SWEET WORMWOOD

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Post 98

SWEET WORMWOOD AN ANTI-CANCER PLANT

There is a big difference between two different most common types of wormwood.  There are 180 different species of this plant.

• Sweet Wormwood is artemesinin which is an anti-cancer
• Common Wormwood– artemisia absinthium is also an anti-cancer but is well known for its anti-parasite effects. For the Anti-Parasite Schedule, see Post 70   To prepare a Tincture using this herb see Post 53

You can purchase both types of wormwood at Organica in cut, powder, and capsule form on this site.

Sweet Wormwood is the type known as an anti-cancer, particularly to breast cancer.  It has also been used against various cancers including but not limited to;  the prostate, brain, lung, and pancreas.  Sweet Wormwood is also indicated for Leukemia.  Sweet Wormwood is harder to find and less common probably because less is grown by producers.

According to studies on artemesinin, published in an issue of Life Sciences, the derivative known as Sweet Wormwood is widely used in TCM (Chinese Medicine).  Sweet Wormwood, also sometimes referred to as Sweet Annie– was found in some cases to be able to kill 98% of breast cancer cells in less than 16 hours in some patients. The herb used alone caused a 28% reduction in breast cancer cells, but when paired with iron, Sweet Wormwood was able to eradicate cancer almost entirely in a number of patients. Unlike pharmaceutical drugs, normal cells were not negatively affected in the experiment by this treatment. There is however concerns over iron and cancer.  It is well known in many studies and cancer protocols, that iron in certain cases, can fuel cancer growth.  The concern for using Sweet Wormwood has often caused pause because it’s effectiveness needs iron. It has further been found that breast cancer cells have 5 to 15 times as many iron-receptors as normal breast cells.  Elevated iron levels in breast cancer tissue is a common finding and in many types of cancer cells. Leukemia cells have the highest concentration of iron, up to a whopping 1000 times more iron than normal cells. Because Wormwood is recommended to be taken concurrent with iron, many natural physicians have avoided Sweet Wormwood, looking for another approach not needing the iron supplementation. Further research has however shown that Sweet Wormwood is still effective even without supplementing iron, to a lesser degree, but non-the-less, a strong consideration.  There is other research shown that when combining both iron and Sweet Wormwood concurrently (at the same time), enhanced results to kill cancer cells.  Which is the best option? Iron or no iron?  It is just not clear. If you are however have decided that you want to use iron, consider the various natural forms and which type considering your individual health problem, will be the best application and combination.

What Type of Iron is Most Absorbed

Iron can be very difficult to utilize and as a supplement it is not assimilated well, often causing stomach distress.  The improved over-the-counter type of iron is called “Slow Iron” which can be found at any drug store.  This type is a slow release which is easier on the stomach than the other OTC forms.  But what is the best form of iron? Unsulfured Blackstrap Molasses.  This is an inexpensive product which can be found at health food stores and some grocery stores. Don’t confuse Blackstrap with plain molasses.  Blackstrap tastes like tar and is dark black in color.  Blackstrap Molasses is everything white sugar is not.  It contains the full natural mineral complexes from sugar;  white sugar is everything missing. There is no other food higher in natural, organically-compounded, iron than Blackstrap molasses. It is also rich in potassium. Blackstrap loosens the stools so be aware. Daily usage ranges from 1 teaspoon to 2 tablespoons. Just as other plant based soures of iron, Blackstrap Molasses is a non-heme type so you should combine it with other varieties and Vitamin C. Vitamin C helps you to better absorb iron and build red blood cells.

NOTE FOR DIABETICS:  Those with high blood sugar need to limit their use Blackstrap molasses as it still is a sugar and may destabilize their blood sugar balance. Some studies have found however that Blackstrap Molasses has LESS sugar reactions compared to other sweeteners and make act to destabilize blood sugar levels. There is not enough research available yet to substantiate such findings. With cases such as diabetes, less is more just bcause it is a sweetener. 

