ASPARAGUS -- Who knew?

This is from a friend
My Mom had been taking the full-stalk canned style
asparagus that she pureed and she took 4 tablespoons in
the morning and 4 tablespoons later in the day. She did
this for over a month. She is on chemo pills for Stage 3
lung cancer in the pleural area and her cancer cell
count went from 386 down to 125 as of this past week.
Her oncologist said she does not need to see him for 3months.

THE ARTICLE:
Several years ago, I had a man seeking asparagus for a
friend who had cancer. He gave me a photocopied copy
of an article, entitled, Asparagus for cancer 'printed in
Cancer News Journal, December 1979. I will share it
here, just as it was shared with me: I am a
biochemist, and have specialized in the relation of diet
to health or over 50 years. Several years ago, I learned
of the discovery of Richard R. Vensal, D.D.S. that
asparagus might cure cancer. Since then, I have worked
with him on his project We have accumulated a number
of favorable case histories. Here are a few examples:

Case No. 1, A man with an almost hopeless case
of Hodgkin's disease (cancer of the lymph glands) who
was completely incapacitated. Within 1 year of starting
the asparagus therapy, his doctors were unable to
detect any signs of cancer, and he was back on a
schedule of strenuous exercise.

Case No. 2, a successful businessman 68 years old
who suffered from cancer of the bladder for 16 years.
After years of medical treatments, including radiation
without improvement, he went on asparagus. Within 3
months, examinations revealed that his bladder tumor
had disappeared and that his kidneys were normal.

Case No. 3, a man who had lung cancer. On March 5th 1971, he
was put on the operating table where they found
lung cancer so widely spread that it was inoperable.
The surgeon sewed him up and declared his case
hopeless. On April 5th he heard about the Asparagus
therapy and immediately started taking it By August,
x-ray pictures revealed that all signs of the cancer had
disappeared. He is back at his regular business routine.

Case No. 4, a woman who was troubled for a number of
years with skin cancer. She finally developed different
skin cancers which were diagnosed by the acting
specialist as advanced. Within 3 months after starting
on asparagus, her skin specialist said that her skin
looked fine and no more skin lesions. This woman
reported that the asparagus therapy also cured her
kidney disease, which started in 1949. She had over 10
operations for kidney stones, and was receiving
government disability payments for an inoperable,
terminal, kidney condition. She attributes the cure of
this kidney trouble entirely to the asparagus.

I was not surprised at this result, as `The elements of materia medica', edited in1854 by a Professor at the University of Pennsylvania , stated that asparagus was used as a popular remedy for kidney stones. He even referred to experiments, in 1739, on the power of
asparagus in dissolving stones. Note the dates! We would have other case histories but the medical establishment has interfered with our obtaining some of the records. I am therefore appealing to readers to spread this good news and help us to gather a large number of case histories that will overwhelm the medical skeptics about this unbelievably simple and
natural remedy.

For the treatment, asparagus should be cooked before using, and therefore canned asparagus is just as good as fresh. I have corresponded with the two leading canners of asparagus, Giant and Stokely, and I am satisfied that these brands contain no pesticides or preservatives.

Place the cooked asparagus in a blender and liquefy to make a puree, and store in the refrigerator. Give the patient 4 full tablespoons twice daily, morning and evening. Patients usually show some improvement in 2-4 weeks. It can be diluted with water and used as a
cold or hot drink. This suggested dosage is based on present experience, but certainly larger amounts can do no harm and may be needed in some cases. As a biochemist I am convinced of the old saying that `what cures can prevent.' Based on this theory, my wife and I have been using asparagus puree as a beverage with our meals. We take 2 tablespoons diluted in water to
suit our taste with breakfast and with dinner. I take mine hot and my wife prefers hers cold. For years we have made it a practice to have blood surveys taken as part of our regular checkups. The last blood survey, taken by a medical doctor who specializes in the nutritional approach to health, showed substantial improvements in all categories over the last one, and we can attribute these improvements to nothing but the asparagus drink.

As a biochemist, I have made an extensive study of all aspects of cancer, and all of the proposed cures. As a result, I am convinced that asparagus fits in better with the latest theories about cancer.

