Ayurveda as an Adjuvant Medication for Combating Cancer: A Review

Abstract

Cancer is one of the most dreaded diseases of the 20 th century and spreading further with continuance and increasing incidence in 21 st century. At present Chemoprevention and Radiotherapy is main stay of management. But these can produce toxic side effects, which have limited their extensive use. Ayurveda drugs available in different part of the world have been extensively studied for their anti-cancer activity. Ayurveda also have provided with many such drugs which can be proved to be a good anti-cancer substitute to conventional treatment or also provide benefit as an adjuvant therapy. Researches on many such Ayurvedic plants available in India like Azadirachta indica, Carica papaya, Plumbago zeylanica, Ocimum sanctum, Tinospora cordifolia, Catharanthus roseus are reviewed, and found to be effective as anti-cancer in many types of cancers and adjuvant therapy along with chemotherapy and radiotherapy. There is a broad scope to derive the potent anticancer agents from medicinal plants, which need thorough research.

Management of Chemotherapy and Radiotherapy-Induced Side Effects in Pancreatic Carcinoma Through Panchagvya and Other Shamana Chikitsa in Ayurveda - A Case Report

“…Pancreatic cancer is deadly because it is difficult to detect at an early stage and can be difficult to cure. This is because pancreatic cancer tumors don't react to standard cancer medicines as effectively as other, less deadly types of cancer 15 . Therefore, it is highly essential to search for alternative remedies in our holistic science, i.e., Ayurveda, to overcome these limitations.as Ayurveda is the science that deals with the root cause of pathology effectively and safely.…”

Anticancer effects of herbal medicine Emelia-M, Mshikazi and Delosma H against human leukaemia cells

“…Medicinal plants have been used to prevent and treat diverse diseases including cancer [10][11][12] . Some medicinal plants which have been shown to have anticancer properties include Amorphophallus campanulatus, Artemisia vulgaris, Bergenia ciliate 13 , Boswellia serrata, Allium sativum 14 , Moringa oleifera 15 and Catharanthus roseus 16 . Medicinal plants are the main sources of bioactive compounds which have significantly contributed to the discovery of various conventional drugs 12 .…”

Simultaneous identification and estimation of glycyrrhizin, glabridin, and 18β‐glycyrrhetinic acid in de‐glycyrrhized Ayurvedic lipid‐based formulation of Glycyrrhiza glabra using dual wavelength reverse phase‐high‐performance liquid chromatography

“…Recently, medical practitioners have focused on use of alternative/complementary medicines to reduce side effects of conventional treatment [25,26]. Single herb formulations of G. glabra viz., “ Yashtimadhu ghrita” (orally and as local application) and “ Yashtimadhu Taila” (as nasal instillation) are used in oral cavity cancer patients undertaking radiotherapy to minimize side effects like stomatitis, xerostomia, trismus, etc.…”