Artemesia (Wormwood) & Cancer Research

Aside from the post below, here’s an in-depth look at Artemesia and  research.

http://www.itmonline.org/arts/chinghao.htm

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http://www.cancure.org/artemesia.htm

Artemesia

The following is information from an article called “Chinese Herb Cures Cancer” by Dr. Robert Jay R Rowen in the publication “Second Opinion” – in the May 2002 issue.  Call 1-800-728-2288 to order this publication.  Artemesia is also known as wormwood if you decide to research it. You can also go to http://www.artemisia.net/activ.htm for more information on this. I believe this report was published in the November 2001 issue of the journal "Life Sciences."

Artemesia is a plant that grows in Southeast that Dr. Rowen has used in the past to treat intestinal parasites. It is also considered a safe malaria treatment. When Dr. Rowen discovered a report by Drs. Henry Lai and Narenda Singh, bioengineering professors at the University of Washington, that indicated that the herb "might provide a safe, non-toxic, and inexpensive alternative for cancer patients", he started using it with cancer patients.  Dr. Lai and his colleague, Dr. Singh, had found its use dramatically killed breast-cancer cells and leukemia cells while leaving normal breast cells and white blood cells unscathed. 

According to Lai, it is believed to work because when artemisinin or any of its derivatives comes into contact with iron, a chemical reaction ensues, spawning charged atoms that chemists call free radicals. Cells need iron to replicate DNA when they divide, and since cancer is characterized by out-of-control cell division, cancer cells have much higher iron concentrations than do normal cells.  What Lai did was to pump up cancer cells with even more iron and then introduce artemisinin to selectively kill them. Lai theorizes that more aggressive cancers such as pancreatic and acute leukemia — which are characterized by more rapid cell division and thus higher iron concentrations — may respond even better.

Dr. Rowen also reported on an article that appeared about a year ago in a major cancer journal demonstrating significant artemisinin anticancer activity in a wide variety of laboratory cultured cancer cells. Cancers resistant to common chemotherapy drugs showed no resistance to artemisinin.  (International Journal of Oncology 18; 767-773, 2001 by Efferth, et al.) 

One of the patient's Dr. Rowen worked with was a 47-year-old female with stage-4 breast cancer with mets to the spine.. She used IPT, high-dose nutritional therapy, dietary changes, dendritic cell vaccine, multi-step oxygen therapy, and more. All of her symptoms regressed, but the CT showed no change. When artemisinin derivatives were added, greater results were obtained. 

A Dr. Hoang of Hanoi, Vietnam, reports that 50-60 percent of 400 cancer patients have achieved long-term remission utilizing artemisinin together with a comprehensive integrative cancer strategy. Among these patients is a 47 -year-old female who, presented with terminal liver cancer from hepatitis B and abdominal ascites (massive swelling from liver failure) , was just days or weeks from death. Today; two-and-a-half years later, she is alive and well with no signs of any disease! Dr. Singh is currently following many cancer patients. While not reporting remissions or apparent cures, he says all patients are responding and have at least stabilized. He has found no type of cancer unresponsive to artemisinin derivatives in his studies. Dr. Hoang recommends treatment for two years. Cancer could be like the malaria parasite. If just one cell remains, it can find its way back. Thus, as in malaria, although the parasite is cleared in a few days, prolonged treatment best prevents relapse. 

This treatment is said to be non-toxic, so you can continue taking it indefinitely with no expected side effects, though it does depend on the form of Artemesia one uses. There are three common Artemesia derivatives - Artesunate is water soluble and may be the most active and the least toxic, but it has the shortest life within the body. Artemether is oil or lipid soluble and has the longest half-life. It also has the most toxicity (but this is related to rather high dosages, which are not necessary. Its big advantage is that it can cross the blood-brain barrier to reach cancers in the nervous system. Artemisinin is the active parent compound of the plant. It has an intermediate half-life, is very safe, and also can cross the blood-brain barrier. The first two are slightly altered semi-synthetic derivatives of artemisinin, the concentrated and purified active agent. Dr. Singh reports that a combination of the forms may be the very best treatment due to these different properties (based on a lab experiment). Thus, he feels the best preparation will contain artemisinin and artemether to provide a dose of 0.5-2 mg/Kg of each form once daily before bed (away from any residual iron left in the stomach from the evening meal). Dr. Hoang used 500 mg twice daily of oral artemisinin with good success. The product is best taken on an empty stomach with some natural fat to enhance absorption. Any iron present from residual food may neutralize the peroxides. Milk is one of the few foods with minimal iron. Whole milk, cottage cheese, or yogurt have ample fat to enhance absorption. 

Additionally, Dr. Rowen stated that he adds cod liver oil (for its omega-S and vitamin D) and conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) to this therapy. He says that, with the exception of patients very near death, taking artemisinin or derivatives have stabilized, improved, or remitted every cancer patient he has followed. Medical literature also seems to suggest that oxygenating the system might make the products effective. Administration of certain chemotherapy agents (IPT), which kill cells through free radical mechanisms, is another option. 

Artemesia herb products are not the same as the concentrated forms of the derivatives described above. The highest concentration of artemisinin (the active agent) in the raw herb in best of conditions does not even get beyond one-half percent. Dr. Singh tested some products, finding perhaps only 10-20 percent of anti-cancer activity against cultured cancer cells compared to pure artemisinin. Allergy Research Group (800-545-9960) distributes a high-grade artemisinin confirmed by independent lab analysis, so this is the one Dr. Rowen recommended. 

Please note: Dr. Rowen warns that this is not a singular therapy and should be used in conjunction with a comprehensive cancer management strategy, together with the help of an integrative medicine physician or an open-minded oncologist.

For more information, contact Lai at 206-543-1071 or hlai@u.washington.edu.
For more information on the journal Life Sciences, check the Web at: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/lifescie.

We will provide additional information on this therapy as we have time to research it.