Supplements & Botanicals

About Herbs Database (Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center)

 Integrative Medicine: Search About Herbs | Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (mskcc.org) 

Natural Supplements for Cancer Patients to Avoid (City of Hope)

https://www.cancercenter.com/integrative-care/naturopathic-support/natural-supplements-to-avoid

Cancer Therapy Interactions (NCI)

Cancer Therapy Interactions With Foods and Dietary Supplements - NCI

Patient site: https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/treatment/cam/patient

Frequently Asked Questions on Botanical Drug Product Development (FDA)

https://www.fda.gov/about-fda/center-drug-evaluation-and-research-cder/frequently-asked-questions-botanical-drug-product-development

Curcumin and Cancer (NCI)

Provider: Curcumin and Cancer (PDQ®) - NCI

Patient: Curcumin and Cancer - NCI

Milk Thistle & Cancer (NCI)

Provider: Milk Thistle (PDQ®) - NCI (cancer.gov)

Patient: Milk Thistle - NCI (cancer.gov)

Vitamin D & Cancer (NCI)

Vitamin D and Cancer - NCI

Vitamin D Supplements Linked to Lower Risk of Advanced Cancer (Harvard Health) "But it’s too soon to recommend high-dose supplements expressly for this purpose."

https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/vitamin-d-supplements-linked-to-lower-risk-of-advanced-cancer

Effect of Vitamin D3 Supplements on Development of Advanced Cancer (Keum  N, Lee  DH, Greenwood  DC, Manson  JE, Giovannucci  E.  Ann Oncol. 2019;30(5):733-743. doi:10.1093/annonc/mdz059) In this randomized clinical trial, supplementation with vitamin D reduced the incidence of advanced (metastatic or fatal) cancer in the overall cohort, with the strongest risk reduction seen in individuals with normal weight.

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2773074

Tea & Cancer Prevention (NCI)

https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk/diet/tea-fact-sheet

Recent advance of herbal medicines in cancer- a molecular approach (Ali, Mohammad et al. Heliyon vol. 9,2 e13684. 14 Feb. 2023) 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9971193/

Taking Vitamins During Cancer Treatment (Verywell Health)

https://www.verywellhealth.com/should-i-take-vitamins-during-cancer-treatment-2248924

Insights on the Role of Polyphenols in Combating Cancer Drug Resistance (Farhan, Mohd.  Biomedicines vol. 11,6 1709. 14 Jun. 2023) Chemotherapy resistance is still a serious problem in the treatment of most cancers. Many cellular and molecular mechanisms contribute to both inherent and acquired drug resistance. They include the use of unaffected growth-signaling pathways, changes in the tumor microenvironment, and the active transport of medicines out of the cell. The antioxidant capacity of polyphenols and their potential to inhibit the activation of procarcinogens, cancer cell proliferation, metastasis, and angiogenesis, as well as to promote the inhibition or downregulation of active drug efflux transporters, have been linked to a reduced risk of cancer in epidemiological studies. 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10296548/

Integrating herbal medicine into oncology care delivery: development, implementation, and evaluation of a novel program (Hou, Yen-Nien et al. Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer vol. 31,2 128. 21 Jan. 2023) Many cancer patients and survivors use herbs and supplements for relief of symptoms and for improving quality of life. In the U.S., herbal products are the most commonly used complementary and integrative medicine (CIM) modality among cancer patients. Nearly 60% of patients report self-prescribing herbal supplements during or after cancer treatments. However, patients seldom communicate with health care providers about their CIM and herbal use. Unsupervised use can lead to numerous adverse effects and herb-drug interactions, particularly in cancer patients undergoing active treatment. 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9860233/

Addressing Patient Requests to Add Dietary Supplements to Their Cancer Care—A Suggested Approach (Frenkel, Moshe et al. Nutrients vol. 15,24 5029. 7 Dec. 2023) Dietary supplements are widely utilized by cancer patients as part of a complementary and integrative approach to their healthcare. However, a significant portion of patients refrain from discussing their supplement use with their physicians, often due to the perceived indifference or negativity of their healthcare providers. This communication gap exposes patients to unreliable information sources and potential risks associated with uninformed supplementation.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10745580/

Ambrosone, Christine B et al. “Dietary Supplement Use During Chemotherapy and Survival Outcomes of Patients With Breast Cancer Enrolled in a Cooperative Group Clinical Trial (SWOG S0221).” Journal of clinical oncology : official journal of the American Society of Clinical Oncology vol. 38,8 (2020): 804-814. doi:10.1200/JCO.19.01203 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7062457/

Study: Can Taking Dietary Supplements During Chemotherapy Do More Harms than Good? (FORCE)

https://www.facingourrisk.org/XRAY/dietary-supplements-may-be-harmful-during-chemotherapy

Drug Interaction Checker (Medscape)

https://reference.medscape.com/drug-interactionchecker

Drugs Interaction Checker (WebMD)

https://www.webmd.com/interaction-checker/default.htm

Interaction Check (Epocrates) You have to create a free account to access site features

https://www.epocrates.com/online/interaction-check

Supplement/Botanical Interactions with Chemotherapy and Radiations (US Dept. Veterans Affairs)

https://www.va.gov/WHOLEHEALTHLIBRARY/tools/supplement-botanical-interactions-with-chemotherapy-radiation.asp

Cancer Therapy Interactions (NCI)

Cancer Therapy Interactions With Foods and Dietary Supplements - NCI

Patient site: https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/treatment/cam/patient