Asparagus contains a good supply of protein called histones, which are believed to be active in controlling cell growth.. For that reason, I believe asparagus can be said to contain a substance that I call cell growth normalizer. That accounts for its action on cancer and in acting as a general body tonic. In any event, regardless of theory, asparagus used as we suggest, is a harmless substance. The FDA cannot prevent you from using it and it may do you much good. It has been reported by the US National Cancer Institute, that asparagus is the highest tested food containing glutathione, which is considered one of the body's most potent anticarcinogens and antioxidants.

Please send this article to everyone in your Address Book. The most unselfish act one can ever do is paying forward all the kindness one has received.

Durian Belanda penawar CANCER

Setiap penyakit ada ubatnya kecuali mati..
Durian Belanda di kaji sebagai penawar penyakit kanser

DURIAN BELANDA ADALAH PENAWAR SEBENAR KANSER

Durian Belanda atau Soursop, buah dari pohon Graviola adalah pembunuh semulajadi sel kanser yang ajaib dengan 10 ribu kali lebih kuat dari pada terapi kemo. Tapi kenapa kita tidak tahu?

Kerana salah satu perusahaan dunia telah menutup rahsia penemuan penyelidikan tentang khasiat buah ini sebaik mungkin, mereka ingin agar dana penyelidikan yang dikeluarkan sangat besar, selama bertahun-tahun, ditambah pula keuntungan yang melimpah dengan cara menjadikan pohon Graviola Sintetis sebagai bahan utama ubat rawatan kanser.

Pohonnya rendah, di Brazil dinamai 'Graviola', di Sepanyol 'Guanabana' bahasa Inggeris dipanggil 'Soursop'. Di Indonesia, dikenali sebagai buah Sirsak manakala di Malaysia dipanggil sebagai Durian Belanda. Buahnya agak besar, kulitnya berduri lembut, isi buah berwarna putih, rasanya masam-masam manis, dimakan dengan cara membuka kulitnya atau dibuat jus.

Khasiat dari buah durian belanda ini memberikan kesan anti tumor / kanser yang sangat kuat, dan terbukti secara perubatan menyembuhkan segala jenis kanser. Selain menyembuhkan kanser, buah ini juga berfungsi sebagai anti bakteria, anti fungus , berkesan melawan berbagai jenis parasit dan cacing, menurunkan tekanan darah tinggi, kemurungan, stress, dan menormalkan kembali sistem saraf yang kurang baik.

Salah satu contoh betapa pentingnya kewujudan Institut Sains Kesihatan bagi orang-orang Amerika adalah kerana institut ini telah membuka tabir rahsia buah ajaib ini. Fakta yang membingungkankan adalah: Jauh dipedalaman hutan Amazon, tumbuh 'pohon ajaib', yang akan merubah cara berfikir anda, doktor anda, dan dunia mengenai proses penyembuhan kanser dan harapan untuk bertahan hidup.

Hasil penyelidikan membuktikan pohon ajaib dan buahnya ini :
i) Menyerang sel kanser secara efektif dan semulajadi, TANPA rasa mual, berat badan turun, rambut gugur, seperti yang terjadi pada terapi kemo.
ii) Melindungi sistem kekebalan tubuh dan mencegah dari jangkitan yang mematikan.
iii) Pesakit merasakan lebih kuat, lebih sihat selama proses perawatan/penyembuhan.
iv) Menambah tenaga dan penampilan fizikal semakin bertambah baik.
Sumber berita sangat mengejutkan ini berasal dari salah satu pengeluar farmasi terbesar di Amerika. Buah Graviola telah diuji lebih dari 20 makmal, sejak tahun 1970-an hingga beberapa tahun berikutnya.

Hasil ujikaji dari ekstrak (sari) buah ini adalah :
1. Secara berkesan memilih sasaran dan membunuh sel jahat dari 12 jenis kanser yang berbeza, diantaranya kanser : Usus Besar, Payu Dara, Prostat, Paru-Paru dan Pankreas.
2. Daya kerjanya 10,000 kali lebih kuat dalam memperlambatkan pertumbuhan sel kanser dibandingkan dengan Adriamycin dan Terapi Kemo yang biasa digunakan!
3. Tidak seperti terapi kemo, ekstrak buah ini secara selektif hanya memburu dan membunuh sel-sel jahat dan TIDAK membahayakan atau membunuh sel-sel yang sihat.

Penyelidikan telah dilakukan secara ekstensif pada pohon ajaib ini,selama bertahun-tahun tapi kenapa kita tidak tahu langsung mengenai hal ini? Jawabnya adalah : Begitu mudah kesihatan kita, kehidupan kita, dikendalikan oleh yang memiliki wang dan kekuasaan!

