Eat homemade marmalade jam to kill cancer??!! What a tasty idea!!

Why would you eat homemade marmalade to kill cancer? The key reason is that marmalade uses the peel of citrus fruit for its flavor.

Hesperidin is a flavanone that is found mainly in the peels of citrus fruits. This natural pigment can kill cervical and colon cancers.[1] To read more, please click below…

In a very recent research study (Oct 2015), scientists were curious about the natural plant pigment, Hesperidin. Their objective was to find out if this natural pigment, Hesperidin has any anti-tumor effects.

Why did the scientists look at citrus peel?

Homemade Marmalade Jam contains Herspiridin, a natural pigment (flavanone) which kills cancer

My speculation is that, even with technology advancing so quickly, pharmaceutical companies are still not able to create the next generation of powerful chemotherapy drugs. These drugs need to kill cancer cells without initiating a massive killing effect causing internal organ damage and leading to death of the cancer patient.

The research scientists in this study turned their focus on the natural ingredients from food/herbs – so that they could combine the components of the fruit with their chemicals to create the next powerful chemotherapy drug! While they did not pick homemade marmalade to investigate, they did experiment on the peels of citrus fruit.  Did your grandma or your mom make jam with citrus peel and tell to you that the peel has great stuff in it and is good for you? My mom certainly did!! And perhaps the scientists were also told too!! (I’m only half joking!)

In the test lab, the researchers applied different concentrations of Hesperidin (extracted from citrus peel) to HeLa cells (HeLa cells are immortal cervical cancer cells) for 24, 48, or 72 hours to observe their viability.

Clinical researchers were able to witness the death of HeLa cells under the influence of Hesperidin, the natural pigment contained in citrus fruit.

How did Hesperidin kill HeLa cells, the cervical cancer cells?

HeLa – Cervical Cancer Cells to be killed by Hespiridin, extracted from citrus peels

Hesperidin kills HeLa cells in several ways. Hesperidin triggers an ER stress (endoplasmic reticulum stress) response, leading to a stimulation of 2 proteins (GADD153/CHOP and GRP78) and an “executioner” protein, caspase, to initiate cell death (apoptosis); it promotes formation of chemically reactive molecules containing oxygen which cause oxidative damage to the cell structures (reactive oxygen species); It causes mitochondria (the powerhouse of the cell body) malfunction which cuts the energy supply to the body cell and leads to a complete “freeze” of cell activity; Hesperidin stops the differentiation cell cycle at the G0/G1 phase, before the cancer cell reaches mitosis and cytokinesis phases where cell division occurs and identical cancer daughter cells generate.

What was the conclusion of this scientific experiment?

The conclusion of this experiment: Hesperidin destroys the cancer cell’s capability to proliferate and develop into a larger tumor. It also induces cell death of the cancer cells.

What other cancer cells have been killed as well?

According to this article, the effect of Hesperidin was also verified on the human colon cancer cell HT-29 cells by the scientists. Also noted in the results was that Hesperidin inhibited the metastasis of HeLa cells in a concentration and time-dependent manner.

Can Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) be used as a cancer treatment alternative or as an adjunct treatment plan?

Over the past 5000+ years of Traditional Chinese Medicine history, peel of citrus fruits (tangerine peels, bitter orange peels, peels of finger citron fruit) have been some of the key herbal ingredients in many important herbal formula to fight diseases such as cancer and to promote longevity. Many of these herbal formulae continue to be used today in China to support the health of cancer patients.

While western pharmaceutical companies concentrate on researching the effects of a single ingredient such as Hesperidin, Traditional Chinese Medicine continues to rely on a more synergistic approach. For thousands of years, Chinese medicinal herbs have rarely been used singly to treat a disease; rather, many herbs with synergistic effects are usually combined to formulate concoctions to treat diseases.

With citrus fruit peel and research into Hesperidin, we see yet another instance where the scientific research carried out by western pharmaceutical companies serves to validate the empirical evidence gathered over many thousands of years of continuous use on which Traditional Chinese Medical remedies are based. Chinese Medicine however combines these citrus ingredients with other herbs in combinations which are intended to support the patient’s overall recovery synergistically.

In cases of cancer, Chinese Herbal Medicine synergistic herbal remedy combinations may well be used as part of the overall treatment plan. You may want to consult with a qualified Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioner to formulate an adjunct treatment plan to support your health and to assist in recovering from cancer.

How can you take advantage of this clinical experiment result at home?

When you buy marmalade jam, select those with a short ingredient list and less sugar. This means the jar of marmalade may have higher citrus fruit/peel content and includes less fillers/chemicals.

Since this clinical experiment did not indicate the types of citrus fruit used to destroy cancer, when you make marmalade jam yourself, it would probably be wise to add extra citrus peel from lemon, tangelos, mandarins, tangerines and lime (the more variety the better it would be). And you should reap the benefit of the natural medicine (homemade marmalade) you made on a regular basis!

Perhaps we should treasure great family traditions especially the ones that have been passed on to us for many generations!

If you still continue on with a family tradition of making your own homemade marmalade for breakfast, I would like to congratulate you on your family’s wisdom. Your grandparent’s wisdom genes have obviously passed on the next generation, right? Please continue to pass down this wise tradition of making homemade marmalade jam to the next generation!! The more people who are able to enjoy your great recipes, the better their health will be!!

By the way, if you have any great low sugar homemade marmalade recipes (only using natural ingredients), please feel free to share by typing into the comment box below. I would love to try out your great recipes!! And I believe some readers of this article would love it too!

Should You Eat Homemade Marmalade to Kill Cancer?

The scientific evidence from this study does show that Hesperidin destroys the cancer cell’s capability to proliferate and also induces cell death of the cancer cells. The peels of citrus fruit contain significant amounts of Hesperiden and it certainly won’t hurt you to eat homemade marmalade on a regular basis. Remember, eat homemade marmalade to kill cancer (well, seriously, the article does indicate the possibilities of using the natural pigment of citrus fruit to kill cancer and marmalade IS delicious!).

And of course, in cases of cancer, you can consult a licensed Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioner and have a Chinese Medicine remedy formulated for you as part of your overall treatment plan to support your health and assist your body to recover from cancer.

Disclaimer:

The purpose of this article is to present clinical data to the general public in a way which make it easier to understand the scientific and therapeutic views of food/herbs. The author of this article does not endorse any brand supplement or herbal products.

About the author:
Bernadette Yu is registered Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioner within Ontario, she teaches Chinese Herbal medicine in one of the Chinese Medicine Schools in Toronto. She enjoys reading medical journals and experiment with food and herbs in her kitchen. She is a frequent speaker/presenter in topics related to Chinese Medicine and holistic nutrition. She gives seminars on a regular basis in the general public to promote the use of Chinese Medicine and dietary therapy to treat various types of diseases in a natural way.

Thank you for reading this article! Have a very blessed day!

Reference:

[1] Hesperidin inhibits HeLa cell proliferation through apoptosis mediated by endoplasmic reticulum stress pathways and cell cycle arrest. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26459308#

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