There
is NO convincing scientific evidence that cassava is effective in
preventing or treating cancer. However, some researchers have proposed
an idea that might eventually lead to treatments that use an enzyme from
the cassava plant. This approach has not been scientifically tested.
HOW IS IT PROMOTED FOR USE?
In
folk medicine, the cassava plant is promoted for treating snakebites,
boils, diarrhea, flu, hernia, inflammation, conjunctivitis, sores, and
several other problems including cancer.
Cassava
plants can produce the poisonous substance cyanide as a way to fend off
animals trying to eat them. Chewing the plant causes it to release an
enzyme called linamarase, and linamarase, in turn, converts a compound
in the plant called linamarin into cyanide.
Researchers have suggested that this ability might be useful as a form of gene therapy.
First,
the gene for linamarase could be selectively put into cancer cells. If
linamarin were then introduced into the body, cancer cells would break
it down and release cyanide only in the area around the cancer cells,
killing them. Since normal cells would not have the linamarase gene and
would not be able to convert linamarin into cyanide, they would not be
affected.
Cassava
leaves are sold in health food stores and on the Internet in capsule or
powder form. Cassava root starch may be used in Vitamin C supplements.
The
parts of cassava used for food are the tubers, which are usually eaten
raw, boiled, or fried. A form of flour is also made from the cassava
plant. In Western countries, tapioca, made from cassava is found in baby
foods and prepared as a dessert.
It
has been theorized that the plant's ability to make cyanide may be
useful as a type of gene therapy to treat cancer, but further research
is needed to determine whether the technique will work in humans. This
use would be quite different from the use of the cassava plant as an
herbal remedy.
AVAILABLE EVIDENCE
Available
scientific evidence does not support claims that botanical products
currently made from the cassava plant have anticancer properties.
A
British researcher identified the cassava genes involved in making
hydrogen cyanide in the early 1990s. In collaboration with cancer
specialists in Spain, she has conducted studies of the linamarase gene.
They added this gene to a virus, which was then injected into rat brain
tumors. These tumors were killed when the rats were infused with
linamarin.
Further research is needed to determine if this technique will work in people.
Many
scientists around the world are currently developing gene therapy
methods for introducing DNA selectively into the tumor cells of cancer
patients. More research is needed to determine whether linamarin and
linamarase can be safely and effectively used to kill cancer cells in
people with cancer.
Extracted
chemicals or substances are different from the raw plant. Study results
of extracts are not expected to have the same result as studies using
the raw plant.
BUT THERE ARE POSSIBLE COMPLICATIONS ATTACHED
The
cassava plant produces cyanide, a poison that can be deadly to humans,
and cassava can be a serious health hazard if it is not processed
properly.
Some
of the signs of cyanide poisoning are headache, dizziness, agitation,
confusion, coma, and convulsions. Some people in developing countries
have been poisoned by eating parts of the cassava plant that were not
prepared properly.
In
regions of Africa and Latin America where cassava is a main staple
food, illnesses due to consuming smaller amounts of cyanide taken in
over a long period of time can occur if cassava leaves or roots are not
processed properly.
Effects
can include paralysis of the legs, trouble walking, and poor vision and
hearing. Malnutrition can also occur when cassava is a major part of
the diet because of the plant is low in protein and certain
micronutrients.
Some
people are allergic to cassava. Those with allergies to natural rubber
latex may be more likely to have serious reactions. Relying on this type
of treatment alone and avoiding or delaying conventional medical care
for cancer may have serious health consequences.
#StayHealthy #StaySafe