Ayurveda and common Indian spices: A natural alternative for cancer therapy

Abstract An integrated approach is needed to manage cancer using the growing body of knowledge gained through scientific developments. Thousands of herbal and traditional compounds are being screened worldwide to validate their use as anticancerous drugs. The science of Ayurveda is supposed to add a step to the curative aspects of cancers that have a resemblance with the clinical entities of Arbuda and Granthi mentioned in Sushrutha samhita. Some of the herbal medicine and spice-based active constituents which are widely known for their chemopreventive action against various malignancies are Triphala churna , curcumin and curcuminoids (turmeric), limonene (cardamom), allicin, allyl isothiocyanate (garlic), cinnamic aldehyde, 2-hydroxycinnamaldehyde and eugenol (cinnamon), gingerol, zingiberone, zingiberene (ginger), dipropyle disulfides and quercetin (onion), piperidine piperine, (black pepper), crocetin, crocin, and Safranal (saffron). Hence, an attempt is made in this review to discuss the pathology and therapeutic management of various cancers described in Ayurveda. A review of the literature on anticancer drugs of plant origin revealed the identification of newer ayurvedic drugs that are not mentioned in the ancient texts. These new findings add up to ayurvedic science that has been developed through the ages. In addition, details of experimental and clinical studies conducted on single and compound ayurvedic preparations for their anticancer efficacy strongly emphasize ayurvedic therapy as a scientifically driven one and not simply unconventional.