Cancer is a life-threatening disease that requires prolonged and often harsh treatments, posing a significant challenge to human life. The causes of cancer are not definitively known, even though certain types may have a genetic component. Approximately 80% of cancers are attributed to lifestyle and environmental factors, such as dietary habits, inadequate nutrition, exposure to toxins, air quality, living conditions, and occupational factors. Lack of physical activity is also identified as a contributing factor. The incidence of cancer is on the rise globally due to these various causes.
In Thailand, cancer has become the second or third leading cause of death over the past 10 years, alternating with heart disease. Currently, cancer is the leading cause of death, and it is predicted that the number of cancer patients will increase to 15 million in the year 2015, up from 9 million in 1998.
Cancer is characterized by abnormal cell growth, shape, and properties that differ from normal cells. It can affect any organ in the body and may lead to the formation of masses, compromising the surrounding tissues. Additionally, cancer can invade nearby tissues and spread to other organs through the lymphatic system and bloodstream.
The rising number of cancer cases each year has led to extensive research for new treatments and methods to prevent and treat cancer. Health promotion and cancer prevention are now recognized as more critical than treatment. Therefore, educating individuals, promoting healthy behaviors, and making lifestyle changes such as reducing animal fat consumption, choosing to consume fruits and vegetables, and incorporating toxin-free herbal foods are crucial. Many fruits and vegetables contain antioxidants and essential substances that can destroy cancer cells.
Herbs are one of the elements that can help promote health, offering preventive measures against cancer and inhibiting or destroying certain cancer cells. This article will discuss plants, vegetables, and herbs containing substances known as anticarcinogens and antitumor promoters, which can prevent or combat cancer. These substances fall into two categories:- Anticancer Agents (Antioxidants): These substances protect against the effects of free radicals in the body and include vitamins and minerals such as Vitamin A, C, E, Zinc, and Selenium.
- Non-vitamin Antioxidants: Predominantly found in leafy vegetables and seeds, these compounds include polyphenols, bioflavonoids, lycopenes, carotenoids, isoflavone coumarin derivatives, beta-carotene, and more.
Plants, vegetables, and fruits that possess properties to resist or prevent cancer include: Vitamin A: Known for its anticancer properties and immune system support, it is found in green, yellow, orange, and red vegetables and fruits such as Chinese cabbage, kale, watercress, pumpkin, basil, mint, coriander, lemongrass, lotus stem, mango, tamarind, apple, longan, etc.- Chinese Cabbage: Leaves, stems, and roots are rich in Vitamin A, beta-carotene, calcium, phosphorus, and vitamin C.
- Kale: Leaves are a high source of Vitamin A and also contain calcium, phosphorus, and vitamin C.
- Watercress: Leaves provide a high amount of Vitamin A and are beneficial for allergies, inflammation, and prevention of anemia, heart disease, and cancer.
- Pumpkin: The flesh and seeds are high in Vitamin A and contain essential compounds that combat breast and brain cancer cells.
- Basil: Rich in Vitamin A, C, calcium, phosphorus, and has anti-inflammatory and cancer-preventing properties.
- Mint: Contains high levels of Vitamin A and C, aiding in allergy relief and cancer prevention.
- Mango: Both raw and ripe fruits are beneficial, providing high amounts of Vitamin A, C, phosphorus, calcium, and a small amount of iron.
- Tamarind: Using ripe fruits and seeds offers high levels of Vitamin A and calcium.
- Longan: Consuming mature fruits provides an abundance of Vitamin A and C.
- Apple: Eating the whole fruit, including the skin, provides high levels of Vitamin A and C, phosphorus, calcium, and iron.
- Watermelon: Utilizing the flesh of watermelon provides a fruit rich in valuable vitamins A and C.
- Cucumber: Using fresh or dried cucumber flowers offers benefits rich in Vitamin A and calcium.
- Papaya and Apple: Utilizing the fruits of papaya and apple provides fruits that are full of Vitamin A and C.
- Longan: Using the seeds of longan provides benefits high in phosphorus, and it is a good source of Vitamin A.
- Lemongrass: Utilizing the roots, stems, and leaves of lemongrass offers a vegetable rich in Vitamin A, calcium, and phosphorus. It is known to prevent early-stage colon cancer.
- Lotus Stem: Using fresh leaves and stems provides benefits of high Vitamin A and calcium. Additionally, it contains a significant amount of phosphorus and is known to prevent the early stages of colon cancer.
- Bamboo Shoot: Using fresh leaves and stems provides benefits of high Vitamin A and calcium. Besides, it contains Vitamin B1 and is a plant rich in cyanide glycosides, contributing to strong and healthy skin. It also helps alleviate symptoms such as varicose veins, dark skin, and aids in the prevention of large intestine cancer in the early stages.
