Graviola and N-Tense: Amazon Plant Takes On Cancer

In a 2004, we briefly mentioned the product graviola, a tree from the Amazon with powerful anti-cancerous properties. It is thought to be able to destroy prostate, lung, breast, colon and pancreatic cancers. And, perhaps the greatest benefit, is that it is believed to only target cancer cells and leave the healthy ones alone.

For years, graviola had gone publicly unrecognized for years as a cancer treatment behind the doors of a certain unnamed pharmaceutical company. But when an article about graviola was published four years ago in the US, the folks at Raintree Nutrition, the manufacturer of graviola, actually had to cancel vacations and add weekend shifts to keep up with the orders. Since then, the public has begun to take more notice of this plant and has started using graviola and N-Tense both made from the Amazon plant.

Unfortunately, the sceptics have also taken notice. And while scepticism does have its place in promoting unbiased truth, it can unfortunately lead to rumours that have the potential to stymie positive momentum. This seems to be the case with graviola. For the most part, people who criticise it do so for three reasons:

1) a lack of research on the plant
2) sceptical reports
3) aggressive multi-level marketing of inferior products

This month, I’d like to take a moment to address these issues and shift the momentum back toward our common goal of advancing the potential of healing.

Graviola and N-Tense: Why graviola wont go on trial

Lets go to Dr. Leslie Taylor, President of Raintree Nutrition, the manufacturer of graviola and N-Tense, to get the real story. It was surprising to find out that since the original story in 2001, there havent been any human trials published on graviola and havent been any clinical trials at all on N-Tense.

Taylor points out that a lack of clinical trials is a given. In medicine, theres no money to be made from plants. Because you cant patent a plant, you cant benefit financially from money spent on clinical trials establishing its efficacy. Small supplement manufacturers, unfortunately, can’t afford the upfront cost of trials, and without the incentive of recouping their investment, its next to impossible to find other sources to fund studies on natural products. But even though researchers arent studying graviola specifically, they are focusing on the active compounds in it that are called acetogenins (ACGs). Acetogenins are compounds with the potential to become a new generation of anti-tumour drugs.

Graviola and N-Tense: The future of a cancer treatment growing in an ancient jungle

Healthy cells have a balance between mitosis (replication) and apoptosis (end of replication, or death). When a cell is out of balance due to a genetic flaw or toxic damage, it loses control of these natural processes. If a cell with damaged DNA replicates instead of self-destructing, the move toward a tumour has begun. Chances are that this unregulated cellular functioning will lead to cancer. The challenge is to regain regulation of the process and to end the unregulated replication of unhealthy cells.

Triggering death in cancer cells is the goal. And that is the natural activity of ACGs. Uvaricin, the first isolated ACG, was discovered as a new anti-tumour compound in 1982 (Ref. 1). Since then,  acetogenins have been judged as promising candidates for a future generation of drugs to fight against the current chemotherapy-resistant tumours.

A research review published by Natural Product Reports, summarized the knowledge gained about newly isolated acetogenins in the last six years. According to the review, It seems that as the mechanism of cell death becomes better understood,  acetogenins become more promising (Ref. 2).

Taylor stated that most of the research shows that these chemicals are selectively toxic to cancer cells and are especially attracted to a specific enzyme found in the cell walls of cancerous tumours. Once there, they inhibit ATP (the substance that gives cells energy). It seems that the increased energy created by the cancer cells is their weak point.

Researchers from Purdue University in the US, reported that 14 different ACGs tested thus far (including several found only in graviola) demonstrate potent ATP-blocking properties (Ref. 3).

In March of 2002, a group of Japanese researchers tested the main ACG in graviola (one called annonacin). The researchers injected mice with lung cancer cells. One-third of the mice received nothing (the control group), one-third received the chemotherapy drug Adriamycin, and one-third received annonacin (at a dosage of 10mg/kg).

At the end of two weeks, the Adriamycin group showed a 54.6 per cent greater reduction of tumour mass than the control group experienced. However, only one mouse in the untreated control group died while 50 per cent of the mice in the Adriamycin group died of toxicity. On the other hand, the mice receiving annonacin were all still alive, and the tumours were inhibited by 57.9 per cent, slightly better than the results with Adriamycin and without toxicity (Ref. 4).

