Friday, November 8, 2024

Combination of Natural Products as Adjunct Cancer Therapy

Natural supplements can be very helpful adjuvants to drug therapies, for example, through chemosensitization of tumor cells. Unfortunately, it seems that very often there's little or no follow-through when readily available natural products show great potential in cancer treatment. Instead of simply providing a list, I’ve created a visual guide with arrows and symbols to highlight the synergistic interactions, key pathways, and processes between various compounds. These represent some of the safest and most effective natural substances for inhibiting cancer growth and proliferation through multiple mechanisms.
  1. Artemisinin ðŸ›ˆ CT FER ST3 HIF ↓ → ↓ DHA docosahexaenoic acid ðŸ›ˆ  ST3 FER  
  2. Curcumin ðŸ›ˆ ST3 G3 MT  Emodin  Celecoxib ðŸŸª COX-2  Luteolin ðŸ›ˆ  Apigenin ðŸ›ˆ 
    •  2:3 Docosahexaenoic acid ðŸ›ˆ  Butyrate ðŸ›ˆ   Citric acid🛈 Gi RL RA → Graviola ðŸ›ˆ
      •  Melatonin   Andrographis ðŸ›ˆ   Berberine ðŸ›ˆ MT CT HIF  D-limonene ðŸ›ˆ
        •  Shikonin ICD GI E⏷NK Apigenin          Fisetin ðŸ›ˆ    
    • Gallic acid FER  Chlorogenic acid ðŸ›ˆ                                         
    •  Taurine RA                                                                                         
    •  EGCg ðŸ›ˆ FAS *  Quercetin   Grapeseed extract ðŸ›ˆ AA E  P. linteus
    •  Nigella Sativa   Thymoquinone  ðŸ›ˆ AA HIF NFi  Emodin
    •  Vitamin C ðŸ›ˆ HIF  LDHAi  Vitamin K2 ðŸ›ˆ E⏷* 
      •  Bicarbonate ðŸ›ˆ   Galla Chinensis LDHAi
      •  Magnesium RL 
      •  Juglone CCAA  Selenium (selenite)
      •  Vitamin K3
      •  Quercetin ðŸ›ˆ → Piperlongumine
      •  Ashwagandha ðŸ›ˆ
    •   Vitamin D  ðŸ›ˆ  Lactoferrin RA  Linolenic acid ðŸ›ˆ
          •   Aspirin ðŸŸª PDK  Ferulic acid ðŸ›ˆ
          •   Lycopene ðŸ›ˆ AI FAK  Capsaicin
          • → Î³-Tocotrienol
    •  Sulforaphane ðŸ›ˆ HIF ST5 nrf2▲!    Dihydrocaffeic Acid 
    •  Galangal  Tulsi  Piper nigrum
      •   Berberine ðŸ›ˆ MT CT HIF RMDR  Zinc
    •  Oligomeric proanthocyanidins 
    •  Garcinol ðŸ›ˆ    
    •  Carnosic acid  Fisetin ðŸ›ˆ  Quercetin  Caffeic acid  Coumaric acid ðŸ›ˆ
    • Mistletoe AA  Chaga ðŸ›ˆ  Rosmarinic acid ðŸ›ˆ RMDR EGFR   Cinnamon RA

     anticancer synergy with Artemisinin
     additive or synergistic antineoplastic effect   sequential 
     ferroptosis 
     combination may offer hepatoprotective effects
     likely to be a good antineoplastic combination 

    (OTC) medications: I've included a few non-oncology drugs that, if used in combination with specific supplements, could enhance their anti-cancer action. Repurposing non-oncology drugs is an attractive approach to improving cancer therapy.

    Enhancing Absorption and Bioavailability


    Consuming fat-soluble supplements alongside dietary fats like ghee butter or coconut oil can improve their absorption and utilization in the body. The ideal dosage for the compounds discussed in this blog is uncertain and would vary based on the type of cancer, the specific target, and the individual patient's response to the treatment.