Reports of Using Sugar to Help Kill Cancer

With the controversy of iron supplementation, possibly sugar is a consideration.  Blackstrap Molasses is highest in iron and is a sugar.  Honey doesn’t have the iron but is a simple sugar.  As we all know by now, sugar is as fertilizer to cancer. However, what many people believe is that to harness sugar and make it work for you is another approach to fighting cancer. Many people are combining honey with a small amount of non-aluminum baking soda (1/4th teaspoon) dissolved in some water, taking it a couple of  times a day.  The theory is that if baking soda helps to kill cancer (which cancer is widely believed to be fungus) that since sugar “feeds” cancer and fungus, that by combining the two together you can cause the body to deliver the anti-cancer effects to the cancer cells.  Cancer LOVES sugar so by using the honey as vehicle to attract the cancer, then you can in turn, deliver the baking soda directly to the cancer cell.  If iron is desired to be combined with Sweet Wormwood, then Blackstrap Molasses is good sugar vehicle.  If you decide that iron is not desired, then raw honey may be your better choice. Regardless of what option is selected, combining a sugar with Sweet Wormwood appears to be a reasonable combination. Because Blackstrap Molasses is also high in potassium, this makes it drawback for those that have potassium issues.

Everything is complicated in these processes as you can see. Research is never as plentiful as we need it to be when it comes to natural unpatenable compounds. Something that has been widely studied is the role of Glutathione in good health.  The problem with getting Glutathione into your system is that you cannot take a direct supplement for Glutathione. Glutathione is a powerful antioxidant that is critically important but must be made by your body.  Glutathione as a supplement is not broken down well in the digestive tract so the goal here is to give the body what it needs in order to produce it. To produce Glutathione you need to take either a specific team of amino acid supplements or combine foods from these three groups. To give your body this fuel, select at least one food from each amino acid type and combine them at a meal.

See POST 14—  Glutathione and tumor formation—  this Post contains full information on how to get Glutathione into your body using amino acids and foods.

Glutathione protects and reduces the effects of radiation. When you have a deficiency of this antioxidant, you are more likely to develop a tumor.  This deficiency is so serious that when you have an xray, one single scan, 1 out of 1200 people will develop a tumor.  If you have a scan every year as a preventative measure, you increase the occurrence of tumor development to 1 in every 50 people.  GSH is intracellular and must be synthesized by three specific amino acids;

• Glutamate
  •  Nuts and Seeds Highest in Glutamic acid (Glutamine)
    • Hemp Seeds. …
    • (Nuts Almonds) …
    • (Seeds Pumpkin And Squash Seed Kernels Dried) …
    • (Nuts Almonds Dry Roasted Without Salt Added) …
    • (Seeds Pumpkin And Squash Seed Kernels Roasted Without Salt) …
    • (Seeds Pumpkin And Squash Seed Kernels Roasted With Salt Added) …
    • Butternuts (Dried)

    • Free* Glutamate Content of Foods	(mg / 100g)
      Broccoli	176
      Green peas	106
      Tomatoes	246
      Mushrooms	180

• Cysteine
  • Vegetable food rich in cysteine
    • Sunflower seeds. Sunflower seeds are very rich in cysteine.
    • Soy and its derivatives: tofu, tempeh,…
    • Wheat and its derivatives, especially seitan.
    • Dates.
    • Ginseng.
    • Legumes (soy, lentils, chickpeas, etc.) …
    • Vegetables (peppers, garlic, cabbage, etc.)
    • Cereals (wheat, pasta, rice, etc.)
• Glycine
  • Among the best food sources of glycine are:
    • Red meat: (1.5 to 2 g per 100 g serving)
    • Seeds (1.5 to 3.4 g per 100 g)
    • Turkey (1.8 g per 100 g)
    • Chicken (1.75 g per 100 g)
    • Pork (1.7 g per 100 g)
    • Peanuts (1.6 g per 100 g)
    • Canned salmon (1.4 g per 100 g)
    • Granola (0.8 g per 100 g)

