Asparagus -- a powerful vegetable against cancer

Asparagus is the shoots and stems of Asparagus genus Liliaceae. It is a vegetable with high nutritional value. Known as one of the top ten famous vegetables abroad, it was announced by the World Health Organization as "the first of the top ten healthy vegetables". As early as 2,000 years ago, "Shen Nong's Materia Medica" listed asparagus as "top grade", saying that taking it for a long time can lighten the body, benefit qi and prolong life.

Asparagus is a functional plant integrating edible, medicinal and ornamental. Its flesh is white and tender, with a delicious and aromatic flavor. It is also famous for its non-toxic and broad-spectrum anti-tumor effect. The medicinal value of asparagus is much higher than its nutritional value.

Asparagus tastes bitter and sweet, and slightly cold in nature. It returns to the lung and stomach meridians. It has the effects of moistening the lungs, antitussive, expectorant, insecticide, diuresis, and laxative. Modern studies have shown that asparagus has anti-mutation, anti-tumor, anti-fungal, anti-virus, hypolipidemic, anti-fatigue, molluscicide and other activities. In traditional medicine, it is used to treat tumors, neuritis, arthritis, toothache, stimulate hair growth, externally treat skin scabies and all parasites.

The Institute of Materia Medica, Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences has proved through experiments that asparagus extract can inhibit the activity of "topoisomerase" on cancer cells and promote the double-strand break of cancer cell DNA. Normal cells are not affected, so cancer cells can be selectively attacked.

Asparagus extract can effectively change the ratio of lymphocyte subsets in the human body, increase the activity of various immune cells, thereby enhancing the immune function of the body, so it is also called "biological response regulator".

Asparagus can reduce the content of circulating immune complex (CIC), produce thymosin, and promote the production of T cells, thereby improving immune function and regulating immune mechanism.

Asparagus contains polysaccharides. The main monosaccharide components of asparagus crude polysaccharides were xylose, fructose, rhamnose, arabinose, and galactose, and their percentages were 3.44%, 7.92%, 10.52%, 17.15%, and 41.85%, respectively. Asparagus polysaccharide has the function of repairing damaged cells, and has a good effect on inducing the differentiation of cancer cells and improving immunity.

In asparagus protein, it not only contains 18 kinds of amino acids, but also has a certain amount of 7 kinds of essential amino acids necessary for the human body, which is indeed rare in vegetables. Asparagus is rich in histone amidase, a substance that enables normal cell growth and assists in the differentiation of cancer cells. Asparaginase has been recognized to have the function of preventing and treating cancer and leukemia.

Asparagus is rich in nucleic acids, which can promote the repair of damaged DNA genes in cancer cells, and play an important role in the differentiation of cancer cells into normal cells.

Asparagus contains a variety of anti-cancer substances, among which sulforaphane is one of the most important preventive ingredients of cancer chemotherapy in cancer clinical trials. Asparagus also contains an asparagus saponin called asparanin A, which can prevent the growth of liver cancer cells and even induce apoptosis of cancer cells.

Asparagus is rich in selenium, potassium, zinc, copper, molybdenum, magnesium, manganese, chromium, calcium, iron, iodine, phosphorus, sodium and other organic minerals. The content of selenium is the most prominent, reaching 0.033 mg/kg. Selenium is the king of anti-cancer elements, it can inhibit the synthesis of deoxyribonucleic acid in cancer cells, prevent the division and growth of cancer cells, and even reverse the cancer cells. Selenium is a component of glutathione peroxidase, which can prevent the formation of peroxides and free radicals, inhibit the activity of carcinogens and accelerate detoxification. Selenium can stimulate the immune function of the body, promote the formation of antibodies, improve the resistance to cancer, and effectively control the growth of cancer cells.

Manganese in asparagus can improve fat metabolism and lower cholesterol; chromium can prevent atherosclerosis; molybdenum can block the synthesis of nitrite which is harmful to human body.

