Cancer, Enzymes & Papaya

Health & Wellness= Cancer, Enzymes & the Power of Papaya By Mauris L. Emeka

It has been said that cancer is the final stage in years of acting against the laws of nature, and that anyone with an unhealthy lifestyle and who eats improperly spends his whole life preparing for this dreaded disease.

What is the nature of cancer as seen from the cellular level?

Dr. John Beard, a leading professor of embryology in Scotland, posed that question sometime in the 1880s. He spent the rest of his life exploring the process of cancer and discovering just what activity within the body produces malignant tumors. Dr. Beard documented his work in a publication called “The Enzyme Treatment of Cancer And Its Scientific Basis”, copyright 1911.

We have in our bodies what scientists call primitive germ cells. In laymen’s terms, these are undeveloped cells that remain after new life is first formed in a mother’s womb. They are called “primitive” because these cells never did develop into mature cells to form various parts of the body. Think of primitive germ cells as extra cells that were not needed in the formation of the fetus. These cells are therefore in each of us, and they seemingly have no function until and unless the body experiences stress or injury of any kind. At that point, the primitive cells become activated in order to help heal whatever stress or injury the body may be experiencing. And once they are activated, these primitive cells start maturing and behaving like trophoblasts cells, which are the cells that house the fetus in an expectant mother.

Dr. Beard found that these activated cells continue their growth and development until enough protein digesting enzymes are brought to bear. When there is a sufficient amount of protein digesting enzymes in the body the growth of activated cells ceases. The organ known as the pancreas produces these enzymes, but if it fails to produce enough of them then the activated primitive cells will continue their trophoblasts-like growth eventually producing a cancerous tumor.

So whenever healing is initiated by primitive germ cells it is vital that the body have enough protein digesting enzymes to halt the healing process once it has reached a certain point. Dr. Beard’s most important discovery was that if there are not enough of certain enzymes in the body then the growth of activated primitive germ cells will proceed unchecked and lead to the formation of a cancerous tumor. Indeed, the present day enzyme treatment of cancer is based largely on this important discovery.

In a real sense, protein digesting enzymes are our first line of defence against cancer. that is why it is so important that we nourish the body in a way that introduces protein digesting enzymes into it everyday. Otherwise, we must depend on the limited capability of our pancreas to produce such enzymes. All too often our pancreas is not capable of supplying enough digestive enzymes to digest the preponderance of cooked food that we consume daily.

[Note: when food is cooked it kills the enzymes and when we eat those foods it becomes the job of our pancreas to supply enzymes to digest them; but the pancreas is limited in this regard].

When someone has cancer, no matter where the malignant tumor shows up, it is vital that they consume foods whose enzymes have not been killed. That means eating an abundance of raw fruits, vegetables and nuts.

Dr. Beard and other researchers have discovered that enzymes that digest protein play a key role in halting the growth of cancer cells. It’s no wonder that virtually every alternative cancer treatment program encourages patients to stop eating animal products and to eat more raw enzyme-rich fruits and vegetables.

When someone has cancer, if they continue eating a daily diet of animal products (meat, chicken, fish, dairy, etc.), these hard to digest foods greatly challenge an already overworked pancreas. Cancer, no matter where it shows up, is a sure sign that the pancreas is not producing adequate enzymes. In addition, eating animal products makes the body chemistry considerably more acidic, and cancer cells thrive in an acidic environment. And, as mentioned earlier, a lack of protein digesting enzymes allows out of control primitive germ cells to become cancerous. In that sense, we can think of cancer, any cancer, as an enzyme deficiency disease.

The good news is that we can each do something about this situation. We can change what we eat and eat more foods that introduce enzymes into the body, as opposed to mainly cooked foods that require the body to manufacture critically needed enzymes.

One such food that is especially helpful in this regard is the papaya and papaya seeds; another is pineapple. Both fruits contain enzymes (papain and bromelain, respectively) that are similar to the protein digesting enzymes made by the pancreas. Another extremely beneficial food is sprouts (bean sprouts, broccoli sprouts). They are a rich source of beneficial enzymes and other nutrients that are known to suppress cancerous activity.

Protein digesting enzymes are particularly important in that they can dissolve the protein coating that forms around all cancer cells, and this enables the immune system to finally ‘see’ the cancer cells and target them for destruction. These foods also make the body chemistry less acidic and thus a lot less conducive for cancerous activity. (See Barbara Simonsohn’s book, “Healing Power of Papaya”, copyright 2000).

Grant it, protein digesting enzymes may not be the only answer to cancer, but truly they are the body’s first defense against this most dreaded disease. If I ever thought I had cancer, aside from abstaining from animal protein, sugar, refined grains, and processed foods, I would be sure to 

eat at least a half of a papaya and a generous portions of its seeds daily in order to strengthen my body’s first line of defence.

Mr. Emeka lives in Port Orchard, Washington. He authored two self-help books about cancer: “Fear Cancer No More” copyright 2002 & “Cancer’s Best Medicine”, copyright 2004. www.cancernomore.com

Fresh Lemon Grass Drink Kills Cancer Cells

Fresh Lemon Grass Drink Causes Apoptosis to Cancer Cells

(apoptosis) noun: a type of cell death in which the cell uses specialized cellular machinery to kill itself; a cell suicide mechanism that enables metazoans to control cell number and eliminate cells that threaten the animal's survival.   In other words, cell commits suicide.

