treat cancer with honey and ginger

Honey and ginger may prevent and treat cancer. Is there any evidence to confirm it?

Lots of folk stories have said that.
Lots of studies confirmed it.

Honey and ginger represent one powerful combination which may effectively prevent and help in treating cancer.

Let’s see what supports this fact.

A few things about ginger.

When we say ginger we refer to the root of the plant called ginger. This is the part that is being consumed. The rhizome, ginger root or simply ginger is widely used as a spice or a folk medicine. It belongs to a famous family, Zingiberaceae, which has other highly therapeutic spices: turmeric, cardamom, and galangal.

Ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe) grows in China, India, Africa, the Caribbean, and other warm climates. And in all these places, the root of ginger plant is well known as a spice and flavoring, traditional used as remedy for thousands of years.
ginger root from china

Why is it so famous?
Because ginger is an excellent source of several bioactive phenolics, including non-volatile pungent compounds such as gingerols, paradols, shogaols and gingerones. All these lead to its uses as anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and antiproliferative product, indicating its promising role as a chemopreventive agent.

 Best uses of Ginger

  • stops symptoms of nausea during pregnancy. Don’t take it in large doses, there is a risk of miscarriage.
  • cures all forms of motion sickness (flight, car, or hights).
  • helps with nausea caused by motion sickness, surgery, or chemotherapy.
  • treats upset stomach and nausea.
  • aids digestion and saliva flow
  • helps with painful periods in women. In one study, more than 60% of women felt that ginger lessened pain.
  • relieves pain in osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, muscle and joint pain and headaches.
  • may protect against colorectal cancer
  • according to some lab and animal studies, ginger may lessen swelling, Lower blood sugar and cholesterol, protect agains Alzheimer’s disease and prevents blood clothing.

Side effects of Ginger (alone)

There can be side effects even taken in small gases. Among them: gas, heartburn, mouth irritation. When higher doses are taken, meaning more than 5 grams per day, the side effects may increase in intensity. It can also adversely affect individuals with gallstones.
Which is why ginger should not be taken alone. Honey is a good companion that will reduce the side effects and work in synergy with it.

Ginger also interacts with some medications, including the anticoagulant drugwarfarin and the cardiovascular drug, nifedipine. Be sure you have spoken to your doctor first, whenever you want to make a change in your supplements and diet.

Honey and ginger recipe for cough and immunity:

Ingredients:

• 4 cm fresh ginger root or 2 tablespoons dried ginger
• 2 cups of honey (a usual 200 ml cup)
• sterilized containers with lid (jars)
• bain marie pots aka double boiler (or a heat resistant bowl and a larger pot)
• food thermometer

Method of preparation:

– Pour the honey in the hot-resistant bowl. Fill the larger pot with water and place the bowl in it (the bain marie method of heating/melting). Place them on the stove.
– Clean and chop the ginger (or grate it, it should be in very small pieces), then add it over honey.
– Bring water to the boil point and check the temperature of honey with a food thermometer. Maintain the temperature of 185° F (42° C) for 10 minutes.
– Take the pot from the heat and let it cool for ten minutes. Strain the ginger and pour the liquid in sterilized containers.
This remedy should be kept in a dark place, away from the sun.

To boost immunity, eat 3 tablespoons per day of this remedy, before each meal.

To relieve cough, you can eat a teaspoon, whenever you need, but do not exceed more than 10 teaspoons a day.

To calm your stomach: if you cut the ginger in thin slices (it was not grated) then with all the honey in it, it can be eaten to calm down the stomach pains.

Honey and ginger may treat cancer

honey and ginger cure cancerThe story of Ante Kresich from Croatia is very well known among naturophatic world. It all happened 13 years ago, when he was diagnosed with lung cancer, one of the most dangerous cancer types. Doctors told him that he did not have enough time left. Yet, he cured himself with a treatment of honey and some herbs. (he doesn’t say which ones).

“I left the hospital in April, and in the summer I was already a completely different man. When I went to consult my doctors they could not believe that I was still alive, and also they could believed the results of the examinations that followed” explains Kresich.

When his story filled the internet pages, he was not sharing his recipe and people supposed he wanted to sell it (probably he already is doing that). It’s not our job to judge a man if he decides to make a living out of his discovery. Though I don’t believe this is true, as he is now a convinced beekeeper.
However, people from Croatia, his native country, have tried to search for his secret recipe and what they discovered is that it’s mostly about honey and ginger. Raw honey is mixed with chopped ginger, left for few days and then consumed 3-4 times a day, by spoonful.
Also they have found out that he is a good person, talks to people and offer advice.  Ante Kresich can be found on his site. Unfortunatelly it is in Croatian only, but if you really want, you’ll find a way: pcelarstvo-kresic.com.