Asparagus is also rich in vitamins A, C, E, K, vitamins B1, B2, B6, niacin (niacin), folic acid, pantothenic acid, rutin (vitamin P), choline, rich phytochemicals and various steroidal saponin substances. Asparagus twigs are a good source of vitamin K, providing about 35 percent of your daily recommended intake. Vitamin K promotes bone formation and helps maintain bone health. Sufficient levels of vitamin K can reduce brain damage and play a role in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease.

Asparagus is rich in folic acid, its content is second only to the liver, 5 asparagus contains about 100 micrograms, which has reached the daily requirement. Folic acid is one of the very important cofactors for DNA synthesis in cells. Folic acid normalizes cell growth and helps cancer cells differentiate into normal cells. Adequate intake of folic acid by pregnant women can prevent neural tube defects in babies.

Asparagine and rutin in asparagus can enhance immunity, restore mutated cells to a normal physiological state, and control abnormal growth of cancer cells. Rutin, mannan, choline and arginine in asparagus can treat moderate to severe hypertension and cerebral hemorrhage.

In asparagus tender stems, the content of non-protein nitrogenous compounds is 0.71 ~ 0.96%, mainly asparagine, which is an amino acid amide body, and has many special physiological effects on the human body. It has certain preventive and therapeutic effects on hypertension, heart disease, nephritis, cystitis, edema and other diseases, and can inhibit the growth of tumor cells. Asparagine reacts with water to generate asparagine and ammonia. Asparagine and its salts can improve physical strength, help eliminate fatigue and increase appetite. It is often used to treat general fatigue, loss of appetite, protein metabolism disorders, Liver dysfunction (cirrhosis, acute or chronic hepatitis, etc.), arteriosclerosis, hypokalemia, nicotine poisoning, neuralgia, neuritis, eczema, dermatitis, visual fatigue, hearing loss, tuberculosis, palpitations, heart failure, diabetes, stones syndrome, cystitis, dysuria, etc.

Anticancer Pharmacology Report:

1. Some saponin compounds isolated from asparagus have obvious inhibitory activity on leukemia-388 cells.

2. Asparagus juice can promote the transformation and proliferation of peripheral blood T lymphocytes, and is a biological regulator of the body's immune function; combined with interleukin-2 (IL-2), it can increase the potency of IL-2 by as much as 2 times.

3. A certain concentration of asparagus juice has obvious cytotoxic effect on mouse lung adenocarcinoma-795, human nasopharyngeal carcinoma, human cervical carcinoma (Hela) and human esophageal carcinoma-109 cells in vitro.

4. Asparagus oral liquid and beverage have a strong inhibitory effect on esophageal cancer-109 cells, the inhibition rates are 60.9% and 69.4% respectively; the control group cyclophosphamide is 62.4%. The inhibition rate was the highest at 0.1 ml.

5. The commercial product "Asparagus Extract" can inhibit the growth of lung adenocarcinoma-739 solid tumor in mice. Tumor volume measurements showed that the product delayed the average tumor doubling time by 4 days. Tumors in individual animals disappeared completely.

6. The tissue protein contained in asparagus can normalize cell growth and repair mutated cells.

Reviews of past dynasties:

1. "Encyclopedia of Food and Nutrition" (USA): "Asparagus is low in calories and carbohydrates, but a cup (240 ml) of asparagus soup contains more protein (3~6 g) than a cup of cornmeal porridge or a cup of rice porridge." The green main stem contains more vitamin A than the white one. It has long been believed to be effective against conditions such as anemia, arthritis, edema, neuritis, obesity and rheumatism."

2. "China Medical News" (1988.10.9): "Natural asparagus contains a variety of amino acids and trace elements, which are rich in nutrients. It is a good nourishing product for clearing heat and nourishing yin, clearing the throat and moistening the lungs, refreshing the mind, and eliminating fatigue."

3. "Open Book Benefits" (4, 1986): "Asparagus meat is white, tender, and soft. No matter it is steamed, fried, boiled, or stewed, it has a long-lasting fragrance and unique flavor. It contains carotene and vitamin C. It is several times higher than that of tomatoes and spinach; and it contains as many as 17 kinds of amino acids, which are even rarer in vegetables. Most cancer patients are in a state where protein cannot make ends meet, and using asparagus can supplement protein to improve health.”

