Many of the more successful chemotherapeutic drugs began as plant-based treatments, including vincristine, camptothecin, and paclitaxel. Herbal remedies are a natural choice for patients suffering from certain types of cancer, such as pancreatic cancer, for which conventional therapies are only partially successful.

In the search for a more successful, plant-based remedy for pancreatic cancer, researchers at the University of Illinois tested 56 different plant extracts that are currently used in the traditional folk medicine of Bangladesh.

Three of the tested substances -- Petunia punctata, Amoora chittagonga, and Alternanthera sessilis—did show promise for cancer therapy.

Other alternative medicines already used, with some degree of success, in the treatment of pancreatic cancer include:

1. Quercetin, an antioxidant flavonoid
2. Omega-3 fatty acids, found in fish
3. Berberine, a dietary supplement
4. Reseveratrol, a pigment found in red grapes
5. Pterostilbene, a pigment from blueberries
6. Propolis, food made by bees
7. Chinese herbal medicines mylabris (and its extract, cantharidin) and PHY906.

Source: EmpowHer with contributions by AltMeds.com editorial staff.