    Timing: Optimizing Supplement Intake for Enhanced Efficacy

    It might be beneficial to take anticancer supplements late at night and to include a time during the night in your supplementation schedule, e.g., 3AM "study suggests that nighttime is the right time for cancer to grow and spread in the body and that administering certain treatments in time with the body's day-night cycle could boost their efficiency{ref|ref}

    Synergistic Combinations


    A natural substance may show potential against cancer. Still, its effectiveness is often limited by the need for excessively high concentrations to achieve significant benefits (in vitro concentrations not achievable in vivo). However, if synergies exist, those same substances may become significantly more effective at lower concentrations. Such combinations of nutraceuticals can also be used to overcome drug resistance or to sensitize cancer cells to therapeutic agents. 

    Key Pathways and Processes

    • ICD Immunogenic cell death
    • Gi inhibitor of glycolysis
    • CT cytotoxic
    • RMDR reversing/sensitizing multidrug resistance
    • MT multiple targets
    • CCAA cell cycle arrest and apoptosis
    • FAS fatty acid synthase inhibition
    • AA anti-angiogenic
    • EGFR epidermal growth factor receptor Inhibition
    • LR lactate reduction
    • FER ferroptosis induction, avoid co-administration of FER inhibitors EGCG, Sulforaphane, Indole-3-carbinol (I3C), Vitamin K, and other substances
    • * Take separately and at least two hours apart from ferroptosis inducers unless it's a synergistic combination.
    • AMPK ampk activator
    • COX-2 cox-2 inhibitor
    • AI anti-inflammatory
    • FAK focal adhesion kinase downregulation
    • SERM selective estrogen receptor modulator
    • HIF hypoxia-inducible factor inhibition  drug resistance 
    • AM ▼▲autophagy modulation
    • NO Nitric Oxide
    • ROSI reduces oxidative stress and inflammation
    • NFi NF-κβ inhibition 
    • ST3 STAT3 inhibition
    • ST5 STAT5 inhibition
    • PDK inhibition
    • RA reduce ammonia 
    • HDACi HDAC inhibition
    • MiR modulate immune response
    • E⏷ reduces estrogen
    • RAS reducing Ras activity
    • TGFβi inhibition of TGF-β
    • LDHAi inhibition of LDHA
    • NK stimulates the production of NK cells (additionally, check #7 here)
    • G3 galectin 3 inhibition: MCP, curcumin, spiraeoside (red onions), QiShenYiQi, formic acid (apples, strawberries, raspberries, honey, nettles)
    • T activation of T cells
    • β-CAT: inhibition of β-catenin protein.
    • hsp90 Inhibition of HSP90
    • Jak2 JAK2 inhibition
    • nrf2 Nuclear factor-erythroid 2 related factor. The transcription factor NRF2 exhibits a dual role in cancer. Its impact can vary depending on conditions such as cancer stage, cancer type, mutations, and cancer therapy. 
    • E! Caution in hormonal cancers
    • EMT Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition inhibition
    • TGF-β inhibition
    • Please refer to the spreadsheet for more details on the effects of 100 supplements against 30 anticancer variables. 

    Drug interactions


    Be aware of drug interactions, e.g., concurrent use of natural products with anticoagulants may result in prolonged bleeding times and should be avoided. 

    🟪  Drug Repurposing

    Safe and responsible use of natural supplements and repurposed medications


    Supplements should only be taken under the supervision of a healthcare provider. Supplements or herbal preparations shouldn't be combined with chemotherapy, radiotherapy, immunotherapy, or any other cancer treatment unless the safety and efficacy of such combinations are established. It's vital to make sure anything you add to the standard treatment will further improve its effectiveness; hence, discussing any addition of supplements or dietary interventions during active cancer treatment with the oncologist is essential.


    For informational purposes only, none of my writing should be considered medical advice.

    1 comment:

    1. Moved Piperlongumine back to #1 since it's now available as a supplement and should be a good combination with Artemisinin because of overlapping anti-cancer mechanisms (CT,FER,ST3). A good spot right under curcumin.

      ReplyDelete