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| modulating, activating, and potentiating macrophages and T-cells to do a better and more efficient job in whatever area they are needed within this complex system. Drugs, or any man-made agents, can't do this. A plant, which is a living and breathing entity, has the ability to understand and work in synchrony with the body's internal needs, in harmony with the vital force within us, to heal and give life. |
| Immune activation is only one way that herbs, and many other foods as well, fight cancer. Cancer, because its inception and growth is a multistage process, provides many possible points of intervention where herbs can be used for their various anticarcinogenic activities. The following section gives some examples. |
| Anticarcinogenic Activity of Phytochemicals in Herbs and Foods |
| Many commonly used herbs, plants, fruits, and vegetables have been shown to possess cancer chemopreventive effects within their diverse pharmacological properties. Since cancer usually evolves over a long period of time, agents that inhibit or retard one or more of its stages could affect the overall course of the disease. Certain micronutrients (like the polyphenolic compounds found in tea) possess potent cancer-preventive abilities. |
| The blocking and suppressing agents found in specific herbs and foods (see table 4.1) are capable of the following anticancer activities: |
| Inhibition of cancer formation by blocking or diverting carcinogenic material away from the cell, allowing it to be metabolized by the liver to a less toxic, more excretable substance. |
| Prevention of cancerous substances reacting with the cell's DNA by meeting the carcinogen before it can do any damage and enhancing its excretion through metabolism. |
| Repair of DNA that has been damaged by carcinogens. |
| Retardation of cancer promotion by decreasing or turning off promotional factors that would otherwise be used for cancer promotion and proliferation. |
| One of the most important effects of the blocking agents found in herbs and foods is the inhibition of tumor formation by curbing the arachidonic acid cascade (see table 4.2). This effect is particularly evident in high-quality fats |
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