(NaturalNews) New research out of the Cancer Research Centre at Southampton General Hospital's School of Medicine in the U.K. has found that watercress, a superfood vegetable, works to reduce levels of the key growth factor that causes tumor growth. According to researchers, regular consumption of watercress works the same as -- if not better than -- conventional anti-cancer drug treatments, except without all the harmful side effects.
"Watercress has the ability to turn off HIF1, a signal sent out by cells calling for blood supply," explains Dr. Nicholas Perricone, an anti-aging specialist, concerning the study. "Scientists have been looking for anti-angiogenesis agents for years because if we can turn off the blood supply, we can kill the cancer. And it looks like watercress can do that."
According to Perricone, when HIF1 levels become irregular and out of sync, precancerous cells that are otherwise harmless begin to get the blood supply they need to thrive and grow. But anti-cancer agents naturally present in watercress protect the body from these malignant cells and ensure that blood only goes to healthy cells.
A previous study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in 2007 found that regular consumption of watercress helps to significantly reduce free radical damage to white blood cell DNA as well, effectively improving the body's ability to guard against disease and maintain good health.
Watercress has been used for centuries to treat other ailments like migraine headaches, eczema, anemia, tuberculosis and kidney and liver disease. It contains a wide variety of healing nutrients and, since it is a food and not a drug, it can be safely consumed in large quantities to obtain therapeutic benefit.
Watercress can be added to salads, soups, sandwiches, stir-frys, stews and many other things. It can also be juiced along with other fruits and vegetables in daily juice beverages.
Watercress has a number of anticancer properties. The vast majority of cancers, including the so-called "hereditary cancers" are actually viral in origin. Watercress is highly antiviral in part from its oils and also due to its extremely high level of quercetin. Watercress is also a good source of organic germanium, which has also demonstrated strong anti-cancer properties.
I'm very glad that something so easy to grow and absolutely delicious, can prevent cancer as well. There's no reason why everyone shouldn't have some growing at home :)
I'm very glad that something so easy to grow and absolutely delicious, can prevent cancer as well. There's no reason why everyone shouldn't have some growing at home :)
I tried growing it at home in the toilet so I could have circulating water for my plants. But they keep disappearing. I think a raccoon or something is sneaking in and stealing my watercress plants.
In a toilet, really? Not one you are regularly using I hope.
Watercress doesn't need moving water, I grow it in large ceramic pots filled with water, I also grow taro this way as well. I do have to keep the chickens away from it though, they love watercress.
Raccoons are sooooo cute, maybe you could grow enough for them as well.
Thanks for the add about quercitin, geranium and the oils in watercress. As far as your theory about the vast majority of cancers being viral in origin, I agree that viruses can lead to cancer and I believe that cancer's pleomorphic nature includes a viral stage or element, but disagree that the vast majority of cancers are viral in origin.
I believe that the vast majority of cancers are due to inflammation and that in the majority of the instances that inflammation is caused by outside agents, especially toxins which man has introduced into the environment at a rate that coincides with the increase in cancer in all age groups. Viruses, along with bacteria, can cause such inflammation and the resultant response that results in cells either turning into cancer cells or else the circulating cancer cells we all have finding an area where the body's response to inflammation and disease has produced a fertile ground for gaining a foothold. Certainly treating cancer as a virus can be effective, just as treating cancer as a fungus can be.
But then, we have been down that debate road before and, other than stating what we each believe, no need to go there again. Whether we agree on how cancer comes to be or not, it would appear that watercress is a very good tool for most people to have in their anti-cancer aresenal.
One possible cautionary note: It was pointed out by one of my Yahoo group members that people who have thyroid cancer or thyroid issues might not want to use watercress because apparently watercress has the highest level of goitrogenic substance of all the brassica family.
I believe that the vast majority of cancers are due to inflammation and that in the majority of the instances that inflammation is caused by outset agents, especially toxins which man has introduced into the environment at a rate that coincides with the increase in cancer in all age groups.
Viruses are well known for causing cancer. The first cancer viruses were discovered back in the very early 1900s. We have been all over this before:
There is so much more evidence available if you look. And there is NO evidence that inflammation is a cause of cancer. Only a casual association. But tissue injury can allow for the invasion by microbes and the cancer can cause damage that leads to inflammation.
