Triphala herbs may help cancer patients

As a result of animal testing, researchers from the United States have reported that a certain ayurvedic herbal formula suppresses the growth of cancer tumors and also seems to induce programmed cell death in malignant cells.

Scientists at the University of Pittsburg Cancer Institute have conducted a study into the medicinal value of a traditional Indian cure based on the Triphala herb. According to Ayurveda, Triphala aids intestinal diseases and promotes digestion.

Previous studies of cancer cell culture revealed that Triphala might have significant anti-cancer properties. A group of researchers led by Sanjay K. Srivastava, Ph.D., decided to test the hypothesis using mice with human cancer cells implanted into their pancreases. During the testing some of the animals were fed a sample of  a Triphala solution. After four weeks, the post-mortem examination displayed that on an average, the mice which were treated with the Triphala herb showed that the tumors were reduced to half the size compared to that in other mice. Moreover, the pancreases of the animals proved to increase the levels of the proteins which trigger apoptosis—the process of programmed cell death—of malignant cells.

The apoptosis mechanism is often faulty in cancer cells; a fact that is partly responsible for the fast growth and extension that characterize malignant tumors. Dr. Srivastava reported that Triphala did not affect the normal cells in animals’ pancreas at all. According to this insight, a high level of apoptosis inducing proteins is supposed to be caused by accelerated malignant cell death.

At the moment, researchers are preparing for new tests aimed to conclusively affirm that the Triphala herb has significant cancer-fighting properties.

The research was reported during the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research.