that showed activity towards cancer cells. CDRI
has since then found out about 70 plants that show
anti-cancer activity. Certain common ingredients in
Ayurvedic medicines such as Ginger (Ardraka,
Tagar, Antamoola, Bala, Sapotaparna,
Shallaki) have been reported for their specific
anti-tumour activities by various researchers.
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As Agents
Performing Cell-protective Activity:
There are many herbs which protect cells from toxic
effects.
Blood transfusions at regular intervals cause chronic
iron overload in the body, which ultimately leads to
many hazardous effects such as cirrhosis of the liver
and even cardiac problems in cancer patients. In a study
using two polyherbal compounds, the test drugs showed
remarkable cell protection against toxicity. Such drugs
are also useful for cell protection against detrimental
effects of chemotherapy or radiation therapy.
Use of Ayurveda in the Treatment of Cancer
Every plant contains thousands of alkaloids, steroids,
flavonoids, terpenoids and other molecules with
bioactivity. Ayurvedic preparations consist of extracts
from many different plants. The presence of such a wide
variety of ligands (charged or uncharged molecules)
suggests that the preparation may be acting on a wide
variety of tissues through a number of different
mechanisms. Ayurvedic doctors prescribing drugs as a
whole instead of specific derivatives have, therefore,
gained success in treating cancer to some extent.
There are many important polyherbal and herbo-mineral
compounds that have proven useful in curing various
types of cancer at different stages.
Realising the Potential of Ayurveda
Conventional medicines are associated with a number of
side effects. They do provide short-term relief but more
often than not cause deleterious consequences. Ayurvedic
medicines here can act as adjuvants to conventional
medicines and therapies and reduce the associated side
effects of the patients to add life to years.
 Ayurvedic
medicines build and restore the body’s immune system,
and as such are well-suited for cancer patients.
Ayurveda not only cures cancer but also drastically
improves the quality of life in case of terminal stages.
As a result, the patient is able to spend his last days
in comparatively less pain amidst friends and relatives.
In short, Ayurveda is useful in order to both—add years
to life, and to add life to years!
Combining traditional Ayurvedic healthcare knowledge
with conventional systems can help build a comprehensive
health care setup and formidable defence against cancer.
Our ancient legacy of natural medicine in the form of
Ayurveda offers a multi-pronged approach to combat the
deadly disease, cancer. The disease can be prevented and
the bud can be nipped early if we lead a healthy
lifestyle based on Ayurvedic principles. With sincere
efforts and a multidisciplinary approach of devoted
Ayurvedic physicians, oncologists, surgeons,
pharmacologist and experimental biologists, an
appropriate solution for the prevention and cure of
cancer is not far away in the recent future.
Glossary
Aldehydes: Any of a class of highly reactive
organic chemical compounds obtained by oxidation of
primary alcohols, characterised by the common group CHO,
and used in the manufacture of resins, dyes, and organic
acids.
Hemoptysis: The expectoration of blood or bloody
mucus from mouth and nose. Xerostomia: Dryness of the
mouth caused by diminished function of the salivary
glands due to aging, disease, drug reaction, etc.
Alkaloids: Any of various organic compounds
normally with basic chemical properties occurring
chiefly in many vascular plants and some fungi. Many
alkaloids, such as nicotine, quinine, cocaine, and
morphine, are known for their poisonous or medicinal
attributes.
Flavonoids: Any of a large group of water-soluble
plant pigments, including the anthocyanins that are
beneficial to health.
Terpenoids: A large and diverse class of
naturally-occurring organic chemicals similar to
terpenes, derived from plants used extensively for their
aromatic qualities.
Prognosis: A forecasting of the probable course
and outcome of a disease, especially of the chances of
recovery.
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