Fresh Lemon Grass Drink kills all cancer cells:

Fresh lemon grass fields in Israel become Mecca for cancer patients  By Allison Kaplan Sommer         Jan,1, 2011

A drink with as little as one gram of lemon grass contains enough citral to prompt

cancer cells to commit suicide in the test tube.

Israeli researchers find way

to make cancer cells self-destruct

- Ben Gurion University

At first, Benny Zabidov, an Israeli agriculturalist who grows greenhouses

 full of lush spices on a pastoral farm in Kfar Yedidya in the Sharon region,

couldn't understand why so many cancer patients from around the country

were showing up on his doorstep asking for fresh lemon grass. It turned

out that their doctors had sent them. 'They had been told to drink eight

glasses of hot water with fresh lemon grass steeped in it on the days that

 they went for their radiation and chemotherapy treatments,' Zabidov told

ISRAEL21c. 'And this is the place you go to in Israel for fresh lemon grass.'

It all began when researchers at Ben Gurion University of the Negev

discovered last year that the lemon aroma in herbs like lemon grass kills

cancer cells in vitro, while leaving healthy cells unharmed. The research

team was led by Dr. Rivka Ofir and Prof. Yakov Weinstein, incumbent of the

Albert Katz Chair in Cell-Differentiatio n and Malignant Diseases, from

the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at BGU.



Citral is the key component that gives the lemony aroma and taste in

several herbal plants such as lemon grass (Cymbopogon citratus), melissa

(Melissa officinalis) and verbena (Verbena officinalis. )

According to Ofir, the study found that citral causes cancer cells to

'commit suicide: using apoptosis, a mechanism called programmed cell death.'

A drink with as little as one gram of lemon grass contains enough citral to

prompt the cancer cells to commit suicide in the test tube.

The BGU investigators checked the influence of the citral on cancerous

cells by adding them to both cancerous cells and normal cells that were

grown in a petri dish. The quantity added in the concentrate was

equivalent to the amount contained in a cup of regular tea using one

 gram of lemon herbs in hot water. While the citral killed the cancerous

 cells, the normal cells remained unharmed.

The findings were published in the scientific journal Planta Medica,

which highlights research on alternative and herbal remedies.

 Shortly afterwards, the discovery was featured in the popular Israeli press.

Why does it work? Nobody knows for certain, but the BGU scientists

have a theory. 'In each cell in our body, there is a genetic program

which causes programmed cell death. When something goes wrong,

 the cells divide with no control and become cancer cells.. In normal

cells, when the cell discovers that the control system is not operating

correctly - for example, when it recognizes that a cell contains faulty

genetic material following cell division - it triggers cell death,' explains Weinstein.

'This research may explain the medical benefit of these herbs.'

The success of their research led them to the conclusion that herbs

containing citral may be consumed as a preventative measure against

certain cancerous cells. As they learned of the BGU findings in the press,

many physicians in Israel began to believe that while the research certainly

 needed to be explored further, in the meantime it would be advisable for

their patients, who were looking for any possible tool to fight their condition,

to try to harness the cancer-destroying properties of citral.

That's why Zabidov's farm - the only major grower of fresh lemon grass

in Israel - has become a pilgrimage destination for these patients. Luckily,

 they found themselves in sympathetic hands. Zabidov greets visitors with

a large kettle of aromatic lemon grass tea, a plate of cookies, and a

supportive attitude. 'My father died of cancer, and my wife's sister died

young because of cancer,' said Zabidov.. 'So I understand what they are

dealing with. And I may not know anything about medicine, but I'm a good

listener. And so they tell me about their expensive painful treatments and

 what they've been through. I would never tell them to stop being treated,

but it's great that they are exploring alternatives and drinking the lemon

grass tea as well.'

Zabidov knew from a young age that agriculture was his calling. At age 14,

he enrolled in the Kfar Hayarok Agricultural high school. After his army service,

 he joined an idealistic group which headed south, in the Arava desert region,

to found a new moshav (agricultural settlement) called Tsofar. 'We were very

successful; we raised fruits and vegetables, and,' he notes with a smile,

'We raised some very nice children.'

On a trip to Europe in the mid-80s, he began to become interested in herbs.

 Israel , at the time, was nothing like the trend-conscious cuisine-oriented

country it is today, and the only spices being grown commercially were

basics like parsley, dill, and coriander. Wandering in the Paris market,

looking at the variety of herbs and spices, Zabidov realized that there was

 a great export potential in this niche. He brought samples back home with

 him, 'which was technically illegal,' he says with a guilty smile, to see how

they would grow in his desert greenhouses. Soon, he was growing basil,

oregano, tarragon, chives, sage, marjoram and melissa, and mint just to

 name a few..

His business began to outgrow his desert facilities, and so he decided

to move north, settling in the moshav of Kfar Yedidya, an hour and a

half north of Tel Aviv. He is now selling 'several hundred kilos' of lemon grass

 per week, and has signed with a distributor to package and put it in health

food stores. Zabidov has taken it upon himself to learn more about the

properties of citral, and help his customers learn more, and has invited

medical experts to his farm to give lectures about how the citral works

and why.

