Nutrition, exercise, and inflammation

Can a patient take Commifora mukul, Paederia foetida, Vitex negundo, Apium graveolens, Trachyspermum ammi, Cyperus rotundus, is it not harmful?

[TanyaRD]

Thank you for clarifying.
Guggul (Commifora mukul): would not be safe to take during most chemo treatments as it has the same drug-nutrient interaction as many drugs do with grapefruit. Taking Guggul with chemotherapy may make the chemo less effective. See these links.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CYP3A4
http://www.mskcc.org/mskcc/html/69249.cfm

Paederia foetida: anti-inflammatory, antidiarrheal reported uses; Couldn't find many studies and it doesn't appear to be a well researched herb/drug therefore I would be very hesitant to use it in combination with chemo/prescription meds. Here is one study I found on PubMed.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16298094

Vitex negundo: reported anti-inflammatory uses but again very little research located to support its use and safety.

Apium graveolens: found very little on this-appears to be celery (or related) and may interact with thyroid medication and increase photosensitivity to photosensitizing drugs.

Trachyspermum ammi: interestingly enough also related to celery (assume different parts of the plant) thus same risk.

Cyperus rotundus: Very little scientific info BUT I did find that it has significant antiplatelet effects (increased risk for bleeding) which could be very dangerous during chemo which often decreases platelet count anyway. I would strongly discourage its use. See this PubMed link.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21354294

Is this a blend that you have found? Based on this information I would not recommend the use of these products. If you are looking for anti-inflammatory benefits I would suggest a dietary focus with nuts, fish, fruits/vegetables, low saturated fat intake, etc. I would be happy to provide more information as desired.

Best wishes,

Dear Tanya, thank you very much.
I am looking for Boswellia Serrata and found only blends. One blend appears to be not good, as you say. The other contains Boswellia (1/4), Phellodendron amurense (1/4) and Glucosamine Hydrochloric (1/2). What will you say about that blend?

[TanyaRD]

Are you currently on chemotherpy or antihormonal treatment? If you are on treatment I would not recommend Boswellia because there is not enough evidence to know if it is safe or has any interactions with other drugs. I am attaching a link here about Boswellia. It appears to use many of the same pathways as some chemo agents thus has the potential to decrease effectiveness or interfere. I note a few cell line studies regarding various types of cancer but none in breast cancer. These studies have not been performed on human subjects therefore it is risky to apply to the population.

Hope this helps.

Thank you very much again!
Yes I am currently on chemotherapy. OK, then Boswellia will be not taken.

Other question: are watercress and milk thistle good for chemotherapy? I am looking for something what can protect and prevent...

[Morgan]

Tanya, I just saw this post and am wondering if you can help. I am on Arimidex and taking Pukka brand of turmeric and boswellia... this also contains ginger, black pepper and indian sarsapirilla. I have taken this off and on for a while but have been taking it every day now for over a month as I had swollen painful finger joints, my left thumb was particularly bad with a distinct lump on the knuckle but since taking the capsules daily the difference is unbelievable, no more pain and lump almost gone! I was hoping this was a good sign for any internal inflammation as well, but now I'm a bit concerned about Arimidex. What are your views?
Thanks
Morgan

[TanyaRD]

Hi Morgan,
I have to admit that I am very conservative when it comes to mixing herbs/supplements with prescription medications and/or chemotherapy. I looked for problems with Arimidex and the anti-inflammatory blend you have been taking. It does not appear they use the same metabolic pathway but that is not a certainty. That is often the issue-we just don't know enough about certain herbs to provide certainty of their safety in combination with conventional medicine. I am glad you've had such a positive response with regards to your joint pain-especially on Arimidex. I suspect much of this benefit probably comes from the tumeric. You might try tumeric alone or combined with Omega-3's-if appropriate in your case. I would be concerned about the Boswellia because there are very limited studies available.

Hope that helps.

[Morgan]

Thanks Tanya,
I also inject Iscador (with my onc blessing... even though she doesn't think it does anything!) I phoned Weleda the supplier of the Iscador and spoke to a biochemist, initially about any interaction between the Iscador and Boswellia. We then discussed the Boswellia and Arimidex and he said as you did that they use different pathways so he doesn't see a problem. He also mentioned that it can sometimes be the black pepper that can cause problems but can't see this mentioned with Arimidex (do you have any views on this?) and that Turmeric is not easy to absorb so black pepper is needed to assist. I have also contacted the pharmacy at my hospital and they are going to look into it and get back to me.
I take the Boswellia first thing in the morning and last thing at night and take my Arimidex at 5pm so hope it helps not taking them at the same time.
Thanks again
Morgan

[sdstarfish]

Just wanted to jump in and thank you for such an interesting topic. I love to see any studies on complementary healthcare. The more this happens, the more seriously the Western world may take lifestyle choices into consideration where prevention and cure are concerned.
Lisa
www.pinkkitchen.info

[AlaskaAngel]

I think it turned out to be a very helpful thread too. One reminder -- it helps all of us to have newer and better information when we participate in the clinical trials that provide the information back to us about options like white button mushrooms. The more of us who do participate, the more information we will have to work with.

AlaskaAngel

[TanyaRD]

Good point AA. Hope all is well.