Graviola and N-Tense: Conflicting evidence crops up

The research on  acetogenins sounds promising, but there are sceptical reports apparently linking graviola to neurological diseases that we need to take a look at.

Most of the scepticism can be traced back to 1998, when a French research team reported that a small isolated population in Guadeloupe, French West Indies, had a statistically high incidence of atypical Parkinsons disease (Ref. 5). Suspecting dietary causes or environmental toxins, the researchers interviewed these women on what they were eating. Researchers pointed to graviola as the culprit because they found that the fruit was a common part of the diet and that an herbal tea of graviola was used in traditional medicine there.

When asked for her take on the sceptical press, Taylor was quick to shoot holes in this theory. She said, The group afflicted were mostly poor disadvantaged black women from 20 to 35 years old. And while they called it atypical Parkinsons, it was a catch-all for a bunch of neurological symptoms. Plus, she pointed out that graviola is in the diets of Peruvians, Mexicans, Belizeans, and just about all other people in the tropics, where graviola grows. You can find it in every grocery store or fruit market in Brazil, and there are huge manufacturing plants that process graviola juice. Doctors in these area use graviola leaf teas in herbal medicine just like they do in the West Indies. Yet people in these countries appear to have no higher incidence of Parkinsons or neurological disorders in general than are found in the US or anywhere else.

A research group at the US Texas Health Science Centres Division of Neurology reviewed the French report and compared the atypical Parkinsons to some similar neurological conditions that have occurred elsewhere in the tropics. Their take on the story was quite different and much more scientific. They compared what the French were seeing in Guadeloupe to what happened in Cuba from 1991 to 1994, when the largest epidemic of neuropathy in this century (involving about 60,000 patients) was reported (Ref. 6). In Cuba, the outbreak of these types of symptoms was caused by reduced nutrient intake due to the country’s deteriorating economy. Oral vitamins given to the Cuban population in 1993 resulted in substantial decreases in the number of cases and ended the epidemic.

One study published in the Journal of Neurochemistry claimed that ACSs are toxic to your brain and could possibly be linked to the occurrence in Guadeloupe (ref. 7). But Taylor has an answer for this as well. She does not believe graviola could have a negative effect on the brain because it doesn’t appear to cross the blood/brain barrier. Because of this, she says the method of administration used in this study was not accurate. The brain cells of mice were exposed either directly or intravenously to the high doses of the individual compound instead of adding it to the diet to bring about a cumulative dosage.

Taylor also stressed that Raintree Nutrition has not had a single report of ailments similar to those reported in the victims of atypical Parkinsons in Guadeloupe.

Graviola and N-Tense: Real-life results even without research

Without the benefit of specific clinical trials, definitive proof cant be offered to show that the compounds in graviola and N-Tense are responsible for the healing benefits so many people have reported over the years. However, it is valuable to hear anecdotal evidence directly from some of the people who have tried these products. Lets start with Daryl S.

Daryl had more than 20 tumours in his prostate. Instead of opting for surgery, he agreed to a far less invasive round of hormonal therapy (to shrink the size of his prostate) and began a rigorous supplement regimen that centred around the graviola-rich supplement N-Tense. Within two months, Daryls PSA level had dropped from 4.1 to zero. A sonogram and several other gamma ray tests later confirmed that all the malignant tumours inside his prostate had disappeared. He’s been cancer-free for six and a half years.

He still takes N-Tense for 30 days every six months (two capsules in the morning and two more in the evening) to clear out any possible accumulating dead cells.

Many other testimonials came in reporting good results in fighting prostate cancer as well as other types of cancer. Heres a small sampling of what people have to say:

I have to admit the jury is still out as far as my experience is concerned… I was diagnosed with not the fastest growing, but not the slowest growing prostate cancer following a biopsy performed on 10/3/05. The encouraging thing I have experienced so far is that I feel better than I have in a long time. I have no discomfort whatsoever, and my bowel functions are much better and more normal. As a side note, my type 2 diabetes was greatly helped as my glucose levels dropped below those that very expensive medicines have failed to bring about. Gary K.