Combining and Daily Dosages–  Natural Anti-Cancer Protocols

• Sweet Wormwood  — There is no documented safe or effective dose for the possible use Sweet Wormwood nor has it been approved by the FDA. The Chinese pharmacopoeia lists the dry herb as a remedy for fever and malaria. The raw herb is usually sold in a 500 mg. capsule.  Most of these capsules have an activity level of the active indoles at about 25%.  So whatever dosage we are figuring that needs to be taken, we should probably multiple this by 4 times. Here is the math for supplementing Sweet Wormwood;
  • First, divide your IDEAL weight (what it SHOULD be and not necessarily what you DO weigh now) by 2.  Using this number, take 1-2 mg. per pound.  Example:  If you weigh 100 pounds, you would divide 100 lbs. x 2 to equal 50. You would then supplement 50 x 1 mg. or 2 mg, or 50mg to 100mg per day.  To make up for poor herbal activity, take which ever dosage you have decided upon and  multiple this figure by 4.  Taking 50 mg. as your base figure, and multiplying this by 4 times the activity loss of the plant compounds = 200mg.  If you had decided on 100mg instead of 50mg, now instead you would take 100mg and multiply it by 4 which is then 400mg.  This is your daily dosage;  200mg to 400mg per day if you weigh 100 pounds. Obviously you don’t weigh 100 pounds, this is just a simple figure for explaining how to measure your dose. Some authorities recommend taking it with food while others recommend empty stomach. I am under the concensus that it is most likely most effective on an empty stomach.
  • If combining the determined dosage of Sweet Wormwood with a 1/4 teaspoon of non-aluminum baking soda along with a sugar, then mix the following;  honey or blackstrap + non-aluminum baking soda + Sweet Wormwood in warm water or tea.  If using capsules, pull them apart and dissolve in the warm water which helps to activate the product and makes it most bioavailable. Capsules have to broken down in the stomach, so by switching to powder uniformly– all being powder or liquid, you can expect the reactions of all combined simultaneously without for example, the Sweet Wormwood in delay.
  • Divide the dosage you are taking into 3 divided dosages.
  • Other ingredients can be added to this combination and mixed into the warm water.
  • Sticking to the top and ideal recommendation of Sweet Wormwood (up to 1,500mg in a given day) we can expect to get favorable results which commonly will expressed in about 8 weeks and on. Because Wormwood in excess taxes the liver, those with liver ailments may have to avoid Wormwood. If in question, speak with your health care professional for individual assistance.
• Non-Aluminum Baking Soda  One-fourth (1/4) teaspoon serving size 1 to 2 times daily
• Honey or Blackstrap Molasses  1 teaspoon to 2 tablespoons daily
• Glutathione Precursor  this supplement contains the amino acids which encourage your body to make glutathione. 1-3 capsules daily.  These should also be pulled apart and added to the warn water combination with Sweet Wormwood, honey or blackstrap, and baking soda. You can also be mindful of combining the proper foods to get these three amino acids together in a meal.
• Apricot Kernels  a bitter spice.  Eating 7 to 10 kernels per day with a meal.  1 kernel per 10 lbs of body weight is well tolerated with a maximum ingestion of 10 per day but not more than 10. Average use of this “spice” is 5-7 kernels per day
• Sea Cucumber  3 grams daily in divided doses
• DIM  natural source of I3C (from broccoli) which helps to bind bad estrogen. This is used by men and women.  1-3 pills with water
• Other Options
  • Black Salve
  • Essiac Tea Concentrate
  • Chaparral Tea-  although this herb is no longer recommended to be taken internally, many still do use it with reserve.  Liver toxicity has occurred when more than 1.5 grams daily is ingested.
  • Graviola- 1 teaspoon 1-3 times daily in hot water
  • Pancreatic Enzymes (especially with chymotrypsin)- between meals with water using 1-3 pills in divided doses up to 16 total in a day
  • D3 5000 mg. 1 pill daily with food with fish oil
  • Fish Oil- 1000 to 3000 mg. daily with meals
  • Vitamin C- 1000 to 3000 mg daily.  Mix 1/3 teaspoon Vitamin C powder with 1/3 teaspoon baking soda (effervescent) and water to reduce stomach upset, alkalize the body, and reduce inflammation, infection, and acidity. This can be used multiple times a day.  Vitamin C is not recommended for those with kidney disease. If you have kidney problems, speak to your doctor before taking vitamin C and other supplements.
  • Microgreens, with your number one picks being broccoli and brussels sprouts. These you need to grow yourself. It is not difficult. Google how to grow microgreens on trays  or on dirt and everything you need to know will pop up. Best and simplest way to learning how to grow your own microgreens it to watch a couple of Youtube videos. Everyone should be eating microgreens every day. Remember, sprouts are 50 times higher in antioxidants than eating the mature plant. So to get these antioxidants from eating broccoli for example, just image your serving at meal and multiplying it by 50 times. Easy to see here why sprouting microgreens is the answer!