An Herb Garden to Fight Cancer

Did you know that herbs contain powerful anti-cancer protection? Using herbs for cancer prevention and treatment is by no means a novel, modern or alternative practice. Herbs have been used in the treatment of cancer for many, many years and the constituent chemicals of plants have been the starting point for research and the creation of many modern medicines. However, today’s post will be on reaping the benefits from common garden herbs.  Herbs are nature’s medicine cabinet. So whether you grow your own or stop at the local farmers market, eat them daily for a powerful anti-cancer boost.

So what’s the deal? Below are some common and delicious herbs, try to eat them every day. Please keep in mind that herbs provide the greatest benefit for prevention and healing when they are combined within an approach that considers the whole mind body system.

Rosemary. The two key ingredients in rosemary, caffeic acid and rosemarinic acid, are potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agents, which help protect the body's cells from damage by free radicals.  Rosemary has been found to detoxify substances that can initiate the breast-cancer process and it stimulates liver enzymes which inactivate estrogen hormones. Rosemary can inhibit the formation of HCAS, the carcinogenic compounds that form when you cook protein.

Dill contains antioxidant properties, and it also deactivates free radicals and neutralizes carcinogens that might find their way into our bodies.

Cilantro helps to remove heavy metals like Mercury from the body.

 Mint has anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory properties, helps prevent damage from radiation and it cuts off the blood supply to tumors, and may protect your liver too.

Parsley has potent anti-inflammatory and anticancer abilities. The phytochemicals in parsley can slow the speed of cell division, leaving time for the cell to correct DNA mistakes or to activate apoptosis, and recent research shows that one particular compound found in parsley and celery, apigenin, can stop certain breast cancer tumor cells from multiplying and growing.

 Basil has powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. It contains flavonoids that help shield cell structures from radiation and oxidative damage, and may protect liver cells. Both fresh basil and basil oil have strong antibacterial capabilities, so by adding the herb or oil to your salad, you can help ensure your vegetables are safe to eat.

Oregano possesses anti-bacterial as well as anti-inflammatory properties and encourages cell death making it a powerful anti-cancer herb; but what is really exciting is that may be particularly effective against prostate cancer and may even become part of the treatment for this cancer.  

Thyme possesses terpenoids which are recognized for their cancer preventive properties. Rosmarinic and ursolic acids are major terpenoids in thyme that possess anti-cancer properties. Thyme contains an essential oil that is rich in thymol, a powerful antiseptic, antibacterial, and a strong antioxidant.

In my house we eat a lot of tabouleh.  Tabouleh, tabouli, no matter how you say or spell it, is both delicious and good for you. What I love about it too is that it is versatile; for as many ways there are to spell it, there are just as many ways to make it. For this I head to the farmers market as I put A LOT of herbs in mine, far more than I can grow in my small garden.  Keep in mind that ideally, the salad should be green with specks of white, but make it whatever way you prefer.

Bulgur Tabouleh           

1 cup Bulgur wheat (or Quinoa, see notes below)

1 11/2 cups boiling water

1 ½ tsp salt

¼ cup lemon juice (or more)

¼ cup olive oil, plus more (I like lemon infused, but any good quality, extra virgin is fine)

Parsley, mint, dill, cilantro (several cups/bunches of these, chopped, and any combination, created to taste)

Chopped tomatoes (optional)

Chopped, seeded cucumbers (optional)

Finely chopped red onions or scallions (optional)

Chick peas (optional)

Pour boiling water over bulgur wheat and salt.  Cover wheat for 30 minus and let sit on the counter.  Stir in lemon juice and oil, chill for 2-3 hours.  Add chopped herbs, and other ingredients of your choice and toss gently, adding more oil as desired.

I add chickpeas to make this salad a meal.  You can also substitute quinoa in this recipe.  For quinoa, bring 1 cup quinoa (rinsed well), ½ tsp salt and 1¼ cups water to a boil over high heat.  Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until tender, about 10 minutes.  Remove from heat and let stand, covered, for 5 minutes.  Fluff with a fork.    If you want, you can spread the quinoa out on a large rimmed platter or baking sheet; let cool.  Transfer to a bowl and mix in the lemon juice and oil, then the remaining ingredients.

I love to marinate chicken, turkey, fish, zucchini and eggplant in olive oil and rosemary, and oregano and chicken are great together too.  Thyme is delicious on eggs. Dill is fantastic on cucumbers, fish and zucchini. Basil, well who doesn’t like basil and fresh ripe tomatoes? Add some onion too!  And don’t forget pesto; make some with basil or try cilantro (or spinach, kale, or arugula); use them on grilled foods, spread them on your sandwich.  Fighting cancer never tasted so good…oh, do I love summer. 

Want to see more cancer-fighting foods and the recipes?  Please visit:

http://elynjacobs.wordpress.com/2012/03/28/cancer-fighting-farm-stand-recipes/

To see Tami’s post on this: http://www.tamiboehmer.com/2012/07/beating-cancer-can-be-delicious-2/

Like these tips?  Join me on my radio show, Survive and Live Well, for tips to treat and beat cancer. Join me weekly as we chat with the experts about treatment options and lifestyle choices that can help you not just treat cancer, but beat cancer, survive, thrive and live well.   At the end of each show I give my cancer fighting tip of the day, so tune in Tuesdays at 1pm, EST.

