Summary

Though there is considerable historical and anecdotal record for the use and efficacy of the cancer preventative properties of vegetables, fruits, and herbs, modern healthcare professionals require scientific evidence and verifiable results to make defensible decisions on the benefits, risks, and value of botanicals and their extracts in the prevention and treatment of cancers.

Presenting research-based evidence of the role of herbs and bioactive foods in the prevention and treatment of cancer, Bioactive Foods and Extracts: Cancer Treatment and Prevention provides the scientific basis for millennia of empirical evidence. Divided into four sections, the book begins with a look at herbal medicines and bioactive foods in cancer prevention in general including the benefits of Greco-Arabic and Islamic herbal medicine, Indian vegetarian diet, and a range of culinary spices.

The second section considers specific bioactive foods in cancer prevention. Chapters include in-depth discussions of phytochemicals and their therapeutic action within the body, curcumin-mediated cellular response, and the mechanism and use of prunes and plums, mushrooms, and tomato-based products. The third section takes a focused look at certain cancers such as colon, prostate, breast, and lung cancer. Substances analyzed include ginseng, pentacyclic triterpenes from olives, cruciferous vegetables, and fruit phenolics, as well as alcohol and its associated risks. The final section investigates non-botanical supplements including vitamin D, calcium, selenium, and probiotics.

Providing an important scientific and evidence-based record on an increasingly popular branch of modern healthcare, this indispensible reference brings together the analytical research of modern science and the wisdom of herbal and food based medicine and puts them at your fingertips.