The big problem with your hypothesis is that inflammatory markers are not always present with cancer. And inflammation is a lot more common than cancer. In addition it has been PROVEN that viruses can cause cancer. Research the subject. I can give you a big long explanation of how the whole thing works but I know you and know I would be wasting my time. You only listen to what you want to hear. But if you do the research you will find that researchers have found more chromosomes normal in many cancer cells. This extra genetic material comes from the viruses that inserted themselves within these cells. You will also find that these cells are responsible for the formation of chemo-resistant tumors.
Bottom line is that there is no solid evidence that inflammation is a cause of cancer. It is more likely artifact from the tissue damage caused by the cancer or part of the tissue damage that leads to the cancer causing infection. And some viral induced cancers such as leukemias and lymphomas may not result in any inflammation at all.
What is really ironic is that you promote oleander for cancer therapy. But the whole basis for this are the immune stimulating polysaccharides, which are found abundantly in many other safer sources such as astragalus, myrrh. seaweeds, schisandra, medicinal mushrooms, nutritional yeast, marshmallow root, birch bark, etc. All of these do not require special processing (since you are against processed items) to remove poisons as you d with oleander. Yet they still have the beneficial property of increasing white blood cells activity. The thing is that the immune system has a very difficult time identifying cancer cells because they generally shield themselves from white blood cells. So immune stimulating polysaccharides actually do their job against cancer primarily by activating the white blood cells AGAINST CANCER MICROBES such as cancer viruses. Therefore if cancer viruses and other microbes did not cause cancer then oleander extract would be pretty much worthless in the treatment of cancer. So once again your claims contradict each other.
The whole basis for my promoting oleander is immune stimulating polysacharrides? Hardly. While oleander is a supreme immune stimulator, immune stimulation and polysacharrides are far from the only actions and compounds in oleander that make it so effective against cancer. Scientists are still trying to figure out exactly how all the compounds in oleander extract work synergistically to help either kill cancer cells or cause them to die normal programmed cellular death as well as stopping them multiplying while still doing no harm to healthy cells.
When it comes to oleander, I don't pretend to know everything, but I have studied it for years and countless hours and written a book and a number of articles about it.
Regardless of what you are saying or implying, we have both stated our points here and yes we have covered the ground about your minority opinion about the vast majority of cancer being due to viruses before as well. I again thank you for your input about watercress, but the debate ends now.
The whole basis for my promoting oleander is immune stimulating polysacharrides? Hardly. While oleander is a supreme immune stimulator, immune stimulation and polysacharrides are far from the only actions and compounds in oleander that make it so effective against cancer. Scientists are still trying to figure out exactly how all the compounds in oleander extract work synergistically to help either kill cancer cells or cause them to die normal programmed cellular death as well as stopping them multiplying while still doing no harm to healthy cells.
Thus my point. The ONLY KNOWN action of oleander on cancer at this point is the immune stimulation by the polysaccharides after PROCESSING the oleander to remove the toxic cardiac glycosides. I will stick to the safer polysaccharide sources that do not have to be processed since they do not contain poisons to begin with.
When it comes to oleander, I don't pretend to know everything, but I have studied it for years and countless hours and written a book and a number of articles about it. Are you trying to imply that you know more about oleander than myself or the various scientists who have studied oleander?
Yet you could not present any other action against cancer other than what I already stated.
Regardless of what you are saying or implying, we have both stated our points here and yes we have covered the ground about your minority opinion about the vast majority of cancer being due to viruses before as well.
Minority opinion? Again cancer viruses have been known for over 100 years. The minority are those who refuse to accept the facts and prefer to rely on assumptions about the cause(s) of cancer. The majority of real researchers are well aware of cancer viruses and their role in causing cancer.
This is NOT the cancer debate forum, it is the cancer support forum and any further debate will be promptly moved to the correct forum. Any personal shots on this forum will be removed entirely..
You mean like the personal shot you just took at me about "my minority opinion"? What about all the personal shots you took at me over the soy issue. Funny how you keep up with the personal shots until the dangers of oleander start getting presented then all of a sudden you want to try and hide everything over in the debate forums. Go ahead if you feel so compelled. I will just keep posting the facts in my forum where you cannot run your power trip!!!
If you don't have anywhere to grow watercress, try land cress, it contains most of the good stuff in watercress. The humble garden nasturtium also contains many of the active ingredients that watercress does. Add in some mustard greens and you're well on your way to an anti-cancer garden salad :)
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Watercress prevents cancer - new study 