4. According to "Cancer - How to Prevent and How to Help Doctors Overcome It" (1983): Cancer patients take 4 tablespoons of asparagus juice every morning and evening, which can play a therapeutic role. How does the average person use asparagus to prevent cancer? Can be taken with 2 tablespoons of puree diluted in water with breakfast and dinner. Asparagus should not be eaten raw, nor should it be stored for more than one week before eating. It is important not to interrupt the treatment process until the cancer of the patient diagnosed medically has been eliminated before stopping eating.

5. American nutritionist G.E. Berkeley believes: "Studies have proved that asparagus has curative effects on almost all types of cancer. Just from the important anti-cancer nutrients it contains, it is also worth including it in our anti-cancer menu .”

6. Reported at the First National Health Food Academic Conference on Anti-aging Drugs (1987·Shenyang): Asparagus not only has anti-cancer effect, but also has rare anti-aging activity.

Successful treatment cases:

The following are some cases of significant curative effect after taking asparagus.

1. A dentist in Pittsburgh in the United States cured himself of eye cancer and malignant lymphoma by eating a lot of asparagus.

2. A desperate man suffering from malignant lymphoma in the United States, after a year of treatment with asparagus, doctors could not detect any trace of cancer. Another male patient with advanced lung cancer recovered after taking asparagus for 5 months (US "Prevention" 2, 1974).

3. An organization in the United States dedicated to promoting the use of asparagus to treat cancer, the "International Association of Cancer Patients", reported in a bulletin of the association that 60 cancer patients recovered after being treated with asparagus.

4. Mr. Huang, a returned overseas Chinese from Changshan Overseas Chinese Village in Zhangzhou City, China, insisted on eating a can of 415 grams of asparagus every day after liver cancer worsened and spread, while undergoing chemotherapy. Three months later, the liver tumor shrunk significantly, and finally completely disappeared, and the patient recovered ("Fujian Traditional Chinese Medicine" 2, 1988).

5. Mr. Liu, from the Hanchuan County Chief Medicinal Material Company in Hubei Province, was diagnosed with rectal cancer and had blood in his stool. After taking canned asparagus for a week, his stool returned to normal, and he could return to work after a month ("Open Book and Benefit" 4, 1986) .

6. In China, 178 cases of benign tumors (breast lobular hyperplasia) were treated with asparagus preparation (Runing Tablets), with a total effective rate of 90.45% without any side effects ("Life and Health" 1985, 12, 15).

7. A lung cancer patient underwent tumor resection in March 1971. Doctors found that the tumor had spread widely and could not be removed effectively, so they had to seal the incision. The patient received the asparagus therapy in early April and persisted every day. In August, he underwent a scan and found that all cancers had disappeared.

8. A woman who suffered from skin cancer for many years, after treatment, instead of curing her skin cancer, she developed 7 different types of skin cancer. When the doctors were at a loss, she accepted the advice of her friends and practiced asparagus therapy, uninterrupted every day. When she went for an examination 3 months later, the doctor told her that the skin cancer had been cured. The patient said that she had undergone 30 operations for kidney stones, but now her kidney disease has also been cured. In 1971, a medical journal published by the University of Pennsylvania published asparagus as a possible cure for kidney stones. A 1972 magazine also reported that asparagus may eliminate bladder stones.

9. A 67-year-old patient suffered from bladder cancer more than 10 years ago. After seeking medical treatment, he tried various treatments but still failed. Finally, he accepted asparagus therapy with the mentality of giving it a try. It was only practiced for more than 3 months, and then he went to the hospital for an examination, and found that the tumor in the bladder had completely disappeared.

