Tualang Honey: Food or Miracle Medicine?
Breast cancer is a common disease in women caused by uncontrollable growth of cancerous cells in the breasts. Researchers often use modern medicine techniques in breast cancer prevention or treatment efforts. Emerging studies suggest that medicine not traditionally used in Western countries can be effective.
Most people only use honey as food. Nonetheless, it is a centuries-old treatment for many diseases because of the healing properties of the nutrients. Ahmed and Othman (2017) aimed to assess whether Tualang honey, found in Malaysian rainforests, can treat breast cancer.
Honey Put to the Test
In this experiment, the researchers divided 50 female rats into five equal groups. The control group, Group 0, contained healthy rats that did not get honey. Group 1 rats had breast cancer but did not get honey. Group 2, 3 and 4 rats had breast cancer and received low, medium or high oral doses of honey. The researchers took measurements across the 120 days of the experiment, including blood composition and tumor size. Autopsies performed at the end of the experiment measured the breast cancer progression.
Did the Honey Help the Rats?
Cancer cells grow and replicate to form thick, cancerous balls called tumors. Groups 2, 3 and 4 showed the least likelihood of developing tumors. Tumors for these rats developed much slower and later on in treatment. In some cases, the honey appeared to shrink the tumors.
Cancer can often cause patients to lose body weight. Group 1 rats lost significant weight across the 120 days. Yet, rats from Groups 2, 3, and 4 maintained weights comparable to the healthy rats from Group 0.
Cancer changes the composition of blood, including the amount of red blood cells. Rats from Groups 2, 3 and 4 showed more similar blood composition to Group 0 rats than Group 1 rats.
Cancer cells have low levels of important proteins. This prevents the immune system from killing the cancer cells which allows the cancer to spread. Rats from Groups 2, 3 and 4 had higher levels of these proteins compared to Group 1. This made it easier for the rats’ immune systems to kill the cancer cells.
The Future of Honey in Western Medicine
The study results suggest that Tualang honey can be an effective treatment for breast cancer, at least in female rats. The findings are important because cancer kills thousands of people each year. Current modern medical treatments for breast cancer depend on drugs with several health risks. Honey can be a natural, safe alternative to modern drugs with many co-health benefits.
The study proves that modern medicine should consider alternative remedies. Researchers need to conduct more research to determine whether Tualang honey can treat breast cancer and other cancers in humans. Cancer will likely take a while to cure. Nonetheless, the study can guide researchers in the right direction to combat the disease.
References
Ahmed, Sarfraz, and Nor Hayati Othman. “The Anti-Cancer Effects of Tualang Honey in Modulating Breast Carcinogenesis: an Experimental Animal Study.” BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine, vol. 17, no. 1, 2017, doi:10.1186/s12906-017-1721-4.
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