- Water Lily: Using fresh leaves and stems provides benefits of high Vitamin A and calcium. Additionally, it contains Vitamin B1, which is a plant that consists of alkaloids that possess properties supporting connective tissues, resulting in smooth and firm skin. It helps relieve symptoms such as blood vessel congestion, dark spots on the skin, and aids in the healing of wounds, making the skin softer. Extracts from water lily leaves accelerate wound healing, reducing the size of wounds, promoting the formation of new tissues, inhibiting bacterial growth that causes pus, and reducing inflammation. It also has properties to inhibit and destroy cancer cells.
Vitamin C: Found mostly in citrus fruits. Contains cascorbic acid, which produces collagen, which is beneficial to skin health. Strong tissues and blood vessels Helps in wound healing, helps in the iron absorption process. Makes the body have higher immunity. It also has antioxidant properties that help fight cancer. Found mostly in fresh vegetables and fruits. especially fresh vegetables Top leaves and seeds that are about to germinate include guava, gooseberry, yo, pega, lemon, tomato, cherry, pineapple, mango, star fruit, watermelon, kale, gourd, bean sprouts, tamarind top, Liang leaf, sweet vegetable, chilli, horseradish, etc.
The details of the parts used and benefits are as follows:
- Guava, the part that is used to benefit the fruit, only the flesh is taken. Benefits: Fruits are high in vitamins A and C. In addition, it also contains beta-carotene. That helps reduce toxins in the body It also prevents fat from clinging to the artery walls.
- Lemon: The part used for lemon juice is an antioxidant. Contains a lot of vitamin C, the seeds have a bitter taste and are used as an expectorant. And the lemon root has a pleasant taste and cures forgetfulness and forgetfulness.
- Tomatoes, the useful part, the red fruit provides vitamin A and lycopene, a jelly-like liquid. Surrounding the seeds provides beneficial vitamin C. It is a source of vitamin A, vitamin C, dietary fiber and has been found to contain a nutrient called lycopene, which is an important substance in preventing the formation of cancer substances. Repair damaged parts of the body Reduce the risk of heart disease. In addition, tomatoes also contain vitamin C. Which is an important antioxidant that is responsible for strengthening the immune system in the body. Studies have shown that men consume approximately 10 tomatoes per week or ketchup. People who do not consume tomatoes will have a lower risk of prostate cancer and hernias than those who do not consume tomatoes. To get the benefits, tomatoes should be eaten in food that has been cooked. which can be easily absorbed into the body
- Yo, the part that is used for use, the old fruit and the young fruit are beneficial. Yo fruit is a vegetable that is high in vitamins. Ancient Thai people used it as medicine. Longevity helps nourish the elements. From animal studies It was found that yo has an inhibitory effect on the growth of primary cancer. By building a strong immune system to fight cancer and causing the brain to produce more serotonin. Resulting in normal sleep. Caution: Should not be eaten in patients with kidney disease and heart disease. Because yogurt contains high amounts of potassium, it may affect kidney and heart function.
- Gooseberry, the part that is used is the fresh fruit. Benefits: It is a fruit that has a very high amount of vitamin C, which is 208 milligrams per 100 grams of gooseberry weight.
- Pega, the part that is used, the young pods have a very high amount of vitamin C, up to 484 milligrams per 100 grams of pega weight. In addition, there is also vitamin A. This helps prevent free radicals from occurring in the body. Eating pega together with foods that are high in vitamins, such as the bran in brown rice, will help enhance the protective effect. Complete production of free radicals in the body
- Cherries, the part that is used for benefits, is a fruit that is very high in vitamin C.
- Pineapple, the part that is used is the fruit that is very high in calcium and phosphorus, followed by vitamin C.
Vitamin E (Vitamin E) Vitamin E has antioxidant properties that help fight cancer. Reduce the risk of developing neuropathy. It also has the ability to make the epithelial cells (Cell Membrane) stronger and healthier. Helps reduce skin wrinkles Helps in blood circulation Found mainly in various grains that provide oil, including soybeans, corn, sesame, rice bran, and brown rice. From a study by Pennapa Sapcharoen, it was found that sunflower seeds have a higher amount of vitamin E than in soybeans and corn.
The details of the parts used and benefits are as follows:
- Soybean, the part that is used for its benefits, seeds, and benefits were found to contain a large amount of isoflavone courmarin derivative, which such substance acts as phytoestrogen Resists the risk of breast cancer caused by the stimulation of estrogen. And also found the substance genistein, which is a substance in the bioplavoboy group. Helps prevent cancer by not allowing the body to create capillaries that send food to the cancer cells, causing the cancer cells to atrophy and die.
- Sesame, the part that is used for its benefits, the seeds, has been found to be high in vitamin E. and sesamol which can prevent cancer In addition, sesame oil was found to be a polyunsaturated fat. There are many essential fatty acids that are essential to the body, namely linoleic and oleic acids. This acid is used by the body to create the hormone prostaglandin-E-1. which are beneficial to the body include:
- Expand blood vessels
- Helps reduce blood pressure
- Prevent platelets from forming blood clots. This may clog small blood vessels, causing coronary artery disease. or paralysis if a blood clot blocks a cerebral artery. And sesame is a food that contains important minerals. Iron helps