25 Cancer Stem-Cell Killing Foods That Are Smarter Than Chemo and Radiation By Sayer Ji Contributing Writer for Wake Up World

By Sayer Ji Contributing Writer for Wake Up World A new scientific review has identified 25 of the top foods and herbs which kill cancer stem cells at the root cause of cancer malignancy. There are thousands of natural compounds that have been studied with demonstrable anti-cancer activity (check out over 600 on GreenMedInfo’s cancer research database), but only a small subset of these have been proven to target and kill the cancer stem cells which lie at the root of cancer malignancy. Turmeric, for instance, we have featured a number of times for its “smart kill” property of targeting just the heart of cancerous tumors. More recently, ginger has been found in pre-clinical research to contain a compound up to 10,000 times more effective than the chemotherapy drug Taxol at killing breast cancer stem cells. Even common foods like blueberry have special cancer killing properties, as discussed in a previous article for GreenMedInfo: Research: Radiotherapy Causes Cancer, Blueberry Kills It. A new study published in the journal Anticancer Research, titled “Natural Products That Target Cancer Stem Cells“, has made our job much easier of identifying this special category of cancer killers by reviewing the extant literature on the topic and listing the top 25 substances in this category. They are listed here below, along with some of their commonly recognizable dietary sources. 25 Cancer Stem Cell Killing Foods Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) – Green Tea 6-Gingerol – Ginger ?-Carotene – Carrot, Leafy Greens Baicalein – Chinese Skullcap Curcumin – Turmeric Cyclopamine – Corn Lilly [we do not suggest consuming this plant; this simply illustrates natural components exist that kill cancer stem cells] Delphinidin – Blueberry, raspberrry Flavonoids (Genistein) – Soy, red clover, coffee Gossypol – Cottonseed [we do not suggest consuming this plant; this simply illustrates natural components exist that kill cancer stem cells] Guggulsterone – Commiphora (myrrh tree) Isothiocyanates – Cruciferous vegetables Linalool – Mint Lycopene – Grapefruit, tomato Parthenolide – Feverfew Perylill alcohol – Mint, cherry, lavender Piperine – Black pepper Placycodon saponin – Playycodon grandifloruim Psoralidin – Psoralea corylilyfolia Quercetin – Capers, onion Resveratrol – Grapes, plums, berries Salinomycin – Streptomyces albus Silibinin – Milk Thistle Ursolic acid – Thyme, basil, oregano Vitamin D3 – Fish, egg yolk, beef, cod liver oil Withaferin A – Withania somnifera (ashwaganda) Why are these substances so important? The primary reason why conventional chemotherapy and radiotherapy have failed to produce any significant improvements in cancer survival rates is because cancer stem cells are resistant to these interventions. In fact, chemotherapy and especially radiation are both capable of increasing the number and virulence of these cells in a tumor, while at the same time having the well known side effect of further damaging the patient’s immune system. While the cancer industry is still very much resistant to incorporating the implications of these findings into their standard of care (which is highly unethical), there are an increasing number of health practitioners that will not turn their back on the truth and are very much interested in alternative ways to prevent and treat cancer using food and/or plant-based approaches. The new study addresses the relevance of cancer stem cells as follows: The cancer stem cell model suggests that tumor initiation is governed by a small subset of distinct cells with stem-like character termed cancer stem cells (CSCs). CSCs possess properties of self-renewal and intrinsic survival mechanisms that contribute to resistance of tumors to most chemotherapeutic drugs. The failure to eradicate CSCs during the course of therapy is postulated to be the driving force for tumor recurrence and metastasis. Recent studies have focused on understanding the unique phenotypic properties of CSCs from various tumor types, as well as the signaling pathways that