Cancer remains one of the trickiest medical conditions to treat, with no clear solution or completely effective treatment. Because it strikes so many people, it has also been the subject of countless studies. In this huge body of research, some foods have been repeatedly identified as being effective at killing cancer stem cells.

India recorded an estimated 3.9 million cancer cases in 2016, data available with the National Cancer Registry Programme of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) shows.

The worst affected states were Uttar Pradesh with 674,386 cases, followed by Maharashtra with 364,997 and Bihar with 359,228. In South India Tamil Nadu recorded 222,748 cases, Karnataka 202,156, Andhra Pradesh 159,696, Telangana 115,333 and Kerala 115,511 cases of cancer.

All types of cancers have been reported in Indian population including the cancers of skin, lungs, breast, rectum, stomach, prostate, liver, cervix, esophagus, bladder, blood, mouth etc. The causes of such high incidence rates of these cancers may be both internal (genetic, mutations, hormonal, poor immune conditions) and external or environmental factors (food habits, industrialization, over growth of population, social etc.).

Ginger

Ginger has a 2000-year long history of medicinal use. The active constituents of ginger have potent anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties and some have exhibited cancer preventive activity in experimental models.

A recent study conducted by the Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology in India stated ginger a powerful remedy for treating cancer, certainly more powerful than chemotherapy.  And to be more specific, a particular compound in dried ginger does it all, it is 10000 times more powerful than chemotherapy for killing cancer cells.

Grape

Compounds from grapes may kill colon cancer stem cells both in a petri dish and in mice, according to a team of researchers. Compounds from grapes may kill colon cancer stem cells both in a petri dish and in mice, according to a team of researchers. The compounds  resveratrol  which are found in grape skins and seeds, could also eventually lead to treatments to help prevent colon cancer. The combination of resveratrol and grape seed extract is very effective at killing colon cancer cells. The researchers, who reported their findings in a recent issue of BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine, suggest that the findings could pave the way for clinical testing of the compounds on human colon cancer, which is the second most common cancer in women and the third in men. If successful, the compounds could then be used in a pill to help prevent colon cancer and lessen the recurrence of the disease in colon cancer survivors.

Turmeric

According Salem et al 2014 Curcumin inhibit cancer cell survival and proliferation, and to induce apoptosis without promoting the development of side effects. However, due to its sparing solubility and low bioavailability, curcumin has not yet been clinically used to treat cancer. Curcumin has been shown to have substantial anti-cancer ability, but its low solubility and poor stability have made its use in medicinal applications challenging.

Kalashnikova et al 2017 reported that attaching curcumin, a component of the common spice turmeric, to nanoparticles can be used to target and destroy treatment-resistant neuroblastoma tumor cells (childhood cancer)

Wilken et al 2011 reported in his study Curcumin is one such potential candidate, and this review presents an overview of the current in vitro and in vivo data supporting its therapeutic activity in head and neck cancer as well as some of the challenges concerning its development as an adjuvant chemotherapeutic agent.

Green Tea

According to studies, green tea is full of antioxidants and goes through much processing while leaving all the important cancer fighting minerals intact. It keeps you safe from esophageal cancer, lung cancer, oral cancer, liver cancer, pancreatic cancer or prostate cancer. Researchers from Baylor University Medical Center have found that green tea’s active ingredient, EGCG (epigallocatechin-3-gallate), kills cancer stem cells and by extension can prevent people from resisting chemotherapy. While EGCG is also present in black tea, green tea contains much more of it. 

Holy Basil

Holy Basil (Ocimum tenuiflorum), or Tulsi (sometimes spelled as “tulasi”) is not the same as the culinary herb. Holy Basil has been used medicinally by Ayurvedic practitioners as well as in Hindu religious ceremonies for thousands of years. The flavonoids found in basil oil (estragole, linalool, cineole, eugenol, sabinene, myrcene, and limonene) make it a superstar herb.Studies have shown that the phytochemicals present in tulsi prevented chemically induced lung, liver, oral and skin cancers by increasing the antioxidant activity, altering gene expressions, killing cancer cells and preventing the spread of cancer to other cells.

Sambar

Sambar, that most popular of south Indian curries, has been proved to prevent colon cancer and medical experts say that it is the mixture of spices in the sambar powder that contributes to its effectiveness. In a preclinical study, done by Prasad et al 2016, reported that Sambar is a very popular South Indian dish that is eaten with rice and/or rice preparations like idlis, dosas, etc. Many versions of Sambar powder (ingredients differ) exist, varying from region to region. Indian spices that go into the making of this powder are coriander seeds, fenugreek seeds, turmeric rhizomes, black pepper, curry leaves, cumin seeds, and asafoetida. All the treatment groups exhibited a significant change in the number of aberrant crypt foci (ACF). Sambar group showed a significant change in the colonic GSH when compared to both normal and DMH groups. A significant reduction in the liver GSH was noted in the sambar group. Only sambar group showed a significant change in the liver catalase levels when compared to DMH. 

Instances of colon cancer are higher in north India. Medical experts claim that this is because of the prevalent diet, which consists of more wheat and that leads to constipation. The diet followed in South India, of rice and curry, supposedly helps in bowel movement.

 

Other cancer fighting foods

Cabbage

Mushroom

Broccoli

Carrots

Tomatoes

Oranges & lime

Ashwagandha

Amla

Garlic

Source: ndtv.com, Prasad et al Pharmacogn Mag. 2016 Jul;12(Suppl 4):S441-S445, deccanchronicle.com, Wilken et al. Molecular Cancer 2011, 10:12. , BMJ.com, Salem et al., RSC Adv., 2014,4, 10815-10829, naturalnews.com