My husband was diagnosed with squamous cell nasal cancer and has been taking graviola for about two years. No recurrence of the disease has developed. We also know and keep in touch with a few other cancer patients taking graviola, and they are experiencing similar results. Great blood work, the doctor says, what are you taking?
P.J. J.

I had tumours under my arm, in the back of my neck, and up and down my spine. I have been taking N-Tense for some time now. Since my last blood test the doctors told me to keep doing whatever I am doing because the tumours and lumps are getting smaller, and my blood tests are in the normal range. I have been fighting cancer since December 2000. Lloyd M., Ph.D.

Graviola and N-Tense: Two products, one goal

Both graviola and N-Tense are packed with cancer-fighting chemicals. Graviola is made of 50 chemicals that are thought to kill cancer in three different ways, and N-Tense contains over 100 chemicals with 22 different mechanisms of action against cancer. It appears to be active against a larger variety of different cancers.

Although graviola is by far the better seller, N-Tense gets most of the accolades from users. N-Tense is a combination of graviola (50 per cent) and seven other rainforest plants including guacatonga, mutamba, bitter melon, mullaca, vassourinha, cats claw, and Espinheira santa. People reported that N-Tense provided better results and fewer side-effects, such as diarrhoea and nausea (which 20 to
25 per cent of graviola users have a problem with).

Graviola and N-Tense: What to take for best results

The suggested dose for both graviola and N-Tense is three to four capsules (700mg) three times daily. Before you try either graviola or N-Tense, you should discuss these products with your doctor. Due to the serious nature of cancer, your doctor should be kept apprised of all the medications and supplements you are taking or would like to take, so that they can best plan your treatment programme.

If you do decide to try a graviola product, you need to understand that there are some things to keep in mind. First, in the case of prostate cancer, a common experience seems to be a slight increase in PSA numbers when first starting the supplement. This is most likely due to the bodys need to slough off the dead cells.

Graviola is not to be used at all during pregnancy because the higher energy cells of the fetus may fall victim to the mechanism of this product. This could result in a miscarriage.

It also should not be combined with coenzyme Q10 and other supplements that increase ATP (these include magnesium, vitamin C, and many B vitamins). Since one of the beneficial mechanisms of graviola is to inhibit ATP, these essential nutrients may counteract or disable this mechanism.

Although no drug reactions have been reported, graviola has demonstrated hypotensive, vasodilator, and cardiodepressant activities in animal studies, so people with low blood pressure or those taking anti-hypertensive drugs should check with their doctors before taking graviola and should monitor their blood pressure accordingly.

If you experience nausea (large single doses may cause this), reduce your dose and take it with a meal. Long-term use of graviola may lead to the dying off of friendly bacteria in the digestive tract, so you should consider supplementing with digestive enzymes and probiotics that will help replenish these healthy bacteria.

If you experience sedation or sleepiness, reduce the amount youre taking. Also, you should drink plenty of water (at least eight glasses a day) while youre taking graviola or N-Tense.

Several ingredients in N-Tense, based only on traditional uses, might be oestrogenic in nature. For this reason, women with oestrogen-positive cancers should not use N-Tense and should stick with graviola.

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Disclaimer: This article is part of the Daily Health's extensive research archive. The research and information contained in this article was accurate at the the time of publication but may have been updated since the date of publication. Consult our most recent articles for the latest research on alternative health and natural breakthroughs.

Bear in mind the material provided in this content is for information purposes only. We are not addressing anyone’s personal situation. Please consult with your own physician before acting on any recommendations contained herein.

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Sources:

1. The Journal of Organic Chemistry 1982; 3151-3

2. Nat Prod Rep 2005;22(2):269-303

3. Taylor, Leslie, ND. The Healing power of Rainforest herbs. Garden City Park, NY: Square One Publishers, Inc., 2005

4. Bio organization of Med Chem 2002; 10(3):561-5

5. Lancet 1999;354(9175): 281-6

6. IntJ. Vitam Nutr Res 2001;71(5):274-85

7. J Neurochem 2004; 88: 63-9