Graviola and PawPaw

Autumn and Pepaw

Oh wait... Was that PawPaw you say?  My mistake... Pepaw's one of my most favorite people in the world, it's understandable that I would hear Pepaw instead of PawPaw... Tomato, Tom-ah-to and all that, besides we needed a picture that smiles after a whole month of Mapping the Journey with Pancreatic Cancer!

But back to Graviola and PawPaw... I am already very intrigued by an alternative pancreatic cancer treatment called PawPaw.

So,what's up with these two?  Let's get down to some serious research...

Graviola is a tree found predominantly in the rainforests of Africa and South America.  It produces a fruit that many believe possesses amazing cancer fighting potential.

The Graviola fruit is also called Soursop, Custard Apple or Brazilian PawPaw.

But don't get confused.  There is actually a PawPaw tree that grows throughout much of North America.

The Graviola tree and the PawPaw tree are "cousins."  And both have reported cancer fighting potential.

Here's the Graviola Tree:

 

And here's the PawPaw tree:

 

I found a lot of detailed medical information. For example...

Graviola extracts were effective against the growth of adriamucin-resistant human mammary adenocarcinoma (MCF-7Adr) by blocking access of cancer cells to ATP and by inhibiting the actions of plasma membrane glycoprotein.  They also inhibited expressionof HIF-1a, NF-kB, glucose transporters, and glycolytic enzymes resulting in decreased glucose uptake and ATP production in pancreatic cancer cells.

I'm feeling a headache coming on...  The only words the average person understands in that paragraph is cancer cells.  From there it's all Blah-Blah-Blah....

Thank goodness for a simpler version... for folks like me...

In the 1970's, a study by the Purdue University was funded by the National Cancer Institute to research the cancer fighting potential of these plants.  They found that the graviola seed was 10,000 times more powerful than Adriamycin, a chemotherapy drug.

Can I just say Wow?  And this was, ummm, 40 years ago?  But wait, it gets better.

The scientists, led by Dr. Jerry McGuire found that the PawPaw plant was 24 times more effective than Graviola.

I might be a little speechless...

Are you asking the same thing?  Why haven't we heard more about these trees and their amazing anti-cancer potential?

I don't have an answer (still speechless)

But I do have some more ancedotal information.

It appears that these trees (the bark, leaves, roots, fruit, seeds and pulp) contain natural chemicals that effectively stop the growth of certain cancer cells.  

These natural chemicals are called Acetogenins.  They are fatty acids that somehow (that's my shortcut to a long biological explantion) shut down the growth of blood vessels in these cancer cells, so they are unable to get energy and therefore die.  The acetogenins also slow the growth of multiple drug resistant cells (like cancer cells).  So all in all, the Graviola and PawPaw trees sound pretty amazing...

One particular study found that the leaves of the PawPaw tree had the strongest effective against pancreatic cancer cells.

Unfortunately, all these past studies have been done in the lab, not on humans... Sigh... Of course, something that sounds so good, just might be...too good.

Which brings me to the critics of such amazing claims...  there's just not enough clinical evidence using human trials to verify some of these astonishing claims.  The Cancer Treatment Centers of Amercia have posted this article concerned over the possible neurotoxicity of using Graviola.

And their concern is valid, in the sense that more human clinical trials are needed.  Does that diminish the hope that preliminary trials in the lab have given us?  I, for one, believe that we are so close to unraveling the pancreatic cancer riddle.

Will it be Graviola or PawPaw?

I just don't know... but I can leave you with one woman's personal battle with pancreatic cancer and how she implemented graviola into her treatment plan... 

As always, please, please discuss these treatments with your healthcare team.  The use of Graviola and/or PawPaw may lead to serious complications, side-effects and neurotoxicity... of course, chemotherapy and radiation aren't too gentle either... just saying...

Praying hard through this journey, for wisdom, for grace, for understanding.  May each day bring us closer to the time we can say with confidence... I am a Pancreatic Cancer Survivor.

Hallelujah Moments in the Making.
                                           My Love, Always,
                                                                   Jane