underlie self-renewal and drug resistance.” At present, the cancer industry has failed to produce a single drug that targets the cancer stem cell population of cells within a tumor, as confirmed by the study: If indeed the CSC response is a vital criterion for cancer treatment evaluation, there are still no drugs in clinical use that specifically target CSCs. The ability to selectively target cancer cells, and cancer stem cells in particular, while leaving intact the non-tumor cells in tissue is extremely important. We have created a section on the GreenMedInfo database that indexes research on these substances and now includes 67 of them here. We are also building a section that collates research cancer stem cells, a topic will no doubt become a central part of the future of cancer treatment, assuming the priority is to actually alleviate suffering and not just make money off of patients. Recommended articles by Sayer Ji: Better Than Chemo: Turmeric Kills Cancer Not Patients Mammography Is Harmful and Should Be Abandoned, Scientific Review Concludes Cinnamon May Be Superior to Ibuprofen for Menstrual Pain, Study Reveals “Killer Germs” Obliterated by Medicinal Smoke Smudging, Study Reveals Coconut Water: A New Alzheimer’s Disease Treatment? Turmeric’s ‘Smart Kill’ Properties Put Chemo & Radiation To Shame 6 Evidence-Based Ways Drumming Heals Body, Mind and Soul Tylenol Kills Emotions As Well As Pain, Study Reveals Research: Plants Cure Cancer, Not Chemicals Beet Juice Boosts Cognitive Function In One Dose 13 Evidence-Based Medicinal Properties of Coconut Oil About the author: Sayer-JiSayer Ji is an author, educator, Steering Committee Member of the Global GMO-Free Coalition (GGFC), advisory board member of the National Health Federation, and the founder of GreenMedInfo.com – an open access, evidence-based resource supporting natural and integrative modalities. His writings have been published and referenced widely in print and online, including Truthout, Mercola.com, The Journal of Gluten Sensitivity, New York Times and The Well Being Journal. In 1995 Sayer received a BA degree in Philosophy from Rutgers University, where he studied under the American philosopher Dr. Bruce W. Wilshire, with a focus on the philosophy of science. In 1996, following residency at the Zen Mountain Monastery in upstate New York, he embarked on a 5 year journey of service as a counsellor-teacher and wilderness therapy specialist for various organizations that serve underprivileged and/or adjudicated populations. Since 2003, Sayer has served as a patient advocate and an educator and consultant for the natural health and wellness field. Visit GreenMedInfo online and on Facebook, or sign up for GreenMedInfo’s e-Newsletter. PrintFriendly and PDFPrint Friendly or Save as PDF

Eye on the Buckeye

Eye on the Buckeye Kathy Keatley Garvey Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey Published on: March 26, 2014 It won't bloom until summer, but already many eyes are on the California buckeye. The tree's blossoms are poisonous to honey bees. Bees are attracted to them and forage on them, but the end result of the food provisions to the colony can be deformed larval development. We've seen bee hives within a quarter of a mile of California buckeyes (Aesculus californica). And we've seen honey bees, native bees and other pollinators foraging on the blossoms. At the recent UC Davis Pollinator Gardening Workshop hosted by the California Center for Urban Horticulture, Extension apiculturist Eric Mussen talked about the poisonous plants. (See PowerPoint presentations.) That led to one workshop participant wondering if the flowers of the California buckeye are poisonous to native bees. (Honey bees are not native; the European colonists brought them to the Jamestown colony, Virginia, in 1622). Responded Mussen: "My guess: either the native bees that have been in the areas around California buckeye for a long, long time are not poisoned by the pollen or they have been selected (by death of the other genetic types) to avoid the pollen, that eons of natural selection have adapted them to coexist with California buckeye while using