Artesunate For Cancer Treatment
Artesunate was originally developed to treat malaria. It is part of the artemisinin group of drugs and is water-soluble so it can be administered intravenously. Artemisinin is an active ingredient extracted from Chinese herbal medicine Qing Hao (Herba Artemisiae annuae), a sweet wormwood plant.
Artesunate has been found to effectively aid in cancer treatment. One study(jbc.org/content/289/48/33425.full#ref-6) confirmed that artesunate “induces apoptotic cell death in cancer cells.” For this to occur, functional lysosomes are required.
Lysosomes are organelles enclosed in a membrane. They contain enzymes that break down proteins, nucleic acids, carbohydrates, and lipids. Lysosomes act as the “digestive system of the cell” which means that it “degrades” materials from outside the cell and digests “obsolete components” of the cell.
Other anti-cancer properties of artesunate include “cell cycle arrest, inhibition of angiogenesis (growth of new blood vessels which is needed by tumors to grow), reduction of cell invasion and metastasis.” Metastasis is when primary cancer cells travel through the blood or lymph system and form new tumors in other parts of the body.
How does artesunate IV work as a cancer therapy?
Cancer cells absorb iron on a much higher level. This is what causes the acceleration of mutated cells. When iron and oxygen meet, free radicals or unstable atoms are formed. This damages the DNA. In cancer cells, this causes mutation and heightened resistance to therapies.
What artesunate does is activate mitochondrial apoptosis or programmed cell death. It uses the iron inside the cancer cells against them. This causes the cells to die off.
Bastyr Research Center of Integrative Oncology has initial data to show that artesunate IV and intravenous high-dose vitamin C combined have a positive impact on cancer patients in advanced stages.
Artesunate has also been found to help improve, not just survival rates, but also the quality of life for patients. Another study was between two groups of women with stage 4 breast cancer. They found that those that received both an artesunate IV and intravenous high-dose vitamin C had a 90% rate of survival after 12 months. This is compared to the 74% rate of survival for those who received neither of the intravenous therapies.
It is also vital to note that the former group did not experience any adverse health effects related to the therapies. After 24 months, the non-therapy group had a 68% survival rate while the artesunate and high-dose vitamin C IV therapy group retained a 90% rate of survival.
Supporting Evidence of Artesunate’s Effectiveness in Treating Cancer
Further studies found that artesunate while exhibiting potent anti-cancer properties, has no obvious toxicity in therapeutic dosage. It is also inexpensive compared to many chemotherapy drugs. It is non-toxic, gentle and has a wide anti-cancer spectrum. This means that it can be used right after diagnosis as well as after surgery, chemotherapy or radiation to prevent relapse and metastasis.
We state these findings because some of the people who come to The LifeCo Clinic for cancer treatment have already undergone some of the conventional treatments. Despite undergoing these conventional treatments, our cancer treatment program is still effective in helping people heal from cancer.
At The LifeCo Clinic, we do not use chemotherapy, radiation or perform any surgeries. Those are conventional medicine’s approach which has been proven not to work and inflict a lot of damage on the body as well as contribute to a further reoccurrence of cancer.