Salah satu perusahaan ubat terbesar di Amerika dengan aset jutaan dollar melakukan penyelidikan luar biasa pada pohon Graviola yang tumbuh dihutan Amazon ini. Ternyata beberapa bahagian dari pohon ini : kulit kayu, akar, daun, isi buah dan bijinya, selama berabad-abad lamanya telah menjadi penawar bagi suku Indian di Amerika Selatan untuk menyembuhkan : sakit jantung, asma, masalah berkaitan hati dan rematik. Dengan bukti-bukti ilmiah yang minimum, perusahaan yang mengumpulkan dana dan sumber usaha manusia yang sangat besar bagi tujuan melakukan penyelidikan dan berbagai ujian. Hasilnya sangat menakjubkan. Graviola secara ilmiah telah terbukti sebagai agen pembunuh sel kanser yang berkesan!


Tapi kisah Graviola hampir berakhir disini. Kenapa?

Dibawah undang-undang persekutuan, sumber bahan semulajadi untuk ubat adalah DILARANG dipatentkan.

Perusahaan menghadapi masalah besar dan mereka berusaha sedaya upaya dengan pembiayaan sangat besar untuk membuat klon tiruan dari Graviola ini agar ianya dapat dipatentkan sehingga dana yang dikeluarkan untuk penyelidikan dan ujian dapat dituntut dan bahkan mengaut keuntungan besar. Tapi usaha ini tidak berhasil kerana Graviola tidak berjaya diklon. Perusahaan gigit jari setelah mengeluarkan dana jutaan dolar untuk usaha penyelidikan mereka.

Ketika mimpi untuk mendapatkan keuntungan besar beransur-ansur pudar, kegiatan penyelidikan juga turut berhenti. Lebih parah lagi, perusahaan menutup projek ini dan memutuskan untuk TIDAK menerbitkan hasil penyelidikan ini.

Beruntunglah, ada salah seorang ilmuwan dari kumpulan penyelidik tidak sanggup melihat kekejaman ini terjadi. Dengan mengorbankan kerjayanya, dia menghubungi sebuah perusahaan yang biasa mengumpulkan bahan-bahan bersumberkan semulajadi dari hutan Amazon untuk penghasilan penawar.

Ketika para pakar penyelidik dari Institut Sains Kesihatan mendengar berita keajaiban Graviola, mereka mulai lakukan usaha penyelidikan. Hasilnya sangat mengejutkan. Graviola terbukti sebagai pohon pembunuh sel kanser yang berkesan.
The National Cancer Institute memulakan penyelidikan ilmiah yang pertama pada tahun 1976. Hasilnya membuktikan bahawa daun dan batang kayu Graviola mampu menyerang dan menghancurkan sel-sel jahat kanser. Sayangnya hasil ini hanya untuk keperluan dalaman dan tidak dihebahkan.

Sejak 1976, Graviola telah terbukti sebagai pembunuh sel kanser yang luar biasa pada ujikaji yang dilakukan oleh 20 makmal bebas yang berbeza.

Satu kajian yang dihasilkan oleh the Journal of Natural Products menyatakan bahawa kajian yang dilakukan oleh Catholic University di Korea Selatan, mendakwa bahawa salah satu unsur kimia yang terkandung di dalam Graviola, mampu memilih, membezakan dan membunuh sel kanser usus besar dengan 10,000 kali lebih kuat berbanding dengan Adriamycin dan terapi kemo!

Sebuah kajian di Purdue University pula membuktikan bahwa daun Graviola mampu membunuh sel kanser secara berkesan, terutama sel kanser: Prostat, Pankreas, dan Paru-paru.

Setelah hampir 7 tahun tidak ada berita mengenai Graviola, akhirnya berita keajaiban ini pecah juga, melalui informasi dari Lembaga-lembaga seperti disebutkan terdahulu.
Kisah lengkap tentang Graviola, dimana memperolehnya, dan bagaimana cara memanfaatkannya, dapat dijumpai dalam Beyond Chemotherapy: New Cancer Killers, Safe as Mothers milk, sebagai bonus istimewa percuma terbitan Health Sciences Institute. Sekarang anda tahu manfaat durian belanda yang luar biasa ini. Rasanya manis-manis masam begitu menyegarkan. Buah yang 100% semulajadi tanpa sebarang kesan sampingan. Sebarkan maklumat berharga ini kepada keluarga, saudara, sahabat dan teman yang anda kasihi.
____________ _________ _________ __
"Harap dapat kirimlanjutkan (Forward) artikel diatas kepada teman-teman dan insan tersayang yang anda kasihi sebagai satu amalan kebajikan dan sumbangan ikhlas dari anda untuk mereka semua".