their resources." Native pollinator specialist Robbin Thorp, emeritus professor of entomology at UC Davis, shared: "We know California buckeye nectar and/or pollen is toxic to honey bees from years of experience with managed hives. Toxicity to native bees and other flower visitors is not so easily determined and to my knowledge has not been investigated. The fact that populations of native bees and butterflies visit California buckeye flowers and continue to persist in areas where the tree is a dominant part of the plant community tends to confirm what Extension apiculturist Eric Mussen says about them. Some good research projects here. So we still do not know if it is the nectar, pollen, or both that may be toxic to honey bees, much less to native flower visitors." According to gardeningguides.com, the seeds in their raw state are poisonous to humans, but native Americans learned to get around that and use them for food. They pounded the seeds into flour and then cooked the mixture. "This tree had multiple cultural uses among California Indian tribes," the website says. "Many indigenous groups utilized buckeye seeds for food, often when other plant food sources were scarce. These tribes included the Costanoan, Salinan, Kitanemuk, Serrano, Wappo, Sierra Miwok, Coast Miwok, Chumash, Kawaiisu, Northern Maidu among others. The Pomo ate the seeds even when other important food plants were plentiful. The seeds are poisonous to humans in the raw state. Thus, the nuts were cracked open with a rock, the shells removed, the seeds pounded into flour, and their toxic saponins removed in a lengthy leaching process. The meal was subsequently cooked and eaten. There are many different methods for processing and cooking buckeye seeds for food, depending upon the tribe. The seeds have medicinal properties and were cut into pieces, mixed with water, and made into suppositories for hemorrhoids by the Costanoan and Kawaiisu. The Pomo cut bark from the base of the tree and made a poultice, which was laid on a snakebite. Young buckeye shoots were sometimes used as spindles or twirling sticks in fire-making kits of the Sierra Miwok, Northern Maidu, Wappo, Yahi and other tribes. Many tribes mashed buckeye nuts and poured the contents into quiet pools to stupefy or kill fish." And, no wildlife will eat buckeye seeds except squirrels, such as the California ground squirrel (Citellus beecheyi). Meanwhile, the poisonous blossoms continue to beckon the honey bees--and their colonies keep producing deformed bees. Honey bee foraging last May on a California buckeye, which is poisonous to honey bees. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey) Honey bee foraging last May on a California buckeye, which is poisonous to honey bees. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey) A California buckeye blooming in May of last year on the UC Davis campus. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey) A California buckeye blooming in May of last year on the UC Davis campus. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey) Tags: California buckeye (6), California Center for Urban Horticulture (13), Eric Mussen (212), honey bees (264), Robbin Thorp (173) Comments: 2 Comments: by Sandy L. Starkey on April 2, 2014 at 2:18 PM The Ohio Buckeye is different from the California Buckeye. The Ohio Buckeye is both smaller and darker than the California Buckeye. Is the Ohio buckeye poisonous to honey bees? by Kathy Keatley Garvey on April 4, 2014 at 6:09 PM According to Extension apiculturist Eric Mussen, the Ohio Buckeye is not poisonous to bees. Leave a Reply: You are currently not signed in. If you have an account, then sign in now! 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Buckeye Trees and Honeybees Cathy says November 16, 2013 at 8:26 am Buckeye is a beautiful native tree, and as mentioned in the article, native bees do fine with it. And it provides shade for cattle, deer, and other wildlife in CA foothills, growing without irrigation or special care. I would think that providing plenty of other tasty and non-poisonous trees and flowers would be a better alternative than removing all the buckeyes.

