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Cells from a suspicious purplish spot on her cervix were analyzed and identified as cancerous. They multiplied so quickly that, despite treatment, Mrs. Lacks died eight months later, at the age of 31…Today, however, her cells are still alive and are being used to help combat a wide variety of diseases all over the world.

Bemis DL, Capodice JL, Anastasiadis AG, Katz AE, Buttyan R. Zyflamend, a unique herbal preparation with nonselective COX inhibitory activity, induces apoptosis of prostate cancer cells that lack COX-2 expression. Nutr Cancer. 2005;52(2):202-12. PMID:

Artemisia Annua (Sweet Wormwood) is a shrubby perennial native to China. The leaf of the plant contains up to 0.04 percent Artemisinin. This herb has been used over the centuries by Chinese medical practitioners. Artemisinin came to the attention of the World Health Organization in the 1970s when Quinine lost efficacy against malaria. Artemisinin is the only drug effective against malaria and hundreds of millions of doses are prescribed for that purpose every year. The artemisinin molecule has an affinity for iron, which the malarial parasite sequesters internally. Artemisinin enters the malarial parasite and combines with sequestered iron to create Reactive Oxygen Species, rupturing the parasite. Like malarial parasites, cancer cells concentrate and sequester high levels of iron. Moreover cancer cells overexpress cell surface receptors for iron-containing compounds like ferritin and holotransferrin. Therefore, Artemisinin has a high affinity for cancer cells, and upon entering the cell combines with intercellular iron creating ROS-mediated apoptosis. Artemisinin is the only chemotherapeutic agent that lacks the tertiary amine necessary to usher the drug back out of the cell. This document is based on the research of Dr. Henry Lai and Dr. Narenda Singh at the University of Washington,and the medical practice of Dr. Ba Hoang of Vietnam and San Jose, California. There are a few points of divergence among experts studying Artemisinin, therefore more than one protocol is outlined below.

If you're from Japan, you're probably wondering why I've listed PSK under alternative therapies. In Japan, PSK is an approved anti-cancer drug with 20 years of research behind it. PSK sales in Japan account for hundreds of millions dollars worth of sales each year. But in the US, PSK is little known, is not used by mainstream doctors, and until recently nothing like it was readily available. Now a nutritional supplement designed to be identical to PSK is available in the US, but very few mainstream doctors, and actually not many alternative practitioners are aware of it. So in the US, PSK has the status of a little known nutritional supplement or alternative therapy. Which is too bad in light of its proven benefits, easy administration, and lack of toxicity. Before I start sounding too much more like an advertisement, let me confess. I really am excited about it, but I have no financial interest in it; I'm not selling it.

Side Effects and Warnings Berberine has been reported to cause nausea, vomiting, hypertension (high blood pressure), respiratory failure and paresthesias (abnormal sensations such as numbness or tingling); however, clinical evidence of such adverse effects is not prominent in the literature. Rare adverse effects including headache, skin irritation, facial flushing, headache, bradycardia (slowed heart rate) have also been reported with the use of berberine. Use cautiously when taking berberine for longer than eight weeks due to theoretical changes in bacterial gut flora. Use cautiously in individuals with diabetes, as both human and animal studies indicate that berberine may decrease blood sugar levels. Also use cautiously in individuals with hypotension (low blood pressure), as berberine may have antihypertensive effects. Patients with cardiovascular disease should also use caution as berberine has been associated with the development of ventricular arrhythmias in subjects with congestive heart failure. Although not well studied in humans, berberine may also theoretically cause delays in small intestinal transit time or increase the risk of bleeding. Berberine may cause abortion, eye or kidney irritation, nephritis (inflamed kidneys), dyspnea (difficulty breathing), flu-like symptoms, giddiness, lethargy, or liver toxicity. Patients with leukopenia (abnormally low white blood cell count) should use cautiously due to the potential for development of leukopenia symptoms. When injected under the skin, berberine may cause hyperpigmentation in the arm. Use berberine cautiously in individuals with high exposure to sunlight or artificial light due to potential for adverse phototoxic reactions. Avoid in newborns due to potential for increase in free bilirubin, jaundice, and development of kernicterus (brain damage caused by severe newborn jaundice). Use berberine cautiously in children due to a lack of safety information. Pregnancy and Breastfeeding Berberine is not recomme

Mitochondrially targeted effects of berberine [Natural Yellow 18, 5,6-dihydro-9,10-dimethoxybenzo(g)-1,3-benzodioxolo(5,6-a) quinolizinium] on K1735-M2 mouse melanoma cells: comparison with direct effects on isolated mitochondrial fractions. Pereira GC, Branco AF, Matos JA, Pereira SL, Parke D, Perkins EL, Serafim TL, Sardão VA, Santos MS, Moreno AJ, Holy J, Oliveira PJ. J Pharmacol Exp Ther. 2007 Nov;323(2):636-49. Epub 2007 Aug 17. PMID: 17704354 doi: 10.1124/jpet.107.128017 The present work shows that berberine is accumulated by mitochondria of a mouse melanoma cell line, leading to mitochondrial fragmentation and dysfunction, accompanied by decreased cellular energy charge. When the effect was compared with the results obtained on isolated mitochondrial fractions, it is observed that regardless of the system used, berberine is toxic for mitochondria. One major limitation of the present study (as in many others) is the lack of knowledge of the real concentration of berberine that reaches mitochondria in intact cells. Although we do not possess data regarding this aspect, it is wise to speculate that mitochondrial berberine concentrations will be much higher than in the bulk cytosol due to electrophoretic accumulation. We believe that the range of berberine concentrations accumulated by mitochondria in intact cells is within the range of concentrations used on isolated mitochondrial fractions in the present study. The present work not only provides insights on the mechanism by which berberine interferes with tumor cell proliferation, demonstrating previously unknown effects on mitochondrial physiology, but also raises a note of caution on the use of berberine as a nontoxic "natural" over-the-counter medication.