Immune - Treatment outcomes at Mexican cancer clinics

Hoxsey Treatment May Help Some Late Stage Cancers

by Paul Bergner

Medical Herbalism: 01-31-95 6(4): 10

Article

Objective evaluations of herbal therapies in cancer have been almost non-existent. A few studies of complementary treatment with Chinese formulas accompanying conventional cancer treatment appear in the scientific literature, but I’ve previously been unable to find any clinical trials of Western herbs used alone.

In an article appearing in the 1994 issue of Journal of Naturopathic Medicine, patients of three Mexican cancer clinics, including a clinic using the Hoxsey herbal formula, were followed for five years to determine mortality rates. The outcome, in brief, was that virtually all patients from two of the clinics had died at the end of five years. Of the patients at the Hoxsey clinic, on the other hand, six of sixteen patients remained alive and claimed to be disease-free after five years. Two of the patients — one with advanced lung cancer and the other with advanced melanoma — had illnesses that are normally considered incurable. This study was by no means air-tight from a scientific point of view, but it lends some credence to persistent claims that the Hoxsey formula is effective for some patients. Because the formula, which mainly includes benign alterative herbs, is mild, there is no reason why it could not be added to a regimen of other natural treatments for cancer.

Various versions of Hoxsey-like formulas are available commercially. The original formula contained an herb identified as Cascara amarga (honduran bark) which is apparently not available in commerce. Most companies substitute Cascara sagrada or another alterative in its place.

Hoxsey-like Formula, for constitutional cleansing and cancer support:

Licorice root (Glycyrrhiza glabra)        6 o z

Red Clover (Trifolium pratense)            6 oz

Burdock root (Arctium lappa)            3 oz

Queen’s root (Stillingia sylvatica) (toxic)    2 oz

Oregon Grape Root (Berberis aquifolium)    3 oz

Poke root (Phytolacca decandra) (toxic)    2 oz
 

Copyright 2001 Paul Bergner    199

Medical Herbalism: Clinical Articles and Case Studies

Cascara Sagrada bark (Rhamnus purshiana)    2 o z

Buckthorn bark (Rhamnus frangula) (toxic)    2 oz

Prickly Ash bark (Xanthoxylum americanum)    1 oz

Baptisia (Baptisia tinctoria)            2 oz

Potassium iodide                    3/4 oz

Dose: From 30 drops 2x per day to a tsp. 3x per day

Caution on phytolacca: this herb, used alone, can raise the white blood cell count, mimicking leukemia.

Austin S, Dale EB, DeKadt S. “Long term follow-up of cancer patients using Contreras, Hoxsey, and Gerson therapies.” Journal of Naturopathic Medicine 1994;5(1):74-76
 

Copyright 2001 Paul Bergner    200