Cancer Update

AFTER YEARS OF TELLING PEOPLE CHEMOTHERAPY IS THE ONLY WAY TO TRY (TRY IS THE KEY WORD) AND ELIMINATE CANCER, JOHN HOPKINS IS FINALLY STARTING TO TELL YOU THERE IS AN ALTERNATIVE WAY.

1. Every person has cancer cells in the body.These cancer cells do not Show up in the standard tests until they have multiplied to a few Billion. When doctors tell cancer patients that there are no more Cancer cells in their bodies after treatment, it just means the tests Are unable to detect the cancer cells because they have not reached The detectable size.

2. Cancer cells occur between 6 to more than 10 times in a person's lifetime.

3. When the person's immune system is strong the cancer cells will be Destroyed and prevented from multiplying and forming tumors.

4. When a person has cancer it indicates the person has multiple Nutritional deficiencies. These could be due to genetic, Environmental, food and lifestyle factors.

5. To overcome the multiple nutritional deficiencies, changing diet And including supplements will strengthen the immune system.

6. Chemotherapy involves poisoning the rapidly growing cancer cells And also destroys rapidly-growing healthy cells in the bone marrow, Gastro-intestinal tract etc, and can cause organ damage, like liver, Kidneys, heart, lungs etc.

7. Radiation while destroying cancer cells also burns, scars and Damages healthy cells, tissues and organs.

8. Initial treatment with chemotherapy and radiation will often reduce Tumor size. However prolonged use of chemotherapy and radiation do Not result in more tumor destruction.

9. When the body has too much toxic burden from chemotherapy and Radiation the immune system is either compromised or destroyed, hence The person can succumb to various kinds of infections and Complications.

10. Chemotherapy and radiation can cause cancer cells to mutate and Become resistant and difficult to destroy. Surgery can also cause cancer cells to spread to other sites.

11. An effective way to battle cancer is to starve the cancer cells by Not feeding it with the foods it needs to multiply.


...CANCER CELLS FEED ON:
...A. Sugar, is a cancer-feeder.

...By cutting off sugar it cuts off one important food supply to the
...Cancer cells. Sugar substitutes like Nutrasweet, Equal, Spoonful, etc
...Are made with Aspartame and it is harmful.. A better natural
...Substitute would be Manuka honey or molasses but only in very small
...Amounts. Table salt has a chemical added to make it white in colour.
...Better alternative is Bragg's aminos or sea salt. ( THE WEST MADE US
...CHANGE FROM SEA TO WHITE IODISED SALT )

...B. Milk causes the body to produce mucus, especially in the
...Gastro-intestinal tract. Cancer feeds on mucus .

...By cutting off milk and substituting with unsweetened soya milk cancer
...Cells are being starved.

...C. Cancer cells thrive in an acid environment.

...A meat-based diet is acidic and it is best to eat fish, and a little
...Chicken rather than beef or pork. Meat also contains livestock
...Antibiotics, growth hormones and parasites, which are all
...Harmful,especially to people with cancer.

...D. A diet made of 80% fresh vegetables and juice, whole grains, seeds,
...Nuts and a little fruits help put the body into an alkaline Environment.
...About 20% can be from cooked food including beans. Fresh vegetable
...Juices provide live enzymes that are easily absorbed
...And reach down to cellular levels within 15 minutes to nourish and
...Enhance growth of healthy cells. To obtain live enzymes for
...Building healthy cells try and drink fresh vegetable juice (most
...Vegetables including bean sprouts) and eat some raw vegetables 2 or 3
...Times a day. Enzymes are destroyed at temperatures of 104 degrees F
...(40 degrees C).

...E. Avoid coffee, tea, and chocolate, which have high caffeine.

...Green tea is a better alternative and has cancer-fighting properties.
...Water- best to drink purified water, or filtered, to avoid known
...Toxins and heavy metals in tap water. Distilled water is acidic, avoid It.


12. Meat protein is difficult to digest and requires a lot of Digestive enzymes. Undigested meat remaining in the intestines become Putrified and leads to more toxic buildup.

