HERBS: A BLESSING IN DISGUISE FOR SKIN CANCER PATIENTS!

There are numerous skin diseases and can be considered as a frequent occurring health problems. Maintaining healthy skin is crucial for a healthy body. Many people develop skin diseases that affect the skin, including herpes, cellulitis, and cancer.

Modern-day science is still on its way to finding a medicine or figuring out a curing agent. But some studies show the impact and kind of effectiveness of some herbal ingredients and plants in treating such diseases.

Plants are as old as humans; some are perhaps unexplored in their potential to cure diseases; humans struggle to find a treatment. Let’s explore a little!

The Security Agent: Skin

Human skin, the outer layer of the body, constitutes the first line of defence. It contains many specialized structures and cells and is in fact our largest organ. It’s divided into three broad layers; epidermis, dermis and hypodermis. Each layer plays a distinct role in the overall function of the skin.

The skin helps guard the underlying muscles, ligaments, bones, and other internal organs. Research claims that people deficient in essential nutrients like beta-carotene, B complex vitamins & vitamins C or E are bound to suffer from dryness and other skin issues.

There are thousands of conditions that can affect the skin but most skin diseases are groups as the following:

Skin Rashes: Caused by allergy, irritation, infection, or an underlying disease.

Viral infections: The virus penetrates the stratum corneum and infects the inner layers of skin, which cannot be cured simply with antibiotics.

Bacterial infections: Caused by a variety of bacteria, the most common types are staphylococci & streptococci. If not treated, this may spread throughout the body.

Fungal infections: Infection occurs when fungi organisms enter the body. These infections are superficial, they affect the skin, hair, nails and include lock itch, athlete’s foot, & ringworm.

Parasitic infections: These infections occur after exposure to parasites such as lice & scabies.

Tumours & cancers: Such growth arises when skin cells multiply faster than expected. Not every skin growth is cancerous. Skin cancer is the most common type of cancer, affecting nearly 800,000 Americans every year. It is claimed that 90% of cases are caused by sun exposure. But we know that it’s mostly not the sun that causes skin cancer, but other sources that contribute, such as Monsanto’s Glyphosate, the lethal and toxic weed killing ingredient that is present in all of todays GMO and mass farmed food sources as well as plastered all over our cities will continue in future generations to cause skin and other types of cancer.

Whilst sunscreen is in itself a major cause of skin cancer. Early detection helps to improve the chances of treatment. Research shows that chlorine in swimming pools transforms sunscreen into a cancer-causing toxic chemical right on your skin. Read here some natural cures for skin cancer!

Herbal Treatments for Skin Diseases and Skin Cancer!

Natural drugs from plants have multiple benefits, of course as nature has always provided a solution. Remedies from natural ingredients often have fewer side effects, have better patient tolerance, are relatively less expensive and have a long history of use.

Herbal medicines provide rational means for the treatment of many diseases that are obstinate and incurable. Several plants have been studied for the natural treatment of skin cancer and other skin diseases for these reasons.

Here are some plants that have been reported to be effective in various skin diseases.

Achyranthes Aspera: Commonly known as ‘Prickly chaff flower’ or ‘devil’s horsewhip’, this plant has been traditionally used in boils, scabies & eruptions of skin & other skin diseases. The extract, alkaloid, non-alkaloid & saponin fractions obtained from the leaves exhibit significant inhibitory effects on tumour related treatment. In another skin carcinogenesis study, the total methanolic extract possessed an anti-carcinogenic pronounced impact (76%). The leaf extract & non-alkaloid fraction are valuable antitumor promotors in carcinogenesis.

A. sativum: Commonly known as garlic, studies revealed that garlic has the best effect on chemopreventive action done for skin carcinogenesis. Garlic ingestion delays the formation of skin papillomas and simultaneously decrease the size and number of papillomas. The protective effect against skin cancer elicited by garlic is due to the induction of cellular defence systems.

Aloe vera: Aloe vera is the god when it comes to treating skin diseases. It is effective in treating wrinkles, stretch marks & pigmentations. Aloe vera gel reduces skin “plaques” associated with psoriasis. Studies show that applying the gel causes a delay in the appearance of skin damage during /after radiation treatment.

Azadirachta indica: Leaf extract of neem is applied externally on boils & blisters. In one study, skin tumours were the test group that received aqueous Azadirachta indica leaf extract orally. The results revealed the chemopreventive potential it has against murine skin carcinogenesis.

Beta vulgaris: Commonly known as beetroot; the in-vitro inhibitory effects of beetroot extract on EBV-EA induction revealed a high order of activity compared to cranberry, capsanthin, red onion skin & short & long red bell peppers. An in-vivo anti-tumour promoting activity evaluation showed a significant tumour inhibitory effect. The findings also suggested that beetroot ingestion can be valuable means to prevent cancer.

Calendula officinalis: The flowers of marigold have been used in folk therapy. The main uses are remedies for burns, including sunburns, bruises & cutaneous and internal inflammatory diseases of several origins. Researches show cream preparations containing seven different types of marigold and rosemary extracts are effective in irritant contact dermatitis.

Cannabis Sativa: The powder of the leaves of cannabis serves as a dressing for wounds and sores. It is externally applied to relieve pain in itchy skin diseases. Hemp or CBD oil is helpful to treat eczema and other skin diseases like dermatitis, seborrhoeic dermatitis/cradle cap, and psoriasis. Using hemp seed oil, the skin is strengthened and made better able to resist bacterial, viral and fungal infections.

We have also seen it used as a way of growing back skin after severe burns.

Black Salve We have seen amazing results with Black Salve, but it is important to understand physiology and anatomy before attempting to use it to draw out tumors, as it can also effect what is under the skin around the area of application.

Lawsonia inermis: Henna is a traditionally used plant of the Middle East for application on hands and feet. In a study, clinical improvement in the patients suffering from hand and foot disease due to capecitabine, an anti-cancer drug, using henna revealed anti-inflammatory, antipyretic and analgesic effects henna.

Conclusion:

Herbs have great potential to cure different diseases. In the Indian subcontinent, more than 80% of people depend on traditional health care and use other plant-based products to cure skin-related problems. Given the potential of herbs and plants to cure different types of cancer, there is a vast scope and must always be considered as alternative cures to cancer!

Apart from using plants as a cure, many plants and other ingredients can be included in the diet when battling cancer—nature has an immense potential to heal humans in different ways. As responsible people, we must look for better and sustainable living options rather than relying on a sedentary lifestyle and coated pills!