Licorice contains powerful breast cancer-killing properties

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NaturalNews) It seems as though people either love it or hate it, but one thing is for sure: licorice is a powerhouse of immune-boosting and cancer-fighting nutrition that, when used properly, has been shown to help minimize one’s risk of developing “The Big C,” and specifically cancer of the breast.

Research out of the School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, has revealed the presence of eight unique immunomodulators in licorice and several other herbs that, in various ways, help the body to thwart the development of cancer tumors. These constituents include:

• Ajoene, a powerful anti-fungal
• Arctigenin, an anti-cancer lignan
• Beta-carotene, an antioxidant
• Glabridin acid, a DNA protector

Despite a plethora of conflicting information about its effects on the body, licorice is proving to be an effective weapon in the fight against chronic disease, not the least of which include cancer. Its tumor-modulating and hormone-regulating properties make it an aggressive weapon in the fight against hormone-sensitive cancers of not only the breast, but also the ovaries, uterus, and prostate.

Numerous studies confirm the cancer-fighting potential of licorice, including:

• Research out of Rutgers University which found that a polyphenol molecule known as beta-hydroxy-DHP (BHP), extracted from licorice, is capable of selectively killing cancer cells of both the breast and prostate, all while leaving healthy cells protected.

• Research out of China’s Nanjing Medical University which found that dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), another licorice constituent, taken in high doses is protective against estrogen-positive breast cancers, helping to keep estrogen levels in check to block breast cancer cells from proliferating.

• Research showing that licorice helps to balance testosterone metabolism, decrease serotonin re-uptake, and reduce cortisol levels, all of which help fight and prevent breast cancer.

• Studies showing that isoliquiritigenin and naringenin, two compounds found in licorice, help promote T-cell growth while boosting immunity. Licorice also contains glycyrrhisin and other antioxidant compounds that help mitigate cancer-causing inflammation throughout the body.

Despite some minor risks, licorice is a solid choice for anti-cancer nutrition

There are over 400 healing compounds in licorice, in fact, and many ancient systems of medicine in places like China, India, and the Middle East have been using them for centuries to promote healing and fight disease. Licorice is widely recognized as a hormone-balancing, immune system-boosting, oral health-promoting, digestive system-balancing “superherb” with vast healing potential.

There are some potential drawbacks to be aware of, though. For some people with heart problems such as arrhythmias, taking too much licorice can be a detriment. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warns that eating too much licorice can lead to dangerous drops in potassium levels:

“…black licorice contains the compound glycyrrhizin, which is the sweetening compound derived from licorice root,” the agency explains on its website. “Glycyrrhizin can cause potassium levels in the body to fall. When that happens, some people experience abnormal heart rhythms, as well as high blood pressure, edema (swelling), lethargy, and congestive heart failure.”

Research out of the University of Massachusetts also found that eating too much licorice can actually harm one’s hormone profile as opposed to balancing it. The adrenals can become overwhelmed, this research suggests, potentially leading to a blood condition known as pseudoaldosteronism, or Liddle’s syndrome, that can lead to hypertension.

For this reason, it is recommended that people at risk of this condition choose deglycyrrhizinated licorice, or DGL, rather than full-spectrum licorice. For everyone else, natural licorice – not the artificial kind sold as candy, by the way – is a great supplemental herb for cancer prevention, especially when used in conjunction with other anti-cancer foods and herbs.

“In traditional Chinese medicine, licorice is often used in herbal formulas to harmonize the effects of other herbs,” explains the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/056216_licorice_breast_cancer_prevention.html#ixzz4Rl05lECM

Algae Fuel

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Algae fuel or Algal biofuel is an alternative to fossil fuel that uses algae as its source of natural deposits.[1] Several companies and government agencies are funding efforts to reduce capital and operating costs and make algae fuel production commercially viable.[2] Harvested algae, like fossil fuel, release CO2 when burnt but unlike fossil fuel the CO2 is taken out of the atmosphere by the growing algae.

High oil prices, competing demands between foods and other biofuel sources, and the world food crisis, have ignited interest in algaculture (farming algae) for making vegetable oil, biodiesel, bioethanol, biogasoline, biomethanol, biobutanol and other biofuels, using land that is not suitable for agriculture. Among algal fuels’ attractive characteristics: they can be grown with minimal impact on fresh water resources,[3][4] can be produced using ocean and wastewater, and are biodegradable and relatively harmless to the environment if spilled.[5][6][7] Algae cost more per unit mass (as of 2010, food grade algae costs ~$5000/tonne), due to high capital and operating costs,[8] yet are claimed to yield between 10 and 100 times more fuel per unit area than other second-generation biofuel crops.[9] The United States Department of Energy estimates that if algae fuel replaced all the petroleum fuel in the United States, it would require 15,000 square miles (39,000 km2) which is only 0.42% of the U.S. map,[10] or about half of the land area of Maine. This is less than 1⁄7 the area of corn harvested in the United States in 2000.[11] However, these claims remain unrealized, commercially. According to the head of the Algal Biomass Organization algae fuel can reach price parity with oil in 2018 if granted production tax credits.[12]

 

Reference

  1. ^ Scott SA, Davey MP, Dennis JS, Horst I, Howe CJ, Lea-Smith DJ, Smith AG. 2010. Biodiesel from algae: challenges and prospects. Current Opinion in Biotechnology. 21(3):277-86
  2. ^ “{PhD thesis on algae production for bioenergy}” (PDF).Murdoch University, Western Australia. Retrieved 10 June 2008.
  3. ^ Yang, Jia; Ming Xu, Xuezhi Zhang, Qiang Hu, Milton Sommerfeld, YongShen Chen (2010). [www-personal.umich.edu/~mingxu/files/papers/Algae.pdf “Life-cycle analysis on biodiesel production from microalgae: Water footprint and nutrients balance”]. Bioresources Technology 10: 1016.
  4. ^ Cornell, Clayton B. (29 March 2008). “First Algae Biodiesel Plant Goes Online: 1 April 2008”. Gas 2.0. Retrieved 10 June 2008.
  5. ^ “‘Green Dream’ Backed by MPs”. Eastern Daily Press. January 2003. Archived from the original on 22 June 2008. Retrieved 10 June 2008.
  6. ^ Friends of Ethanol.com biodegradable ethanol[dead link]
  7. ^ “Low Cost Algae Production System Introduced”. Energy-Arizona. 28 August 2007. Archived from the original on 11 May 2008. Retrieved 10 June 2008.
  8. ^ “Micro-algae”.
  9. ^ Greenwell et al (2010) Placing microalgae on the biofuels priority list: a review of the technological challenges J. R. Soc. Interface 6 May 2010 vol. 7 no. 46 703–726
  10. ^ Hartman, Eviana (6 January 2008). “A Promising Oil Alternative: Algae Energy”. The Washington Post. Retrieved 10 June 2008.
  11. ^ Dyer, Gwynne (17 June 2008). “A replacement for oil”.The Chatham Daily News. Retrieved 18 June 2008.
  12. ^ Feldman, Stacy (22 November 2010). Reuters.http://www.reuters.com/article/idUS108599411820101122?pageNumber=title=Algae Fuel Inches Toward Price Parity with Oil. Retrieved 14 February 2011. “”We’re hoping to be to be at parity with fossil fuel-based petroleum in the year 2017 or 2018, with the idea that we will be at several billions of gallons,” Rosenthal told SolveClimate News in a phone interview.”]Image