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Fresh lemon grass fields in Israel become Mecca for cancer patients     

By Allison Kaplan Sommer April 02, 2006 

A drink with as little as one gram of lemon grass contains enough citral to prompt cancer cells to commit suicide in the test tube. Israeli researchers find way to make cancer cells self-destruct  - Ben Gurion University.

At first, Benny Zabidov, an Israeli agriculturalist who grows greenhouses full of lush spices on a pastoral farm in Kfar Yedidya in theSharon region, couldn't understand why so many cancer patients from around the country were showing up on his doorstep asking for fresh lemon grass. It turned out that their doctors had sent them. 'They had been told to drink eight glasses of hot water with fresh lemon grass steeped in it on the days that they went for their radiation and chemotherapy treatments,' Zabidov told ISRAEL21c. 'And this is the place you go to in Israel for fresh lemon grass.' 

It all began when researchers at Ben Gurion University of the Negev discovered last year that the lemon aroma in herbs like lemon grass kills cancer cells in vitro, while leaving healthy cells unharmed. The research team was led by Dr. Rivka Ofir and Prof. Yakov Weinstein, incumbent of the Albert Katz Chair in Cell-Differentiatio n and Malignant Diseases, from the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at BGU.

Citral is the key component that gives the lemony aroma and taste in several herbal plants such as lemon grass (Cymbopogon citratus), melissa (Melissa officinalis) and verbena (Verbena officinalis. )

According to Ofir, the study found that citral causes cancer cells to 'commit suicide: using apoptosis, a mechanism called programmed cell death.' A drink with as little as one gram of lemon grass contains enough citral to prompt the cancer cells to commit suicide in the test tube.

The BGU investigators checked the influence of the citral on cancerous cells by adding them to both cancerous cells and normal cells that were grown in a petri dish. The quantity added in the concentrate was equivalent to the amount contained in a cup of regular tea using one gram of lemon herbs in hot water. While the citral killed the cancerous cells, the normal cells remained unharmed.

The findings were published in the scientific journal Planta Medica, which highlights research on alternative and herbal remedies. Shortly afterwards, the discovery was featured in the popular Israeli press. Why does it work? Nobody knows for certain, but the BGU scientists have a theory. 'In each cell in our body, there is a genetic program which causes programmed cell death. When something goes wrong, the cells divide with no control and become cancer cells. In normal cells, when the cell discovers that the control system is not operating correctly - for example, when it recognizes that a cell contains faulty genetic material following cell division - it triggers cell death,' explains Weinstein. 'This research may explain the medical benefit of these herbs.' The success of their research led them to the conclusion that herbs containing citral may be consumed as a preventative measure against certain cancerous cells. As they learned of the BGU findings in the press, many physicians in Israel began to believe that while the research certainly needed to be explored further, in the meantime it would be advisable for their patients, who were looking for any possible tool to fight their condition, to try to harness the cancer-destroying properties of citral. That's why Zabidov's farm - the only major grower of fresh lemon grass in Israel - has become a pilgrimage destination for these patients. Luckily, they found themselves in sympathetic hands. Zabidov greets visitors with a large kettle of aromatic lemon grass tea, a plate of cookies, and a supportive attitude. 'My father died of cancer, and my wife's sister died young because of cancer,' said Zabidov. 'So I understand what they are dealing with. And I may not know anything about medicine, but I'm a good listener. And so they tell me about their expensive painful treatments and what they've been through. I would never tell them to stop being treated, but it's great that they are exploring alternatives and drinking the lemon grass tea as well.'

Zabidov knew from a young age that agriculture was his calling. At age 14, he enrolled in the Kfar Hayarok Agricultural high school. After his army service, he joined an idealistic group which headed south, in the Arava desert region, to found a new moshav (agricultural settlement) called Tsofar. 'We were very successful; we raised fruits and vegetables, and,' he notes with a smile, 'We raised some very nice children.'  On a trip to Europe in the mid-80s, he began to become interested in herbs. Israel, at the time, was nothing like the trend-conscious cuisine-oriented country it is today, and the only spices being grown commercially were basics like parsley, dill, and coriander. Wandering in the Paris market, looking at the variety of herbs and spices, Zabidov realized that there was a great export potential in this niche. He brought samples back home with him, 'which was technically illegal,' he says with a guilty smile, to see how they would grow in his desert greenhouses. Soon, he was growing basil, oregano, tarragon, chives, sage, marjoram and melissa, and mint just to name a few.

His business began to outgrow his desert facilities, and so he decided to move north, settling in the moshav of Kfar Yedidya, an hour and a half north of Tel Aviv. He is now selling 'several hundred kilos' of lemon grass per week, and has signed with a distributor to package and put it in health food stores. Zabidov has taken it upon himself to learn more about the properties of citral, and help his customers learn more, and has invited medical experts to his farm to give lectures about how the citral works and why.





He also felt a responsibility to know what to tell his customers about its use. 'When I realized what was happening, I picked up the phone and called Dr. Weinstein at Ben-Gurion University, because these people were asking me exactly the best way to consume the citral. He said to put the loose grass in hot water, and drink about eight glasses each day.'

Zabidov is pleased by the findings, not simply because it means business for his farm, but because it might influence his own health. Even before the news of its benefits were demonstrated, he and his family had been drinking lemon grass in hot water for years, 'just because it tastes good.'