The Cactus That Easily "Turns Cancerous" Can Also Treat Cancer

Not long ago, a family in my neighborhood moved away and left behind a large potted cactus downstairs. It was not only beautiful but also enormous. Out of curiosity, I leaned in for a closer look. The owner told me the cactus had been kept in their family for 99 years, passed down through several generations. I thought I had misheard and asked again, only to confirm that he really meant 99 years, starting from his great-grandfather. They had moved house many times, but the cactus was always treated as a family heirloom.

I have studied some botany and know that cacti can undergo fasciation. The bizarre shapes cacti develop are related to genetic mutations that occur after injury or infection by viruses or bacteria during growth. In fact, the grotesque fasciated growths on a cactus closely resemble animal cancer; one could even call these proliferative tissues tumors on the cactus. Like animal cancers, they are products of gene mutation.

Yet with proper care, these cacti can survive for a long time while carrying such "tumors." Cacti are popular indoor potted plants in many homes. Attentive owners can keep them alive for decades without much trouble, but a 99-year-old specimen like the one I saw in my neighborhood is extremely rare.

Why do animals often not survive long once they develop cancer, while cacti can survive for a long time after genetic mutation? This is a fascinating question. Some cancer biologists are deeply interested in cacti, studying them to understand the principles of carcinogenesis in multicellular organisms.

Although cell theory teaches us the unity of animal and plant life, the two kingdoms differ in major ways. Many plants, like this cactus, can live a long life covered in growths. Over the long course of history, plants seem to have evolved an ability to coexist with tumors. We therefore hope that one day humans, too, may evolve the ability to coexist with tumors.

The power of evolution is immense. Over two billion years of life, we multicellular organisms, relying on the irritability nature gave us, have evolved many disease-resisting capabilities.

For example, the human genome contains large numbers of viral fragments. Biologists can learn from these fragments how many viruses our ancestors fought. Our immune system was trained through these struggles to resist viruses. Vaccination works on a similar principle. Most vaccines are inactivated viruses; by inoculating them we train our immune system to remember these viruses, so that when we later encounter live virus, our immune system can deal with it.

All living things encounter viruses, bacteria, and injury in the course of surviving in nature, and all these can cause disease. In the long ages before medicine arose, we multicellular organisms relied on the power of evolution to cope with these illnesses.

Through the ages, medical scientists have observed unusual phenomena in the biological world to find healing drugs. Both ancient Chinese and ancient European physicians discovered that the leech is a largely harmless blood-sucking creature that could treat diseases caused by blood stasis. Modern pharmaceutical companies simply went a step further, discovering that leeches can suck blood because of hirudin, and they extracted hirudin to make anticoagulant drugs.

What abilities has the cactus evolved over its long history? Cacti are easily injured and readily infected by plant viruses and bacteria, which cause gene mutations and all kinds of "tumors." To survive, cacti must repair wounds, resist viruses and bacteria, and resist these fasciated overgrowths.

Humans have exploited exactly these cactus abilities to develop drugs. To date, cactus polysaccharides have been found to have antitumor, procoagulant, anti-mucosal-injury, liver-protective, hypoglycemic, antibacterial, antiviral, immune-enhancing, and antioxidant medicinal value. Cacti have been used clinically to treat cancer, leukemia, secondary phlebitis caused by chemotherapy drug extravasation, diabetes, mumps, mastitis, pulpitis, periodontitis, respiratory infections, neurasthenia, and a range of other conditions.

Human studies show that cactus has some inhibitory effect on human lung adenocarcinoma cells, gastric adenocarcinoma SGC-7901 cells, intestinal cancer cells, leukemia cells, and cervical cancer cells. Animal experiments also show that cactus can prolong the survival of tumor-bearing mice.

Some reports on the anticancer effects of cactus suggest that it markedly inhibits the activity of calcium pumps on the tumor cell membrane of mice, increasing intracellular calcium concentration. The authors speculate that this is one mechanism by which cactus polysaccharides exert their antitumor effect through promoting apoptosis.

Cactus polysaccharides can also increase the content of band-3 protein in the erythrocyte membrane of tumor-bearing mice, reduce membrane cross-linked proteins, and improve membrane lipid fluidity. Some scholars therefore speculate that cactus polysaccharides enhance immune function by improving erythrocyte membrane function in tumor-bearing mice. Other studies show that cactus polysaccharides have antioxidant effects and can boost human immunity, which may also be part of their anticancer pharmacological basis.

Wu Xuebin and colleagues reported treating 32 cases (episodes) of phlebitis caused by chemotherapy drug extravasation with external application of cactus: 15 cured, 12 markedly effective, 5 effective, and 0 completely ineffective. Pain generally eased within 4-8 hours, and most patients were fully relieved within 3 days. (Wu Xuebin et al., "Clinical study on external application of cactus for drug extravasation and secondary phlebitis," Chinese Herbal Medicine, 1999; 30: 319-320.)

Some scholars have also used cactus concentrate, cactus extract tablets, or cactus syrup orally to treat cancer, diabetes, and neurasthenia, with some efficacy. Of course, this line of research has not received enough attention, so the scope of study is still small, and more clinical practice is needed to verify it.

Finally, toxicological tests show that cactus is non-toxic.