Carrots are root-vegetables that serve as a bright orange addition to many different delicious dishes. Commonly, the taproot is the most eaten part of the plant, although the greens are sometimes eaten as well. Carrots are rich in essential and beneficial nutrients like vitamin A, C, K, choline and folate and the minerals like phosphorous potassium, calcium, sodium, and magnesium. Aside from these, it also harbors polyphenols and carotenoids that provide anti-cancer, antioxidant and immune enhancing properties. These characteristics make this plant a medicine.
According to Science
Carotenoids are strong antioxidants that neutralize free radicals in the body resulting in the reduction of DNA damage and the risk of cancers manifesting. In the journal Food and Nutrition Science, it stresses that carotenoids “have been shown to have inhibition mutagenesis activity contributing to decreasing risk of some cancers.”
Moreover, in an experiment published in Nutrition Journal, it was concluded that drinking 16 fl oz of freshly squeezed carrot juice regularly for over a period of three months may protect the cardiovascular system by increasing total antioxidant status.
Also, flavonoids and phenolic derivatives are other antioxidants that are also present in carrots. These two have shown to exert inflammation reducing, immune boosting and anti-carcinogenic capabilities.
There were more studies conducted to really determine this plant’s ability when it comes to treating cancer. Some of these include an experiment documented in the Journal of Medicinal Food which really shows promising results. Researchers found out that the β-carotene and polyacetylenes present in carrots could be effective in the treatment of leukemia. The carrot juice extract they applied to leukemia cell line induced apoptosis and inhibited progression through the cell cycle. At the end of the day, they concluded that:
“This study has shown that extracts from carrots can induce apoptosis and cause cell cycle arrest in leukemia cell lines. The findings suggest that carrots may be an excellent source of bioactive chemicals for the treatment of leukemia.”
Apoptosis is the death of cells that occurs as a normal and controlled part of an organism’s growth or development. According to MedicineNet:
“When apoptosis does not work correctly, cells that should be eliminated may persist and become immortal, for example, in cancer and leukemia.”
Another research conducted in Zhejiang University in China brings further evidence about the carrots containing powerful anti-cancer agents. The researchers conducted a meta-analysis of ten studies from all across the world that evaluated the connection of carrots intake and the incidence of prostate cancer. This study was published in the European Journal of Nutrition and the authors noted that:
“The results indicated that high carrot consumption was inversely associated with prostate cancer risk. A dose-response analysis showed that an increase in carrot consumption of one serving per week or 10 g per day was associated with a 5.0 or 4.0 % decrease in the risk of prostate cancer in the overall population.”
Aside from carotenoids, luteolin (a flavonoid present in carrots) has also been shown to have a power against cancers. In the paper entitled “Luteolin, a flavonoid with potentials for cancer prevention and therapy,” it states that:
“Luteolin induces apoptotic cell death in a variety of cancers, inhibits cancer cell proliferation, and suppresses tumor angiogenesis.”
Angiogenesis means the development of new blood vessels within tumors.
A Success Story Of Carrot Juicing
Ann Cameron, a Harvard University graduate and author of 17 children’s books, shared her success on using carrot juicing as an alternative treatment.
In 2011, Cameron was anemic and started to feel pains in her abdomen. She was diagnosed with colon cancer and removed in June 2012. However, her battle was not yet over after the surgery. She was then advised to undergo adjuvant chemotherapy. This is a chemo recommended when one has no sign of remaining cancer. Actually, its main objective is to eliminate any remaining cancer cells, but then again it doesn’t always work. As side effects of the treatment, her fingers and toes felt painful and very inflamed and also, she suffers anemia. She turns down the adjuvant chemo and after six months, during her first check-up, she found out that she has two tumors between her lungs, each about an inch and a half in diameter.
After this, the doctors told Cameron that there was nothing they could do for her. The surgeon told her that she probably had two to three years to live.
Cameron looked for a different approach. She searched for natural treatments and her determination paid off. She followed Ralph Cole’s Protocol, which was developed by experimentation with quantities. Cameron juiced five pounds of carrots daily for close to eight months. After seven weeks of juicing, her CT shows that her tumors between her lungs had stopped growing as well as shrunk slightly. At four months, tumors were no longer visible in the CT and also, her lungs were normal. She continued juicing for additional four months – longer than the necessary.
If you are thinking of following Cameron’s steps, then you should follow her pieces of advice:
“Because most of the falcarinol is in the skin of the carrot, carrots should not be peeled. They must be juiced in a juicer, not in a blender. The resulting carrot pulp, a small mountain of it, can be used in a garden post, fed to bunnies, or just discarded.”
“Drink the juice on an empty stomach, either all at once before breakfast, or throughout the day, storing the undrunk juice in a jar with a tight lid in the refrigerator… Don’t skip even a day of juicing.”
“Don’t take antioxidant supplements in capsules, and don’t take other vegetables in large quantities as juice. Artificially high antioxidant consumption has been found to accelerate cancer growth and metastasis.”
“Carrot juicing can reduce the damages of radiation and chemotherapy. As chemotherapy is toxic, if an oncologist says a delay in starting chemo will not greatly increase one’s risks, I would recommend a person newly diagnosed with cancer try carrot juice alone first for a period of six weeks, and then to get a CT scan.”
I hope you were inspired by the story and start carrot juicing. Who knows? With determination and help of our Almighty God, your cancer will be healed.