薬用植物と芳香植物
オープンアクセス

概要

Ayurveda for Cancer Treatment

Paramasivan Poornima and Thomas Efferth

Plant based traditional medicine systems are playing a vital role for health care in both developing and developed countries. Ayurveda, the traditional Indian holistic medicine, uses plant derived products for cancer care, is not merely a system of medicine. Rather, it is a way of life. Even with great advancements in treatment and control of cancer, western medicine has significant deficiencies such as dose-limiting toxicity and drug resistance. Moreover, the enormous search for novel compounds is escalating, in which Ayurveda with its huge active compound repository can lend a hand to find new potential leads. Currently, global population is widely accepting the Ayurvedic medicine as the plant based treatments can rescue the patients from adverse side effects of western medicine. The Ayurvedic science is believed to add a step on to the curative aspects of cancer and lead to healthy living by fostering healthy cells in addition to controlling/killing the cancer cells. The scientific evidence of Ayurvedic medicine is increasing, and a number of plants used in Ayurveda have scientifically proven to possess anticancer effects. In this editorial, we emphasize on combining the modern western and traditional medicines such as holistic Ayurveda which would be of great advantage to manage symptoms, control side-effects and improve the state of mental wellbeing. This integrated approach would make the cancer patients live and not just to exist.