Pomegranates and Treatment of Cancer

Recent scientific research indicates that the pomegranate may be helpful in the prevention and treatment of various types of cancer including breast cancer, skin cancer, prostate cancer and lung cancer.

  • Breast cancer: Research using both mouse mammary organ culture and human breast cancer cells in vitro has demonstrated the anticancer effects of pomegranate extracts.
  • Skin cancer: Dr. Hasan Mukhtar and colleagues from the University of Wisconsin have shown that a topically-applied pomegranate fruit extract can block skin tumor formation in mice.
  • Prostrate and other cancers: Other studies demonstrate the significant anti-tumor activity of pomegranate-derived materials in prostate cancer, and the positive effect of extracts of pomegranate in promoting differentiation, that is, the ability of cancer cells to revert back to normal cell functioning.
  • Lung cancer: Pomegranates have been shown to be the richest source of a natural substance called ellagic acid. According to master herbalist and certified nutritionist, Donald Yance in his book Herbal Medicine, Healing & Cancer, ellagic acid “inhibits cancer formation and is believed to inhibit cancer mutation… Ellagic acid is particularly effective in the inhibition of lung cancer caused by tobacco.”
  • Retarding tumor growth: The pomegranate also contains anthocyanidins and proanthocyanidins (flavonoids), substances that have been shown to reduce angiogenesis, the tumor’s ability to develop the blood vessels it needs to grow.

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