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Asparagus has preventive and therapeutic effects on various cancer patients, especially for bladder cancer, lung cancer, skin cancer, breast cancer, lymphoma, and leukemia. Asparagus can treat leukemia, which has been recognized by the world. According to the Bulletin of the International Association of Cancer Patients, the condition begins to improve after taking asparagus for 2~4 weeks. Except for patients who have undergone chemotherapy, asparagus therapy is effective for all cancers. Eating asparagus can slow down the loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting, and dry mouth caused by radiotherapy and chemotherapy.

Asparagus can be fried, boiled, stewed, as a salad, and can also be used as soup. If the healing reaction produced by raw food is too strong, it can be eaten after cooking. After eating asparagus, it may cause a foul-smelling urine. This is due to the decomposition of asparagusic acid produced by metabolism into various sulfur-containing degradation products, such as methyl mercaptan, sulfide, etc., but this situation is harmless.

After eating asparagus, the body metabolizes asparagus acid into DMSO. In one case study, more than 0.5 g of DMSO was found in the urine of one participant who ate 500 g of asparagus, while more than 4 mg of the derived sulfur-containing volatile was found in the urine of another participant. This suggests that more than 4 mg of DMSO may still be present in the body at any time within a few hours of ingesting asparagus, although DMSO may eventually be metabolized into other products in the body. DMSO is a natural substance with strong anti-cancer effect. The body produces DMSO after eating asparagus, which explains why asparagus has such powerful cancer-fighting properties. Please refer to the chapter on DMSO.

The patient should take about 120g of asparagus (8 inches long, 6~8 pieces) every morning and evening without interruption until the confirmed tumor has disappeared. Canned asparagus has the same anticancer properties. The patient can cook the asparagus as a dish, or steam it, put it in a blender and add a little water to make a puree, keep it in the refrigerator, and eat it several times. Asparagus puree can also be eaten after adding some soup or drink.

The main point of eating asparagus is to eat it while it is "fresh", because the fresher the asparagus, the more obvious its anti-cancer and health care effects. The important components of asparagus are in the young shoots at the tips, so more attention should be paid to preserving the tips of asparagus. If you can't eat it right away, you can wrap the asparagus in paper and put it in the refrigerator, but it can be kept for up to 2~3 days. Another method is to boil the asparagus in 5% warm salt water for 1 minute, take it out and cool it in cold water, and then put it in the refrigerator for 10 minutes to prolong its freshness.

As patients must consume asparagus on an uninterrupted daily basis, it is imperative to ensure adequate sources or better storage methods. Preserving asparagus in apple cider vinegar can even enhance its benefits. There are two ways, one is to cut the asparagus into sections, then soak them in apple cider vinegar and store them in a glass bottle for later use. The second is to use a blender to blend asparagus and an appropriate amount of apple cider vinegar into asparagus puree, and store it in a glass bottle for later use. Add some honey and water when eating.

It can be seen from the above discussion that the anti-cancer effect of asparagus is very comprehensive. An effective treatment plan must conform to the process of "attack-initiate repair-induce apoptosis and differentiation", and asparagus itself has various substances required for each stage. Asparagus can selectively attack cancer cells, has the ingredients needed to start repair, can improve immune function, and has a variety of active ingredients that induce apoptosis and differentiation, and is rich in various nutrients that can promote the recovery of the sick body. This is why many cancer patients are cured by just taking asparagus. A single herb has all the substances needed to fight cancer, which is really rare in nature. The only thing that can affect its efficacy is the soil and method of planting.

The poor self-healing function of cancer patients cannot complete the work of differentiation of cancer cells into normal cells. Asparagus can attack cancer cells from scratch and activate the repair mechanism of cancer cells. It can also help activate and enhance immune function, supervise the process of differentiation and apoptosis of cancer cells, enable the immune system to undergo a complete anti-cancer process, and train the immune cells to recognize cancer cells and lead the process of differentiation and apoptosis. Although asparagus only helps with a small part of the job, it is very significant in that it gives the immune system a memory of a successful fight against cancer.

Asparagus can be the main drug for treating cancer, and on this basis, it can be combined with other anti-cancer methods, so the recovery process will be faster, more thorough and more effective.

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