The story of a woman from Bosnia Hertegovina. She was diagnosed with endocrine cancer and spent 20 days in intensive care. Nobody believed that she would stay alive. However, she started using a ginger and honey remedy, and in just few days she came back to life. The recipe was consisting in 1/2 kg of raw honey and a few larger ginger roots finely grind. A spoonful should be taken 3 or 4 times per day. When taking it use a spoon of plastic or wood, not metal. She saw good results in only 4 days.

The recipe used in healing cancer:jar of honey and fresh ginger treat cancer

500 grams of honey
200 grams of grated/grind fresh ginger

Blend them well and store the mixture in a cool, dry and dark place. 
Use only raw organic honey. Use only a wooden or plastic spoon, never metal.
Take 3 spoons per day, after the meals.
The results should be seen in 4 days.

What does Science say?

• Benefits of whole ginger extract in prostate cancer, by Karna P et al. from Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30303, USA., published on February 2012, shows that whole ginger extract exerts significant growth-inhibitory and death-inductory effects in a spectrum of prostate cancer cells. Most importantly, ginger extract did not exerted any detectable toxicity in normal, rapidly dividing tissues such as gut and bone marrow. This was the first report to demonstrate the in vitro and in vivo anticancer activity of whole ginger extract for the management of prostate cancer.

Mechanism of Chemoprevention against Colon Cancer Cells Using Combined Gelam Honey and Ginger Extract via mTOR and Wnt/β-catenin Pathways, by Wee LH et al. from Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, published in 2015, showed that the combination of Gelam honey and ginger may serve as a potential therapy in the treatment of colorectal cancer through inhibiton of mTOR, Wnt/β catenin signaling pathways and induction of apoptosis pathway.

Read more about gelam honey: Gelam honey makes the cancer cells commit suicide!

Gelam honey and ginger potentiate the anticancer effect of 5-FU against HCT 116 colorectal cancer cells, by Hakim L et a;. from Faculty of Medicine; Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, published in 2014, showed that the combination effect of both these natural compounds are synergistic in their inhibitory action against HCT 116 colon cancer cells.

available at Amazon

Effect of the combination of gelam honey and ginger on oxidative stress and metabolic profile in streptozotocin-induced diabetic Sprague-Dawley rats, by Sani NF et al. from Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, published on April 2014, studied how honey and ginger exhibit antioxidant activity which can scavenge increased reactive oxygen due to long term hyperglycaemia and thus the complications of other diabetic complications. The combination of gelam honey and ginger did not show hypoglycaemic potential; however, the combination treatment reduced significantly (P < 0.05) SOD and CAT activities as well as MDA level, while GSH level and GSH/GSSG ratio were significantly elevated (P < 0.05) in STZ-induced diabetic rats compared to diabetic control rats.

Additive potential of ginger starch on antifungal potency of honey against Candida albicans, by Moussa A et al. from the Institute of Veterinary Sciences University Ibn-KhadounTiaret, Algeria., published in 2012, found that the use of ginger starch allows honey benefit and will constitute an alternative way against the resistance to antifungal agents.

The Natural Flavonoid Pinocembrin: Molecular Targets and Potential Therapeutic Applications, by Lan X et al. from The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, USA, showed that Pinocembrin is the natural flavonoid compound extracted from honey, propolis, ginger roots, wild marjoram, and some other plants has shown anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective effects. Also has the ability to reduce reactive oxygen species, protect the blood-brain barrier, modulate mitochondrial function, and regulate apoptosis (in preclinical studies). Considering these pharmaceutical characteristics, pinocembrin has potential as a drug to treat ischemic stroke and other clinical conditions.

available at Amazon

• [6]-Gingerol suppresses colon cancer growth by targeting leukotriene A4 hydrolase, by Jeong CH et al. from University of Minnesota, Austin, Minnesota, USA, is a study published on July 2009, showingthat [6]-Gingerol, a natural component of ginger, exhibits anti-inflammatory and antitumorigenic activities. Despite its potential efficacy in cancer, the mechanism by which [6]-gingerol exerts its chemopreventive effects remains elusive. [6]-gingerol effectively suppressed tumor growth in vivo in nude mice, an effect that was mediated by inhibition of LTA(4)H activity.

