Surrounding Cancer Cures

A persistent mmor regarding cancer cures pertains to the previously mentioned Compoimd-X — supposedly a mysterious, secretive, and potent formulation originating with the Plains Indians, or maybe southwestern Indians, or even Canadian Indians. It is supposed to cure both external and internal cancers, but it seems no one wants to talk about it, what is in it, or how it works. Presumably it is a herbal mixture of unknown makeup, although Chaparral and bloodroot may be in it. A rumor is that a pharmaceutical company was once interested, and along these fines a certain toothpaste contains bloodroot (Sanguarine canadensis) as an anticavity agent. 

Further inquiry reveals that some of the original work on a version of something called Compoimd-X was carried out on animals at Colorado State University, apparently with no positive results. As if in anticipation, however, John Heinerman wrote Healing Animals with Herbs, published in 1977. 

The examples herein illustrate the ambiguity in pinning down a cure for cancer from tropical plants, or any plants, as what is known is from native folklore or hearsay. You are never quite sure which plant species is supposed to do exactly what, if anything, and are not even sure about which species is which. If an active chemical component perchance is found, it is probably just one of tens or maybe hundreds or thousands in the same species, which act together synergistically, for the complexity of nature can be infinite. Controlled, impartial clinical studies are lacking. 

Another bioactive plant from South America, occurring in the upper reaches of the Amazon in Peru, is colloquially known as cat s claw, or Una de Gato Uncaria tomentosa.of the family Rubiaceae). Anecdotal evidence describes some remarkable cancer cures using a tea made from this plant, and it is available in the United States. The action may be due to the presence of alkaloids, but one is not entirely convinced. 

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Radiotherapy is a local treatment aiming to achieve local control or cure of locally confined tumours. It cannot treat metastases. Radiotherapy may be administered as external beam radiotherapy with X-rays or gamma rays, in sealed radioactive sources (e.g. prostate brachytherapy), or unsealed sources (e.g. orally administered radioiodine for thyroid cancer, intravenous strontium-89 for bone metastases). In external beam radiotherapy, the X-ray or gamma ray beams are targeted at the tumour to damage and kill the tumour cells. Inevitably, surrounding normal tissues are also affected resulting in the early and late side effects of radiotherapy. 

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