Nutraceuticals and cancer management

The use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is increasing rapidly in developed countries, which is already in use as traditional medicines in various Asian countries. The Indian system of medicine, named as Ayurveda has an edge in this field. Many plant products are in use as herbal medicine, as food supplement or as spices, in every day cooking. Some of them have been well studied in various experimental models of cancer, both in vivo and in vitro models. They have shown significant inhibition of cell proliferation. Some of them are in the phase of clinical trial or already available as food supplement. Cancer patients are specially exploring the use of CAM, because of the high risk of mortality and long-term morbidity associated with surgical procedures of cancer management and high side effects of chemotherapy. This paper reviews different class of phytomedicines, used in Indian system of medicine, and also in Europe, which have shown positive results in preventing cancer progression. It also covers the role of vitamins, minerals, dietary fat in relation to cancer control. The mechanisms of action of these phytomolecules have also been discussed.