He also felt a responsibility to know what to tell his customers about

its use. 'When I realized what was happening, I picked up the phone

 and called Dr. Weinstein at Ben-Gurion University , because these

people were asking me exactly the best way to consume the citral.

He said to put the loose grass in hot water, and drink about eight

glasses each day.'

Zabidov is pleased by the findings, not simply because it means

business for his farm, but because it might influence his own health.

Even before the news of its benefits were demonstrated, he and his

 family had been drinking lemon grass in hot water for years,

'just because it tastes good.'

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Apples	Protects your heart	prevents constipation	Blocks diarrhea	Improves lung capacity	Cushions joints
Apricots	Combats cancer	Controls blood pressure	Saves your eyesight	Shields against Alzheimer's	Slows aging process
Artichokes	Aids digestion	Lowers cholesterol	Protects your heart	Stabilizes blood sugar	Guards against liver disease
Avocados	Battles diabetes	Lowers cholesterol	Helps stops strokes	Controls blood pressure	Smoothes skin
Bananas	Protects your heart	Quiets a cough	Strengthens bones	Controls blood pressure	Blocks diarrhea
Beans	Prevents constipation	Helps hemorrhoids	Lowers cholesterol	Combats cancer	Stabilizes blood sugar
Beets	Controls blood pressure	Combats cancer	Strengthens bones	Protects your heart	Aids weight loss
Blueberries	Combats cancer	Protects your heart	Stabilizes blood sugar	Boosts memory	Prevents constipation
Broccoli	Strengthens bones	Saves eyesight	Combats cancer	Protects your heart	Controls blood pressure
Cabbage	Combats cancer	Prevents constipation	Promotes weight loss	Protects your heart	Helps hemorrhoids
Cantaloupe	Saves eyesight	Controls blood pressure	Lowers cholesterol	Combats cancer	Supports immune system
Carrots	Saves eyesight	Protects your heart	Prevents constipation	Combats cancer	Promotes weight loss
Cauliflower	Protects against Prostate Cancer	Combats Breast Cancer	Strengthens bones	Banishes bruises	Guards against heart disease
Cherries	Protects your heart	Combats Cancer	Ends insomnia	Slows aging process	Shields against Alzheimer's
Chestnuts	Promotes weight loss	Protects your heart	Lowers cholesterol	Combats Cancer	Controls blood pressure
Chili peppers	Aids digestion	Soothes sore throat	Clears sinuses	Combats Cancer	Boosts immune system
Figs	Promotes weight loss	Helps stops strokes	Lowers cholesterol	Combats Cancer	Controls blood pressure
Fish	Protects your heart	Boosts memory	Protects your heart	Combats Cancer	Supports immune system
Flax	Aids digestion	Battles diabetes	Protects your heart	Improves mental health	Boosts immune system
Garlic	Lowers cholesterol	Controls blood pressure	Combats cancer	kills bacteria	Fights fungus
Grapefruit	Protects against heart attacks	Promotes Weight loss	Helps stops strokes	Combats Prostate Cancer	Lowers cholesterol
Grapes	saves eyesight	Conquers kidney stones	Combats cancer	Enhances blood flow	Protects your heart
Green tea	Combats cancer	Protects your heart	Helps stops strokes	Promotes Weight loss	Kills bacteria
Honey	Heals wounds	Aids digestion	Guards against ulcers	Increases energy	Fights allergies
Lemons	Combats cancer	Protects your heart	Controls blood pressure	Smoothes skin	Stops scurvy
Limes	Combats cancer	Protects your heart	Controls blood pressure	Smoothes skin	Stops scurvy
Mangoes	Combats cancer	Boosts memory	Regulates thyroid	aids digestion	Shields against Alzheimer's
Mushrooms	Controls blood pressure	Lowers cholesterol	Kills bacteria	Combats cancer	Strengthens bones
Oats	Lowers cholesterol	Combats cancer	Battles diabetes	prevents constipation	Smoothes skin
Olive oil	Protects your heart	Promotes Weight loss	Combats cancer	Battles diabetes	Smoothes skin
Onions	Reduce risk of heart attack	Combats cancer	Kills bacteria	Lowers cholesterol	Fights fungus
Oranges	Supports immune systems	Combats cancer	Protects your heart	Straightens respiration
Peaches	prevents constipation	Combats cancer	Helps stops strokes	aids digestion

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Surgery, chemotherapy and radiation are the best-known methods for treating cancer. At TEDMED, Bill Doyle presents a new approach, called Tumor Treating Fields, which uses electric fields to interrupt cancer cell division. Still in its infancy -- and approved for only certain types of cancer -- the treatment comes with one big benefit: quality of life.

With his company Novocure, Bill Doyle works to bring breakthrough medical technologies to doctors and patients. Full bio »

The [Tumor Treating Fields] patients can undergo all the activities of their daily life. There's none of the tiredness. There's none of what is called the ‘chemo head.’” (Bill Doyle)

http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/en/bill_doyle_treating_cancer_with_electric_fields.html