Does Asparagus Cure Cancer?

Question

Your thoughts on asparagus and cancer fighting, please.

Answer

Several studies over recent years have shown the anti cancer, anti leukemia, and anti tumor benefits of Asparagus.

A 1996 Rutgers University study identified asparagus crude saponins, which exhibit anti leukemia effects, inhibiting DNA synthesis and causing cancer cell death at certain concentrations (1996, Shao, Yu. et al).

A study in China shows Asparagus contains an active component called Asparanin which exerts cytotoxic activity on cancerous cells (2009, Liu, W. et al).

Asparagus also contains the cancer fighting, antioxidant flavonoid, Quercetin, which has been shown to induce apoptosis or cell death in cancer cells (2009, Zhang W., Zhang F.).

Asparagus is also high in glutathione. Glutathione is the most widely available and important antioxidant in our human bodies, almost wholly responsible for cell defense (2007, Jonny Bowden).

Our liver manufactures a large part of glutathione in our body, but every cell in our body has its own personal supply of powerful little glutathiones, tiny bouncers that constantly scour for free radicals, latching on to them and busting them out of our cells.

Boosting glutathione levels is a key strategy in healing with cancer.

Another excellent form of Glutathione is found in isolated whey protein, but not just any form. Your whey protein must be of the highest quality, which means it requires a dehydration process that keeps the delicate amino acids in their raw state. If your whey protein is heated above a certain temperature, cysteine and other key components are damaged and your body will never be able to make Glutathione from them. In fact, cooking proteins damages the molecules enough to make them congesting to our human bodies. Raw proteins on the other hand have all their amino acids fully available and intact ready for glutathione manufacture inside our liver and cells.

Apart from the fact that many edible and medicinal raw herbs, vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds and whole grains carry anti cancer and anti tumor properties in certain degrees, it is an understanding about healing that answers all of our questions about the real cure for cancer.

Cancer cells cannot self destruct without first receiving a signal from your immune system. Without this trigger from your immune system, the cancer cell will continue to grow and spread. To see this process in action watch the video by Drew Berry, Apoptosis and Signal Transduction, an animation that explores the process of apoptosis.

Back to Asparagus …

For several years an email has been circulating about Asparagus Curing Cancer, and although as we have just found, Asparagus has some real and powerful anti tumor and anti cancer activities, it is definitely not a cure for cancer.

This is actually good news because it means that you don’t have to eat Asparagus every single day of your life. How would that be after 256 days?

You already have a primal understanding about healing cancer when you toss aside all the clutter, all the opinions and the biased information, and that is this:

“There is only one cure for cancer, and that is the healing process carried out by your own body.”

So you knew the answer all along and all you have to do is trust your own self, your own ability to heal and your own intelligence in knowing what is right for you.

Healing cancer is a feeling process, which means if you follow the things that make you feeel better, you are moving toward healing, and this is definitely the direction you want to go in. Move away from things that make you feeeel worse, this is your body talking and the way to heal is to listen.

The steps you need to take are simple once you decide on your outcome.

What do you really want?

All you have to do is trust yourself and nourish and care about yourself enough. Enough takes courage, but I will leave you with this:

Time and time again, when people with cancer and other chronic degenerative dis-eases step back from fear and encourage and promote the health of their body by following key principles of healing, dis-ease disappears and their body regains health.

References:

Yu Shao, Chee-Kok Chin, Chi-Tang Ho, Wei Ma, Stephen A. Garrison and Mou-Tuan Huang.Anti-tumor activity of the crude saponins obtained from asparagus. March 2, 1999. Cancer Letters, Volume 104, Issue 1, 24 June 1996, Pages 31-36. Retrieved online August 6, 2011, http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0304383596042334

Liu. W., Huang, XF., Qi Q., Dai QS, Yang L., Nie FF., Lu N., Gong DD., Kong LY., Guo QL. Asparanin A Induces G(2)/M cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in human hepatocellular carcinoma HepG2 cells. 2009 Apr 17;381(4):700-5. Epub 2009 Feb 28. Retrieved online August 6, 2011, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19254688

Zhang W., Zhang F. Effects of Quercetin on proliferation, apoptosis, adhesion and migration, and invasion of HeLa cells. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Renmin Hospital, Wuhan University, Hubei, China. Eur J Gynaecol Oncol. 2009;30(1):60-4. Retrieved online August 6, 2011, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19317259