13. Cancer cell walls have a tough protein covering. By refraining From or eating less meat it frees more enzymes to attack the protein Walls of cancer cells and allows the body's killer cells to destroy The cancer cells.

14. Some supplements build up the immune system (IP6, Flor Ssence, Essiac, anti-oxidants, vitamins,minerals, EFAs etc.) to enable The body's own killer cells to destroy cancer cells. Other supplements like vitamin E are known to cause apoptosis, or programmed cell death, the body's normal method of disposing of damaged, unwanted, or unneeded cells.

15. Cancer is a disease of the mind, body and spirit. A proactive and positive spirit will help the cancer warrior be a survivor. Anger, unforgiveness and bitterness put the body into a stressful and acidic environment. Learn to have a loving and forgiving spirit. Learn to relax and enjoy life.

16. Cancer cells cannot thrive in an oxygenated environment. Exercising daily, and deep breathing help to get more oxygen down to the cellular level. Oxygen therapy is another means employed to destroy cancer cells.

PLEASE READ ON
1. No plastic containers in micro.
2. No water bottles in freezer.
3. No plastic wrap in microwave.

Johns Hopkins has recently sent this out in its newsletters. This information is being circulated at Walter Reed Army Medical Center as well. Dioxin chemicals causes cancer, especially breast cancer.

Dioxins are highly poisonous to the cells of our bodies. Don't freeze your plastic bottles with water in them as this releases dioxins from the plastic. Recently, Dr. Edward Fujimoto, Wellness Program Manager at Castle Hospital was on a TV program to explain this health hazard.

He talked about dioxins and how bad they are for us. He said that we should not be heating our food in the microwave using plastic containers. This especially applies to foods that contain fat.

He said that the combination of fat, high heat, and plastics releases dioxin into the food and ultimately into the cells of the body. Instead, he recommends using glass, such as CorningWare, Pyrex or ceramic containers for heating food.

You get the same results, only without the dioxin. So such things as TV dinners, instant ramen and soups, etc., should be removed from the container and heated in something else. Paper isn't bad but you don't know what is in the paper. It's just safer to use tempered glass, Corning Ware, etc. He reminded us that a while ago some of the fast food restaurants moved away from the foam containers to paper. The dioxin problem is one of the reasons.

Also, he pointed out that plastic wrap, such as Saran, is just as dangerous when placed over foods to be cooked in the microwave. As the food is nuked, the high heat causes poisonous toxins to actually melt out of the plastic wrap and drip into the food. Cover food with a paper towel instead.

This is an article that should be sent to all in your life,

I am doing so now.

Asparagus and Cancer

Three types of asparagus on a shop display, with white asparagus at the back and green asparagus in the middle. The plant at the front is Ornithogalum pyrenaicum, is commonly called wild asparagus. Several years ago, I had a man seeking asparagus for a friend who had cancer. He gave me a photocopied copy of an article, entitled, `Asparagus for cancer' printed in Cancer News Journal, December 1979.

I will share it here, just as it was shared with me:
'I am abiochemist, and have specialized in the relation of diet to health for over 5 years. Several years ago, I learned of the discovery of Richard R.Vensal, D.D.S. that asparagus might cure cancer. Since then, I have worked with him on his project. We have accumulated a number of favourable case histories. Here are a few examples:

Case No. 1,
A man with an almost hopeless case of Hodgkin's disease (cancer of the lymph glands) who was completely incapacitated. Within 1 year of starting the asparagus therapy, his doctors were unable to detect any signs of cancer, and he was back on a schedule of strenuous exercise.

Case No. 2,
A successful businessman 68 years old who suffered from cancer of the bladder for 16years. After years of medical treatments, including radiation without improvement, he went onasparagus. Within 3 months, examinations revealed that his bladder tumor had disappeared and that his kidneys were normal.

Case No. 3,
A man who had lung cancer. On March 5th 1971, he was put on the operating table where they found lung cancer so widely spread that it was inoperable. The surgeon sewed him up and declared his case hopeless. On April 5th he heard about the asparagus therapy and immediately started taking it. By August, x-ray pictures revealed that all signs of the cancer had disappeared. He is back at his regular business routine.