Buckeye Trees and Honeybees November 12, 2013 By Nichole Buckeye Trees and Honeybees This post may contain affiliate links. We only recommend products and services we wholeheartedly endorse. Thank you for supporting Traditional Cooking School by GNOWFGLINS with your purchases. Our family thanks you! November 12, 2013 By Nichole 19 Comments 694119 Buckeye Trees and Honeybees | A couple of weeks ago I was in conversation about local foods and resources when I was offered Buckeye honey. I was told this honey is bottled up not far from me here in Northern California. I shrugged and agreed to try it. Having never heard of Buckeye honey, I asked what made it so special. It appears it is rather rare and pretty difficult to find. The reason? It kills the bees. That little bit of information really caught me off guard. | TraditionalCookingSchool.com A couple of weeks ago I was in conversation about local foods and resources when I was offered Buckeye honey. I was told this honey is bottled up not far from me here in Northern California. I shrugged and agreed to try it. Having never heard of Buckeye honey, I asked what made it so special. It appears it is rather rare and pretty difficult to find. The reason for this rarity? It kills the bees. That’s right. The bees that make this honey? They die. That little bit of information really caught me off guard. I must say I didn’t think it tasted like anything special, and I was a little put-off by the whole idea of killing bees on purpose. Why had I never heard of this before? I decided to do a little investigating. A Poisonous Tree The California Buckeye tree is extremely toxic to animals. The blossoms are poisonous to the honeybee, and it is certainly not something you want your livestock snacking on either. The honeybee is not native to California, which appears to be part of the problem. Native bees (and some others who pollinate the tree) are actually immune, but otherwise this tree is so toxic that very few animals even mess with it. According to an article in the San Francisco Chronicle, “California Indians ground the seeds to a powder that they used to stun fish for easy capture.” That’s some pretty potent stuff. A few studies have been done on Buckeye trees and honeybees. It is considered a problem if a hive is within 3 miles of a Buckeye tree. If alternatives are available, honeybees will avoid the Buckeye tree, and exposure in small amounts is believed to not be a problem. But if there are no other sources of food, it quickly becomes a serious issue. What Happens to the Bees? When the honeybee uses the Buckeye tree as a source of food, it is not an instant poisoning. The bees take the pollen back to the hive where it slowly poisons the entire colony. The toxins cause the next generation of bees to be born deformed and wingless, and without wings they cannot source out food. Eventually, the queen bee stops laying eggs, and worker bees develop symptoms of paralysis. The end result is a destroyed colony. Rather morbid. Bees are very loyal to their source of food, and whatever is closest to their hive. It is recommended that beekeepers move their hives away from Buckeye trees and to other sources of food. If the hives cannot be moved, the beekeeper can supplement the hive with sugar water (or the standard beekeeping mix of corn syrup) to dilute the Buckeye poison and help preserve the hive. Buckeye Honey It seems that it might not be the best idea to eat honey from a bee that was poisoned. If it bothered the bee, wouldn’t the honey bother the person eating it? Apparently not. Buckeye honey is entirely safe for human consumption. Yet another completely amazing wonder of nature. So What About This Local Buckeye Honey? Armed with my new information, I decided to contact the local source of Buckeye honey directly. From what I could piece together, harvesting Buckeye honey had to include intentionally harming bee colonies, and I wasn’t sure I was very happy about that. When I checked their website, the only information I found said that this honey can only be produced during “rare environmental conditions“. That seemed pretty vague. Giving the company the benefit of the doubt, I sent off an email asking for clarification and whether the information I had obtained was faulty. I was certainly happy with response I received. Here is part of the email: “We collect honey from beekeepers throughout the US and occasionally are presented with intriguing varietal honeys – Buckeye is one that we never came across in 34 years! Most beekeepers know well enough to keep their bees far away from heavy concentrations of Buckeye during their bloom. However, this beekeeper was not well informed and lost many bees. However, he did produce some honey for us, which we offer to you as an extremely rare and unique varietal