Anticancer Activities of Thai Traditional Herbal Formulae In Vitro

The global burden of disease is predominated by cancer, a chronic illness that threatens the quality of life, and physical, and mental health. On a wider aspect, economic resources are pooled into cancer treatments that have significant repercussions such as inevitable side effects that lead to depression, this accentuates the need for a more efficacious cure with fewer adversities and financial expenses. Since ancient times, Thai traditional herbal medicine has been deployed to maintain good health, relieve ailments, and prevent diseases through a holistic approach. In prevailing times, many have sought out herbal remedies as a first choice, or as complementary medicine especially when modern treatment options were ineffective or resulted in severe health consequences, especially now with the rise in scientific evidence to discover the herbs’ mechanisms of action in fighting disease. In this research, the efficacy of 21 Thai traditional herbal formulas on killing cancer cells in vitro is reported, along with a review of their benefits and effects on the body and a diverse range of medical conditions that further contribute to the manipulation of the tumor microenvironment. These herbs are safe without detrimental side effects, effective, and an economical solution especially for developing countries to fight cancer without the impact of the burden of disease on daily lives. This study explores the in vitro anticancer effect of 21 Thai traditional herbal formulas via cytotoxicity assays on 11 cancer cell lines and a normal cell line (Vero). Their anticancer activity was determined by 3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5 diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay and the half-maximal inhibitory concentrations (IC50) were calculated for the A431, HCT-116, HepG2, MCF-7, A549, SW480, Hela, NCI-H1975, Vero, RBE, and SK-OV-3 cell lines. The best effectiveness of cancer growth inhibition was by Beta V on RBE cells at an IC50 of 27.13 ± 9.826 μg/dL and at comparable levels, the A549 cell line was inhibited greatly by Kerrix Plus, Rizz, Merdana, and RID-ZY. The findings conclude that the Thai traditional herbal formulas can inhibit the proliferation of different types of cancer cells. From our results, the 21 herbal remedies may benefit as a complementary and alternative medicine to conventional cancer interventions, be economical for wide-scale use, and alleviate well-being significantly for advanced-stage cancer patients by minimizing adverse events.