Case No. 4,
A woman who was troubled for a number of years with skin cancer. She finally developed different skin cancers which were diagnosed by asking specialist as advanced. Within 3 months after starting on asparagus, her skin specialist said that her skin looked fine and no more skin lesions. This woman reported that the asparagus therapy also cured her kidney disease, which started in 1949. She had over 10 operations for kidney stones, and was receiving government disability payments for an inoperable, terminal, kidney condition. She attributes the cure of this kidney trouble entirely to the asparagus.

I was not surprised at this result, as `The elements of Material Medica', edited in 1854 by a Professor at the University of Pennsylvania, stated that asparagus was used as a popular remedy for kidney stones. He even referred to experiments, in 1739, on the power of asparagus in dissolving stones.

We would have other case histories but the medical establishment has interfered with our obtaining some of the records. I am therefore appealing to readers to spread this good news and help us to gather a large number of case histories that will overwhelm the medical skeptics about this unbelievably simple and natural remedy.

For the treatment, asparagus should be cooked before using, and therefore canned asparagus is just as good as fresh. I have corresponded with the two leading canners of asparagus, Giant Giant and Stokely, and I am satisfied that these brands contain no pesticides or preservatives.

PROCEDURE:
1) Place the cooked asparagus in a blender and liquefy to make a puree, and store in the refrigerator.
2) Give the patient 4 full tablespoons twice daily, morning and evening.

Patients usually show some improvement in from 2-4 weeks. It can be diluted with water and used as a cold or hot drink. This suggested dosage is based on present experience, but certainly larger amounts can do no harm and may be needed in some cases.

As a biochemist I am convinced of the old saying that `what cures can prevent'. Based on this theory, my wife and I have been using asparagus puree as a beverage with our meals. We take 2 tablespoons diluted in water to suit our taste with breakfast and with dinner. I take mine hot and my wife prefers hers cold.

For years we have made it a practice to have blood surveys taken as part of our regular checkups. The last blood survey, taken by a medical doctor who specializes in the nutritional approach to health, showed substantial improvements in all categories over the last one, and we can attribute these improvements to nothing but the asparagus drink...

As a biochemist, I have made an extensive study of all aspects of cancer, and all of the proposed cures. As a result, I am convinced that asparagus fits in better with the latest theorie about cancer. Asparagus contains a good supply of protein called histones, which are believed to be active in controlling cell growth. For that reason, I believe asparagus can be said to contain a substance that I call cell growth normalizer. That accounts for its action on cancer and in acting as a general body tonic. In any event, regardless of theory, asparagus used as we suggest, is a harmless substance.

The FDA cannot prevent you from using it and it may do you much good. It has been reported by the US National Cancer Institute, that asparagus is the highest tested food containing glutathione, which is considered one of the body's most potent anticarcinogens and antioxidants.

Please spread the news......the most unselfish act one can ever do is paying forward all the kindness one has received even to the most undeserved person!

Cancer - Treatment by Lemon Grass (serai)

LEMON GRASS CAUSES CANCER CELLS TO COMMIT SUICIDE.
I got this really good information on Lemongrass and cancer. Thought you would like to share this with everyone. Imagine what the Lemongrass essential oil can do. Would make a nice warm (not Hot) tea to drink and also get the benefits from it. Fresh Lemon Grass Drink Causes Apoptosis to Cancer Cells.

(apoptosis) noun: a type of cell death in which the cell uses specialized cellular machinery to kill itself; a cell suicide mechanism that enables metazoans to control cell number and eliminate cells that threaten the animal's survival.
************ ********* ********* ********* ********* ********* ******* ********* ***

Fresh lemon grass fields in Israel become Mecca for cancer patients By Allison Kaplan Sommer April 02, 2006

A drink with as little as one gram of lemon grass contains enough citral to prompt cancer cells to commit suicide in the test tube. Israeli researchers find way to make cancer cells self-destruct -Ben Gurion University. At first, Benny Zabidov, an Israeli agriculturalist who grows greenhouses full of lush spices on a pastoral farm in Kfar Yedidya in the Sharon region, couldn't understand why so many cancer patients from around the country were showing up on his doorstep asking for fresh lemon grass.