honey.” There you have it. This explains why no matter how hard I googled, I could not come up with Buckeye Honey for sale anywhere else in the country. This batch was available only due to a rather large mistake on the part of the beekeeper. I feel incredibly sorry for the beekeeper who had to learn about the effects of Buckeye trees in this way. I am also relieved to find that this is not an accepted practice among beekeepers here in California, or it would appear, elsewhere. And I am reminded that it is always a good idea to double check your facts. I am so glad that I did! With luck the beekeeper was able to make up for some of his loss with the help of this company. If you want to purchase some, you can do so here: Z Specialty Food How about you? Ever done your own research only to discover the facts lead you in a very different direction? FREE Video Series: Learn How To... 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(If you usually rely on recipes, don't worry — my method really works to give you the freedom and skills you never thought possible!) get printable at-a-glance fact sheets as a handy reference to easily implement what you learn. see how God's design for whole foods and nutritious preparation methods just makes sense. be on your way to looking good, feeling good, and doing good — you and your family! These videos are a gift from Wardee to you! Wardee is the lead teacher of TraditionalCookingSchool.com and the author of The Complete Idiot's Guide to Fermenting Foods. Enter your first name... Enter your email address... Get FREE Videos × Thanks for subscribing! Please check your email for further instructions. This post may contain affiliate links. We only recommend products and services we wholeheartedly endorse. Thank you for supporting Traditional Cooking School by GNOWFGLINS with your purchases. Our family thanks you! Filed Under: Livestock and Critters, Raising Food, Sourcing Food 694119 About Nichole Nichole is a wife, homeschooling mom, and experienced public school teacher in Northern California. She loves being outdoors, coffee with friends, and advocating for hope. She writes at Hopecentric, and manages GAPS Kids, an online support community. Comments Carmen says November 12, 2013 at 7:03 am I would boycott this honey. Reply Nichole says November 12, 2013 at 10:13 pm That was my initial thought, too. I would love to hear more about why you came to this decision. Thanks for sharing! Reply Marie says November 12, 2013 at 9:45 am If you boycott this honey you do double harm to the Bee Keeper who already lost his or her’s bees. If they can at least send sell this honey , they can repopulate their hives. Reply Nichole says November 12, 2013 at 10:15 pm I am really hoping that this companies willingness to purchase the honey helped the bee keeper to at least recover some of their loss. Reply Carolyn says November 12, 2013 at 11:41 am No beekeeper would poision their bees on purpose with the seriousness of hive collapse happening all around…. So I wouldn’t boycott, it’s not necessary….but I do agree with you, Nichole, about supporting this farmer. We need to support all of our local beekeepers in a time like this. A very interesting article… Thank you! Reply Cage Free Family says November 12, 2013 at 8:05 pm Only mildly on topic, this reminds me of a lovely essay by Scott Russell Sanders called Buckeye. He’s such a wonderful writer, and this piece is great article about loss and the Buckeye tree. Now I’ll have to go look it up again for a re-read. 😉 Reply Nichole says November 12, 2013 at 10:11 pm What a great recommendation! I started reading it tonight and will finish it tomorrow :) Reply Carmen says November 13, 2013 at 7:18 am This tree is highly toxic, not just to honeybees. There is already such a problem keeping bees alive and healthy. This article states that the bees will use alternative plants if available. I would immediately get rid of the toxic trees and plant healthy plants for bees as well as for animals. If it was toxic to your child would you keep it? Reply Cathy says November 16, 2013 at 8:26 am Buckeye is a beautiful native tree, and as mentioned in the article, native bees do fine with it. And it provides shade for cattle, deer, and other wildlife in CA foothills, growing without irrigation or special care. I would think that providing plenty of other tasty and non-poisonous trees and flowers would be a better alternative than removing all the buckeyes. Reply Oge says November 13, 2013 at 10:39 am I actually agree with Marie and Nichole on this. I am so glad that Nichole got to the bottom of this issue by writing to the manufacturer and found out that this production was an exception (actually a mistake) rather than a common practice among local farmers. At this point since this one local farmer learned