Abstract

MODERN AND HERBAL MEDICINE IN THE TREATMENT OF CANCER: A REVIEW”

*Manish Gunjan, Dr. Jegathambigai Rameshwar Naidu, Dr. C. S. Venkatesh, Dr. Nasaruddin Bin Abdul Aziz and Dr. Mohamad Khairuddin Bin Abdul Wahab

Abstract

Recent statistics indicate that the overall cancer incidence globally, in spite of billions of dollar spent on research in each year, has not changed significantly in the last half – century. Cancer begins when cells in a part of the body start to grow out of control. There is various type of cancer, but they all start because of out-of-control growth of abnormal cells. Cancer is one of the most dreaded diseases of the 20th century and spreading further with continuance and increasing incidence in 21st century. Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States. Allopathic medicine commonly practiced currently is only 100 years old. Although traditional medicine has been around for thousands of years, no integration exists between it and allopathic medicine. The main objective of this review is to identify the available cancer treatments and their possible therapeutic and adverse effects and to highlight the role of herbal medicine in the treatment of cancer which can be a basis of a search of new herbal isolated modern medicine. Ayurveda, the science of long life and one of the most ancient medical system and still practiced on the Indian subcontinent can be used in the combination of modern medicine to provide better treatment of cancer.

Keywords: Chemotherapy, folk medicine, apoptosis, carcinogens, targeted therapy.