A new study suggests that ginger can be one of the most powerful herbs you can use to treat cancer. The study reveals that ginger contains a compound shogaol that could be 10,000 times more effective than conventional chemotherapy at killing cancer stem cells.
Cancer stem cells are the most challenging threat to cancer patients. If a cancer patient has not yet gotten rid of cancer stem cells, his cancer is not over yet.
The wonder compound is 6-shogaol. The study published in PLoS shows that this compound kills breast cancer stem cells more effectively than conventional chemotherapy drugs. This is so because these cells can produce new cancer cells.
Cancer stem cells account for 0.2 to 1% of the cells within any given tumor. Most chemotherapy drugs are ineffective at killing cancer stem cells. So when the chemotherapy treatment is completed, the cancer is likely to come back after a few years.
Luckily, many natural compounds are available which can help get rid of these nasty cancer stem cells such as shogaol. Evidence has suggested the notion that cancer cannot be completely cured is not accurate. Cancer case reports show that some patients completely eliminate cancer stem cells by using a variety of natural remedies or supplements.
The ginger compound shogaol is produced when dried or cooked. It is one of the pungent tastants found in ginger. This compound is not only effective, but also non-toxic to healthy cells.
The researchers who conducted the study point out those cancer stem cells are resistant to paclitaxel, doxorubicin, 5-fluorouracil and platinum drugs. Shogaol however can targets breast cancer through a number of ways.
http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0137614
6-shogaol can also be used to treat prostate cancer
http://cancerpreventionresearch.aacrjournals.org/content/7/6/627.short
At this time, shogaol has not been widely tested for its efficacy against other cancers. But there is a good chance that this compound may also be effective. (David Liu)