his lesson the hard way, I don’t believe in further penalizing him by leaving him with unsold inventory. In the future, bees should hopefully be safe since all the farmers know the right practices now. Reply Carmen says November 16, 2013 at 11:50 am Fine. It is decided. Enjoy your poisonous trees. Reply angi says November 16, 2013 at 5:11 pm I also feel for the beekeeper. A 3 mile radius is a big area to know exactly what trees and flowers are in it. And you can’t go around asking neighbors to cut down their trees because of your bees. My 15 yr old son is a beekeeper and I can tell you it’s extremely heartbreaking when a hive dies. It’s not just about the money that was lost. There’s a responsibiltiy that we feel towards our bees that is the same as the responsibility we feel towards our chickens and our dog. Then there’s the responsibility that we feel towards the sustainability of bees in general. Thanks for sharing what you learned. Reply Roz says November 24, 2013 at 9:05 am This was extremely interesting!! I had no idea. I’m a novice bee-keeper in southern CA. Shared this with my beekeeper friend and on my pages. :) Thank you! Reply Lisa wilson says January 14, 2014 at 11:09 pm I have never heard of this. I live in Ohio & buckeye trees are everywhere here. We have honeybee hives & lots of honey here. Why doesnt it kill the bees here? Lisa~~lisawilson2011@hotmail.com~~Please reply to my email address too. Thanks! Reply Tom says May 8, 2014 at 8:03 pm I sent an E-mail to Kim Flotum who is the Editor of Bee Culture Magazine in Medina, Ohio. He confirmed that the Buckeye trees in Ohio are NOT poisonous to Honeybees in Ohio. I feel with his Expertise, this should valid information. It must be a different strain in California. I was also concerned since I am a Beekeeper in Northwest Ohio and have some Buckeye trees near my hives. I also read about this problem on the Internet. Hope this helps. Reply Gretchen says May 11, 2015 at 11:33 am So…are the Buckeye trees in Ohio a non-poisonous variety, or the the Ohio bees simply have a tolerance for the toxin? I live in Iowa a wanted to plant some buckeyes, but am holding back until I learn if there is a non-poisonous variety I could use. Reply Ishai Zeldner says April 27, 2014 at 11:10 am Hi Nichole: Doing some research on Buckeye, I just happened to stumble across your most informative blog. Thank you for your kind words on our family biz, Z Specialty Food! It’s true, we are the N. Calif. honey packer you contacted. I have been a beekeeper for 45 years and in the honey biz since 1979. The main function of a beekeeper is to manage the hives: this includes fostering their health and growth. It would be counter productive for beekeepers to intentionally harm their bees. We have been working with some of our honey suppliers for many years, even now the next generation! Our suppliers are encouraged to keep separate any unique honeys for which we pay more. So far, our collection includes some 25 unique and tasty honeys from across the US. We are also starting to source internationally. Ours is a compact, efficient company: we are three family members and two employees! We do not ‘manufacture’; we carefully handle and package the honey bee’s amazing products. If you are in the Woodland, CA area, please call to arrange a visit and we’ll show you around. 530 668 0660 Did you know that in the US we only produce 1/3 of the honey we consume? The back story on the Buckeye honey producer: He was a new beekeeper at the time and had not gotten the word about those delicious looking flowers. He was very unhappy to only learn about Buckeye after seeing piles of dead bees. (I’ve attached an informative link from UC Davis w/fotos). We’d never seen this honey before, and don’t expect to in the future. In the meantime, we have ‘some’! We always encourage new beekeepers to have a mentor. Books, videos and classes are not sufficient. Personally, I was fortunate to learn at the side of a master beekeeper. I have been teaching my family about bees. The California Buckeye is an interesting tree: grows along water courses, first to leaf out, first to drop leaves (in July), beautiful fragrant flowers. http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=13272 Reply ishai says May 11, 2015 at 12:17 pm Those cone shaped flower stalks on the buckeye are just past prime bloom here in N. Calif. Reply Zoe says September 27, 2015 at 4:18 am I came across some “rare environmental circumstances” honey a few years ago. It was pink. Apparently the bees were kept near a strawberry farm and there had been a sudden glut of strawberries that year with some of them ripening on the vine and going to mush and the bees had been feasting on the mush. They had just a couple of dozen jars of it. 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