It turned out that their doctors had sent them. 'They had been told to drink eight glasses of hot water with fresh lemon grass steeped in it on the days that they went for their radiation and chemotherapy treatments,' Zabidov told ISRAEL21c. 'And this is the place you go to in Israel for fresh lemon grass. 'It all began when researchers at Ben Gurion University of the Negev discovered last year that the lemon aroma in herbs like lemon grass kills cancer cells in vitro, while leaving healthy cells unharmed. The research team was led by Dr. Rivka Ofir and Prof. Yakov Weinstein, incumbent of the Albert Katz Chair in Cell-Differentiation and Malignant Diseases, from the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at BGU. Citral is the key component that gives the lemony aroma and taste in several herbal plants such as lemon grass (Cymbopogon citratus), melissa (Melissa officinalis) and verbena (Verbena officinalis. )

According to Ofir, the study found that citral causes cancer cells to 'commit suicide: using apoptosis, a mechanism called programmed cell death.' A drink with as little as one gram of lemon grass contains enough citral to prompt the cancer cells to commit suicide in the test tube. The BGU investigators checked the influence of the citral on cancerous cells by adding them to both cancerous cells and normal cells that were grown in a petri dish. The quantity added in the concentrate was equivalent to the amount contained in a cup of regular tea using one gram of lemon herbs in hot water. While the citral killed the cancerous cells, the normal cells remained unharmed.


The findings were published in the scientific journal Planta Medica, which highlights research on alternative and herbal remedies. Shortly afterwards, the discovery was featured in the popular Israeli press. Why does it work? Nobody knows for certain, but the BGU scientists have a theory. 'In each cell in our body, there is a genetic program which causes programmed cell death. When something goes wrong, the cells divide with no control and become cancer cells. In normal cells, when the cell discovers that the control system is not operating correctly - for example, when it recognizes that a cell contains faulty genetic material following cell division - it triggers cell death,' explains Weinstein. 'This research may explain the medical benefit of these herbs.'

The success of their research led them to the conclusion that herbs containing citral may be consumed as a preventative measure against certain cancerous cells. As they learned of the BGU findings in the press, many physicians in Israel began to believe that while the research certainly needed to be explored further, in the meantime it would be advisable for their patients, who were looking for any possible tool to fight their condition, to try to harness the cancer-destroying properties of citral.


That's why Zabidov's farm - the only major grower of fresh lemon grass in Israel - has become a pilgrimage destination for these patients. Luckily, they found themselves in sympathetic hands. Zabidov greets visitors with a large kettle of aromatic lemon grass tea, a plate of cookies, and a supportive attitude. 'My father died of cancer, and my wife's sister died young because of cancer,' said Zabidov. 'So I understand what they are dealing with. And I may not know anything about medicine, but I'm a good listener. And so they tell me about their expensive painful treatments and what they've been through. I would never tell them to stop being treated, but it's great that they are exploring alternatives and drinking the lemon grass tea as well.



'Zabidov knew from a young age that agriculture was his calling. At age 14, he enrolled in the Kfar Hayarok Agricultural high school. After his army service, he joined an idealistic group which headed south, in the Arava desert region, to found a new moshav (agricultural settlement) called Tsofar. 'We were very successful; we raised fruits and vegetables, and,' he notes with a smile, 'We raised some very nice children.'

On a trip to Europe in the mid-80s, he began to become interested in herbs. Israel, at the time, was nothing like the trend-conscious cuisine-oriented country it is today, and the only spices being grown commercially were basics like parsley, dill, and coriander. Wandering in the Paris market, looking at the variety of herbs and spices, Zabidov realized that there was a great export potential in this niche. He brought samples back home with him, 'which was technically illegal,' he says with a guilty smile, to see how they would grow in his desert greenhouses. Soon, he was growing basil, oregano, tarragon, chives, sage, marjoram and melissa, and mint just to name a few. His business began to outgrow his desert facilities, and so he decided to move north, settling in the moshav of Kfar Yedidya, an hour and a half north of Tel Aviv.

He is now selling 'several hundred kilos' of lemon grass per week, and has signed with a distributor to package and put it in health food stores. Zabidov has taken it upon himself to learn more about the properties of citral, and help his customers learn more, and has invited medical experts to his farm to give lectures about how the citral works and why. He also felt a responsibility to know what to tell his customers about its use.

'When I realized what was happening, I picked up the phone and called Dr. Weinstein at Ben-Gurion University, because these people were asking me exactly the best way to consume the citral. He said to put the loose grass in hot water, and drink about eight glasses each day.'Zabidov is pleased by the findings, not simply because it means business for his farm, but because it might influence his own health. Even before the news of its benefits were demonstrated, he and his family had been drinking lemon grass in hot water for years, 'just because it tastes good.'