Safety, efficacy and quality profile of ayurvedic anti-cancer medicines

Cancer is a disease characterized by the uncontrolled multiplication of cells in human body with the inability to be controlled or stopped, consequently forming tumors of malignant cells with the potential to be metastatic. Around one third of deaths due to cancer are due to five leading behavioral and dietary risks: high body mass index, low fruit and vegetable intake, lack of physical activity, tobacco use and alcohol use. According to the World Health Organization, cancer is the second leading cause of death globally and about one in 6 deaths is due to cancer. The economic impact of cancer is significant and is increasing. The total annual economic cost of cancer in 2010 was estimated at approximately US 1.16 trillion. The economic burden on lowand middle-income countries is profound since approximately 70% of deaths due to cancer occur in these countries. To combat the growing challenge, development in cures and preventative therapies has emerged through rapid research in this area. Current treatments include chemotherapy, radiotherapy and chemically derived drugs which have severe side effects. Therefore, there is an increasing impetus on development and use of natural alternative therapies against cancer. Plants sources have been exploited in medicine for their natural antiseptic properties. Thus, research has developed into investigating the potential properties and uses of terrestrial plant extracts for the preparation of potential nanomaterial-based drugs for diseases including cancer. This article aims to take an overview of naturally derived compounds that have anticancer therapeutic properties and their current status in this field.


Introduction
Cancer has been a constant battle globally with a lot of development in cures and preventative therapies. The disease is characterized by cells in the human body continually multiplying with the inability to be controlled or stopped. Consequently, forming tumors of malignant cells with the potential to be metastatic. Current treatments include chemotherapy, radiotherapy and chemically derived drugs. Treatments such as chemotherapy can put patients under a lot of strain and further damage their health. Therefore, there is a focus on using alternative treatments and therapies against cancer. For many years herbal medicines have been used and are still used in developing countries as the primary source of medical treatment. Plants have been used in medicine for their natural antiseptic properties. Thus, research has developed into investigating the potential properties and uses of terrestrial plants extracts for the preparation of potential nanomaterial-based drugs for diseases including cancer. Many plant species are already being used to treat or prevent development of cancer. Multiple researchers have identified species of plants that have demonstrated anticancer properties with a lot of focus on those that have been used in herbal medicine in developing countries. Compounds which are characteristic to the plant kingdom and are necessary for plant survival and "housekeeping" of the organism are being investigated for their ability to inhibit growth and initiate apoptosis of cancerous cells. Hemp plant Cannabis Sativa L Cannabidiol, or CBD, is one of many cannabinoids in the cannabis plant gaining popularity in the world of natural medicine because it appears to offer the body many benefits. While there is some debate around the topic, some people suggest using CBD in the treatment of cancer.
Remember, that dosing CBD oil depends on the product. Most companies provide CBD dosing guidelines on the bottle, but those guidelines are specific to the potency of the product.
What this means is, the dosing chart on a 1000 mg CBD drops would not be ideal for someone who is highly sensitive to CBD and could do better with the potency of 250mg CBD drops. When consuming CBD, it could be useful to use a notebook or an app to chart any changes you find in your mood, sleep, and general wellbeing. You could use this as a guide to determine the best CBD dose and best [7] CBD dosage schedule for yourself. 8 Cow milk _______ Milk is considered to be the only foodstuff that contains approximately all different substances known to be essential for human nutrition. In terms of cancer risk, dairy foods have been reported as both protective and occasionally as harmful. The evidence that dairy foods can protect against cancer, or increase the risk of cancer is not conclusive. Overall, the proven health benefits of dairy foods greatly outweigh the unproven harm. Dairy foods should be encouraged as part of a varied and nutritious diet as they are essential to maintain good bone and dental health, to prevent osteoporosis, major cardiovascular disease risk factors, hypertension, type-2 diabetes, metabolic syndromes, as well as some cancers. The Cancer Council and USFDA recommend 3 servings of milk and milk products daily.
________ [8] 9 Red sand boa snake _____ Many active secretions produced by animals have been employed in the development of new drugs to treat diseases such as hypertension and cancer. Snake venom toxins contributed significantly to the treatment of many medical conditions. There are many published studies describing and elucidating the anti-cancer potential of snake venom. Cancer therapy is one of the main areas for the use of protein peptides and enzymes originating from animals of different species. Some of these proteins or peptides and enzymes from snake venom when isolated and evaluated may bind specifically to cancer cell membranes, affecting the migration and proliferation of these cells. Some of substances found in the snake venom present a great potential as anti-tumor agent.
Initial interaction of venom peptides with the target molecule is the first and foremost step which plays a key role in venom-peptide induce anti-cancer activity. Many of the examples used in this review emphasize the importance of this initial step. This interaction is guided either by the polarity of a molecule or by specific pharmacophore domain. Followed by initial interactions, peptides tend to exhibit their effects mostly by membrane interactions, although many other mechanisms such as intracellular peptideprotein interaction, peptide-DNA interactions still exist. The targeted therapy [9] drug with the specificity on certain molecule determines the limitation of its use, for example trastuzumab can only be used for HER2-positive breast cancer which occupy about 20% of breast cancer patients. Drugs derived from venom are no exception. Currently, venom-based drugs such as chlorotoxin and integrin αvβ3 drugs are used mainly in brain tumor and cancer with overexpressed αvβ3, respectively.

Curcuma longa
The molecular mechanism and targets through which curcumin modulates cell cycle, apoptotic signals, anti-apoptotic proteins, miRNAs, Wnt/beta-catenin signaling, protein kinases, nuclear factor-kB, proteasome activation, epigenetic regulation including DNA methylation and histone modification. Curcumin reverses the multi-drug resistance (MDR) of cancer cells.

Conclusion
Any practical solution to controlling the progression of cancer is of paramount importance. The use of medicinal plant products to manage or arrest the carcinogenic process provides an alternative to the use of conventional allopathic medicine for treatment of the disease. Many herbs have been evaluated in clinical studies and are currently being investigated to understand their tumoricidal properties against various cancers. Now it is important to raise awareness and encourage implementation of Ayurvedic therapies for combating cancer and suggest an integrated approach in tumor management and treatment.