Elyn

www.elynjacobs.wordpress.com

Twitter@elynjacobs

Facebook @Elyn Jacobs Consulting

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Elyn Jacobs is a breast cancer survivor, professional cancer coach, radio talk show host, speaker, and the Executive Director for the Emerald Heart Cancer Foundation. Elyn empowers women to choose the path for treatment that best fits their own individual needs.  She is passionate about helping others move forward into a life of health and wellbeing. Elyn lives in New York with her husband and two young boys. To learn about Elyn’s coaching services, please visit:  http://elynjacobs.wordpress.com.  To tune into the Survive and Live Well radio show, please visit www.W4CS.com, Tuesdays at 1pm (EST). To view info on upcoming topics and guests, please visit: http://elynjacobs.wordpress.com/elyns-blog/.

Fight Cancer with Farm-Fresh Produce

Spring, oh the possibilities.  Spring means summer is not far off, and the thought of fresh produce comes to mind.  Nothing beats farm-fresh produce.  The produce you find in most supermarkets has spent many days, if not weeks traveling to that shelf, depleting it from quality and taste.  While you still have to be concerned with toxic pesticides and fertilizers, many farms grow organically or at least limit the use of these chemicals.  Ask your local farmers, they love to talk with pride about their food.   By buying local, you can often avoid Genetically Modified Crops (GMOs) which should not be consumed by anyone (See notes below).  No farm-stand available?  You can still enjoy these recipes, but please consider organic or even grow your own.  No room for a garden?  Herb gardens take up very little space and produce some powerful anticancer agents (i.e. cilantro helps remove heavy metals such as mercury from the body). Summertime is also a great time to use the abundance of fresh kale, basil, arugula, cilantro or garlic scapes to make pestos for pastas, sandwiches and crostini.

Tomato Basil Salad

1 pint or more cherry tomatoes (a combination of red, yellow and gold is nice)

Fresh basil

Organic extra virgin olive oil *

Halve cherry tomatoes and place in serving bowl

Chop basil and add to tomatoes

Drizzle with olive oil

*Note:  I use herb infused oils such as basil, rosemary, garlic or lemon.  In this recipe I prefer rosemary and basil infused.  If you cannot find them locally, Arlotta makes the very best olive oils I have ever tasted and also the most incredible balsamic vinegar.

Tomatoes are a powerful anti-cancer fruit, particularly due the synergistic effects of lycopene, beta-carotene, vitamin C, phenols and other nutrients and antioxidants in the tomato working together to offer cancer protection. But please use organic or locally farm fresh and not the commercially toxic, GMO, or otherwise unhealthy sources.

Basil has powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. It contains flavonoids that help shield cell structures from radiation and oxidative damage. Both fresh basil and basil oil have strong antibacterial capabilities, so by adding the herb or oil to your salad, you can help ensure your vegetables are safe to eat.

Grilled Striped Bass with Dill Sauce

2/3 cup (packed) chopped fresh dill

¼ cup olive oil

2 Tablespoons white or golden balsamic vinegar

1 Tablespoon lemon fresh lemon juice

4-6 pieces of local wild striped bass, wild salmon or other fish, skin removed, each pc  about ½ lb

Blend dill, oil, and vinegar and lemon juice in mini processor until almost smooth.  Season with salt and pepper.

Sprinkle fish with salt and pepper

Grill fish 8-10 min, do not overcook

Drizzle fish with some of the dill mixture and serve the rest on the side.

Dill contains antioxidant properties, and it also deactivates free radicals and neutralizes carcinogens that might find their way into our bodies.

Grilled Eggplant with Rosemary Oil and Cheese

1-2 eggplants

Cheese (Smoked Gouda, Munster, Monterey  Jack, Raclette, Mozzarella ….really any cheese or cheese substitute you like*)

Extra virgin Olive oil

Fresh chopped rosemary

Slice eggplant lengthwise or crosswise, depending on size and preference (lengthwise is easiest for grilling)

Sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper and place on paper toweling

Let sit at least 30 minutes, blot dry (this will remove the water as well as the salt….if you skip this, the eggplant will absorb too much oil)

Meanwhile, chop the rosemary and mix with a generous amount of olive oil

Baste eggplant with olive oil/rosemary mix, use more oil if necessary….eggplant should be well coated.   Grill eggplant until done on one side, turn, grill a few minutes and add cheese.  When cheese is melted, remove. 

Note:  this dish goes well with the tomato salad or a salad of chopped tomatoes, parsley and olive oil

*I prefer organic, raw or those from small farms to cut down on pesticides and added hormones.

Eggplant is rich in dietary fiber, loaded with vitamins and minerals, and contains powerful cancer fighting antioxidants such as chlorogenic acid, which fights free radicals and helps protect cells from mutating into cancer cells, and nasuin, which helps cut off the blood supply to cancer cells.