• Ginger Kills Ovarian Cancer Cells, by Christian Nordqvist and published by medicalnewstoday.com on April 2006 says that ginger not only kills cancer cells, it also prevents them from building up resistance to cancer treatment. The study was conducted by researchers from the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center, who applied a solution of ginger powder and water to ovarian cancer cells (similar ginger powder to what is sold at grocery stores, only a standardized research grade).
In all their tests, the cancer cells died as a result of being in contact with the ginger solution – they either committed suicide (apoptosis) or they digested/attacked themselves (autophagy).

Besides these results there were hardly any reports of side effects (as compared to chemo where there is a huge list of side-effects).

• The study Ginger May Have Cancer-Fighting Qualities, by  Brenda Goodman, MA, shows that ginger supplements appear to lower some indicators of inflammation in the colon.

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• Ginger can be easily found in capsules form. Here are some examples:

on Amazon.com:
– Ginger Root Extract Supplement – 700mg X Ginger Root Extract PE 5:1 Equal to 3500mg of Pure Ginger – Anti-inflammatory Herb That Helps with Nausea in Convenient Capsule Form – 700mg X 50 Capsules

 or on Amazon.co.uk:
– SimplySupplements Ginger Extract 12000mg | Perfect Glucosamine Partner|240 Tablets;

– Organic Ginger (120 x 500mg Veg Capsules)

• A good combination consisting of ginger, turmeric and bromelain has also very good reviews. Take them with water and one spoon of honey. It can be easily found here:

on Amazon.com:  Natures Aid Ginger, Turmeric and Bromelain 60 Tablets – Anti-Inflammatory
or on Amazon.co.uk: Natures Aid Ginger, Turmeric and Bromelain Tablets – Pack of 60 Tablets

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Conclusion? Is ginger good to prevent and treat colorectal cancer? What are the countries with the lowest rate of colorectal cancer? India, China, Japan. What’s common to these countries? Rice, mostly, Which is considered to be a powerful detoxifying food and some specific spices, ginger being one of them. And we have to admit that they eat more vegetables and fiber and less red meat. That’s a fact.
Of course all of them work together and keep people healthier. But science decided to look deeper into this. And come to the conclusion that folks were right at least in the anti-inflammatory field:

“Ginger decreases inflammation. We know that increased inflammation, chronic inflammation in the gut tissue is highly associated with developing precancerous lesions, or cancerous polyps.” says Suzanna M. Zick, ND, research assistant professor at the University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor.

“Ginger has been used for a long time for multiple medicinal reasons in the Far East. So I tend to believe that something that’s been used for hundreds of thousands of years by a group — there’s probably a reason. Now we have to prove why,”  says David Bernstein, MD, chief of the division of gastroenterology at North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset, N.Y. (from an interview to WebMD).

Other articles presenting natural products that help in preventing and treating cancer:

Propolis can prevent and treat LEUKEMIA and CANCER

Gelam honey makes the cancer cells commit suicide!

Black seed & honey – a natural cure. Cancer is gone!

Is honey a natural treatment to cancer?

Tualang honey benefits for health




References and picture credits:

http://www.webmd.com/colorectal-cancer/news/20111011/ginger-may-have-cancer-fighting-qualities?page=2

http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-and-supplements/ginger-uses-and-risks#3

A Jar Of Honey Stock Photo Photo by Mister GC via freedigitalphotos.net

Root Ginger Isolated On A White Studio Background Stock Photo by SOMMAI, via freedigitalphotos.net

 

 

Laura Bujor

Laura Bujor is the author and founder of HealthyWithHoney.com. She built this website as a personal journey to discover the power of honey and share it with the world. She learned directly from beekeepers and took a course in apitherapy. From a hobby, honey and apitherapy turned into a professional career. You can find her on LinkedIn, Facebook, Pinterest and X.

View all posts by Laura Bujor →

3 thoughts on “Honey and ginger may prevent and treat cancer. Is there any evidence to confirm it?

  1. Thank Your Very Much For The Description Of The Ginger & Honey Anti-cancer Recipe. This Will Assist Patients Who May Not Afford To Go For Expensive Hospital Treatment.

    1. I suppose it can be taken as a supplement, but it cannot be considered a treatment in itself, alone. You need to talk to a naturopath. Tell him about your readings and start from here. Studies don’t lie.
      Laura

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