Blood Tests, Zyflamend and Capsaicin Update

Blood. I went to have my blood tests at Careggi hospital this morning. From now on, my friend and I are going to try to have our tests done at the same time, depending on our schedules etc. This morning, chatting about this and that, time simply flew by, and we were out and having breakfast in a nearby café by 8:15 a.m. or so. However, since I had requested that certain minerals (magnesium, etc.) and vitamins (B12, etc.) be checked, I discovered, to my horror, that I won’t have my test results until the end of July-beginning of August! I guess I won’t be holding my breath…

Zyflamend. Talk about coincidences. After reading one of Dr. Benelli’s books on curcumin and other NF-kB and COX-2 inhibitors, I looked up holy basil and read about Zyflamend, which is a blend of various herb extracts. Well, right there and then I decided to order a two-month supply, which my parents (who live in the States) are bringing to me this summer. And here is the coincidental part: just yesterday I came across a recently published study by Prof. Aggarwal and others on this polyherbal mixture: http://tinyurl.com/2ppxf7 Among other things, Zyflamend was found to inhibit NF-kB, down-regulate COX-2 and suppress osteoclastogenesis. Well, well. I know, I have broken my vow not to post about brands on my blog, but this bit of news was too good to keep to myself. Here is the list of herb extracts contained in this product: Rosemary (leaf), Turmeric (rhizome), Ginger (rhizome), Holy Basil (leaf) extract, Green Tea (leaf) extract, Hu Zhang (Polygonum cuspidatum) (root and rhizome) extract, Chinese Goldthread (root) extract, Oregano (leaf) supercritical extract, Baikal Skullcap (Scutellaria baicalensis) (root) ethanolic extract. This blend comes so close to my idea of putting different anti-MM plant extracts into a bioavailable capsule…

Capsaicin. Ever since reading about capsaicin and MM (see my page on this topic), I have been adding hot red pepper to my food. But I have an exciting update. Prof. Aggarwal, the magnificent Dumbledore of scientific research, recently co-authored a study concerning the effects of capsaicin on the STAT3 pathway in human MM cells. The “Clinical Cancer Research” May 2007 abstract can be read at: http://tinyurl.com/2xy88n. I am hoping to access the full study soon. At any rate, here are a few excerpts (practically the entire abstract…!): We found that capsaicin inhibited constitutive activation of STAT3 in multiple myeloma cells. [ ] Capsaicin also inhibited the interleukin-6-induced STAT3 activation. [ ] Capsaicin down-regulated the expression of the STAT3-regulated gene products, such as cyclin D1, Bcl-2, Bcl-xL, survivin, and vascular endothelial growth factor. Finally, capsaicin induced the accumulation of cells in G(1) phase, inhibited proliferation, and induced apoptosis, as indicated by caspase activation. Capsaicin also significantly potentiated the apoptotic effects of Velcade and thalidomide in multiple myeloma cells. When administered i.p., capsaicin inhibited the growth of human multiple myeloma xenograft tumors in male athymic nu/nu mice. It’s almost time for lunch, so pass the capsaicin, please! 😉

6 Comments

  1. Where did you read that, dear Old Bill? I just did a search, and found only info to the contrary, i.e., that capsaicin has powerful anti-cancer properties. I found absolutely nothing about capsaicin causing ANY type of cancer. It even has an effect on pancreatic cancer, which is another nasty one (like MM). As for cancer of the tongue, check out this study (ok, it’s rats, not humans, but tongues are tongues…): http://carcin.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/full/23/8/1361
    That said, I probably wouldn’t eat a kilo of this stuff with meals! Ouch! ;-)Please let me know if you know of a study I have overlooked. Thanks! Margaret

  2. I took capsaicin capsules for a few days and found that they upset my stomach. Maybe a different brand, or smaller capsules. No problem with eating the real thing, though. Pepper is good, even keeps the cat away from the food!

    Don

  3. Sorry, I was clearly wrong.Still, I’m glad I asked, since I can
    now continue to have Jalapeno peppers.

  4. I have MM and have been taking 200mg of Thalidomide every night for about 8 months. It has been holding the cancer steady but not decreasing it. I read your info on cayanne and decided to give it a whirl. I started about a week ago and got my bloods done on Aug. 20th. The IGg protien had dropped 5 points for the first time in months. Soooo, go for it. I take one capsule with breakfast and lunch, and two at dinner since I take the Thalidomide in the evening. I had some initial stomach upset but I find if I take it right in the middle of the meal, with food before and after coating my stomach it is fine. I have also been taking about 9 grams of curcumin for 7 months.

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