Rosemary is a powerful anti-cancer herb.  The two key ingredients in Rosemary-caffeic acid and rosemarinic acid-are potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agents, which help protect the body's cells from damage by free radicals. Rich in carnosol, Rosemary has been found to detoxify substances that can initiate the breast-cancer process. It's widely known that an imbalance of estrogen hormones in women can contribute to breast cancer. Rosemary stimulates liver enzymes which inactivate estrogen hormones. Rosemary, along with thyme, oregano, basil and mint promote apoptosis in cancer cells and reduce their speed by blocking the enzymes they need to invade neighboring tissues. Rosemary can inhibit the formation of HCAS, the carcinogenic compounds that form when you cook protein, by 75% (so use chopped rosemary in your marinade if you choose to grill proteins)

Grilled Zucchini with Chopped Dill

Zucchini (one or two, more if very small)

Dill (I will leave it up to you regarding amounts, but if you love the taste of dill, by all means, be generous!)

Extra Virgin Olive oil

Slice Zucchini lengthwise or crosswise, depending on size and preference.  (I find a 1/4” thickness works well on the BBQ)

Chop dill and mix with olive oil, rub onto zucchini, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and grill

Zucchini has the ability to protect against cell mutations and oxidative stress, and contains powerful anti-inflammatory compounds. It is also a good source of potassium and lutein.

(See dill above)

Watercress and Red Cabbage Salad

Wash one bunch of watercress and chop

Remove outer layers of red cabbage and slice thin or chop (use about ¼ of the head for one bunch of watercress).

Extra virgin olive oil

Aged Balsamic vinegar

Optional—add a handful of raw pine nuts or chopped parsley

Toss salad with a pinch of salt, fresh pepper (if desired) and drizzle with Arlotta balsamic vinegar and lemon infused olive oil.  Alternatively you can use any olive oil and balsamic, but be sure to buy the best quality you can find.

Serve at once

Watercress offers a hefty dose of beta-carotene, copious amounts of calcium, carotenes like lutein, and trace amounts of omega-3’s.  Watercress has a high amount of PEITC (phenylethylisotiocyante) which appears to block cancer-causing chemicals, perhaps even protecting the lungs of smokers from the carcinogens associated with tobacco (however, please don’t smoke…I tell you this to understand the power of watercress)

Red cabbage boosts immunity and is a member of the cruciferous family, whose indoles help with estrogen metabolism.  It also contains anthocyanins, a class of flavonids that provides as many as 36 different varieties of anticancer chemicals. Cabbage also contains a significant amount of glutamine, an amino acid that has anti-inflammatory properties. Red Cabbage boosts the immune system’s ability to produce more antibodies. Red cabbage contains large quantities of sulfur and other minerals that work as cleansing agents for the digestive system.  Raw red cabbage cleans the bowels, thus helping to prevent indigestion and constipation.

 Parsley has potent anti-inflammatory and anticancer abilities. The phytochemicals in parsley can slow the speed of cell division, leaving time for the cell to correct DNA mistakes or to activate apoptosis, and recent research shows that one particular compound found in parsley and celery, apigenin, can stop certain breast cancer tumor cells from multiplying and growing, so it’s a good idea to have some everyday.

Additional Notes

When salt is used, please consider pure sea salt as ordinary table salt and commercial sea salts are often treated with chlorine to bleach it white and may contain additional chemicals to prevent caking. 

When using balsamic vinegar, please keep in mind that many inexpensive varieties sold in the supermarket aren’t really balsamic vinegar but rather a cheap imitation. Try to purchase only high quality brands with no added ingredients

When olive oil is used, consider organic or a trusted source as not all olive oils are as pure as they claim to be.  I choose to use organic extra virgin olive oil for cooking and love the infused olive oils by Arlotta foods that we discovered at the farmers market in Southampton. 

Avoid canola oil…..have you ever seen a canola plant? That’s right, there is no such thing. Canola stands for “Canadian oil low acid”. Canola oil is developed from the rapeseed plant, which is part of the mustard family of plants. These oils have long been used for industrial purposes (in candles, lipsticks, soaps, inks, lubricants, and biofuels). It’s industrial oil, not a food.

Rapeseed oil is the source behind mustard gas, and on its own it causes emphysema, respiratory distress, anemia, constipation, irritability, and blindness. But through the beauty of genetic modification, it is now sold as edible oil. 

To be safe, use oils such as olive or walnut on salads

No GMO’s please:

http://www.newswithviews.com/Smith/jeffrey.htm

http://www.scribd.com/doc/8982765/NONGMO-Shopping-Guide

Elyn Jacobs

Elyn Jacobs is a certified cancer coach, a breast cancer survivor, and the Executive Director for the Emerald Heart Cancer Foundation.  She empowers women to choose the path for treatment that best fits their own individual needs.  Elyn helps women to uncover the nutritional deficiencies and emotional stress patterns that may have contributed to their cancer and to support their body as it activates it own natural ability to fight the disease. She is passionate about helping others move forward into a life of health and wellbeing. To learn more about Elyn’s coaching services or to learn more about eating for life, please visit:  http://elynjacobs.wordpress.com.