187 Fake Cancer "Cures" Consumers Should Avoid

187 Fake Cancer "Cures" Consumers Should Avoid is a 2009 document from the FDA listing a number of products which are sold as cancer "cures" despite strong evidence that they are entirely useless, and in many cases dangerous and illegal.

Against allopathy
Alternative medicine
Clinically unproven
v - t - e

The list includes manufacturers and product names. The majority of the ingredients fall into the "Some study somewhere has suggested some possible health benefit of X, so we are using that study as proof it's a cure for cancer" category.

These are ingredients used for various treatments on the list:

  • Activase — A prescription drug to treat stroke victims, marketed by Precision Herbs as a cancer cure[1]
  • Agaricus — a mushroom (Agaricus bisporus is the common white mushroom found in most supermarkets)
  • Amorph — marketed by Precision Herbs[1]
  • Apritum — marketed by Precision Herbs[1]
  • Bital — marketed by Fem Health "super herbs"
  • Black salve — An escharotic that kills skin cells, marketed as a way to cure skin cancer
  • Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis) extract
  • Buffered Vitamin C crystals
  • Cesium and Potassium
  • Calcium colostrum
  • CanAlk — marketed by Precision Herbs[1]
  • CancerGene — marketed by Precision Herbs[1]
  • Cantron — An electrolyte formula
  • Carcinogex — marketed by Precision Herbs[1]
  • Cat's claw (Uncaria spp.) — an herb popular as an anti-inflammatory
  • C-Cell 4 Destroyer — marketed by Plant Cures Incorporated
  • Chloro plasma — Chlorophyll (from spirulina) as a cure-all
  • Citrus pectin
  • Coral calcium
  • Curcumin — an herbal supplement using turmeric (Curcuma longa)
  • Ellagic acid — antioxident extracted from berries
  • Essiac
  • Flax seed oil (Linum usitatissimum)
  • Fungustum — marketed by Precision Herbs[1]
  • Grape seed extract
  • Green tea (Camellia sinensis)
  • IP-6 Inositol Hexaphosphate
  • Lycopene — Herbal supplement made from the tomato's red pigment.
  • Lycozyme — Natural enzymes that break down cell walls
  • Medicardium — EDTA chelation suppositories. Marketed by Richard McPhail as a cure for cancer.
  • Melatonin — hormone that regulates sleep patterns; though not a cure, there are studies suggesting a link between lack of natural melatonin and cancer.
  • Molex — marketed by Precision Herbs[1]
  • Mushroom blends
  • Neoplasmex — marketed by Precision Herbs[1]
  • New Sun LIV — "detox" product with Milk Thistle and Tumeric. Marketed by Fem Health and can no longer be formally marketed as a cancer cure.
  • Omega-3
  • P.D.Q.! Herbal Skin Cream Marketed by Richard McPhail as a cure for skin cancer.
  • Pau d'arco bark (Tabebuia spp.) — bark of the Trumpet Tree and a rich source of flavonoids; marketed by Precision Herbs[1] among others
  • Protocel
  • Red clover (Trifolium pratense)
  • Salmon oil
  • Saw palmetto (Serenoa repens)
  • Shark cartilage
  • Shark liver oil
  • Squalmine
  • SunRecome
  • ThermaPop — marketed by Precision Herbs[1]
  • TNF-Max — marketed by Precision Herbs[1]
  • Tum-go — marketed by Precision Herbs[1]
  • Tumorex — marketed by Precision Herbs[1]
  • VX-O — marketed by Precision Herbs[1]
  • Wild yam (Dioscorea spp.)
  • Yew/Olive combination

FDA notices
  • In 2008, the FDA sent a warning to Precision Herbs,[1] who were marketing Activase, Amorph, Apritum, CanAlk, CancerGene, Carcinogex, Fungustum, Molex, Neoplasmex, Pau d'arco Bark, ThermaPop, TNF-Max, TumGo, Tumorex and VX-O as cures for cancer. Since then, these have been pulled from the market or relabeled.
  • In 2008, the FDA sent a warning to Fem Health "super herbs"[2] who were marketing "New Sun NKC-C Agaricus Blazei capsules," "New Sun NKC-C Agaricus Blazei Super Concentrate Vial," "New Sun Green Tea," "New Sun Grape Seed Extract," "New Sun LIV Combination," "New Sun Flax Seed Oil," "New Sun Super Sam (Super Sam Generic Samento, Cat's Claw)," "New Sun Vital PR. & BR." and "New Sun Yew/Olive Combination," among numerous other products as cures for cancer. They have since been pulled of the shelf or rebranded.
  • In 2008, the FDA sent a warning to Plant Cures Incorporated[3] who were marketing "Bloodroot Extract," "Ojibwa Tea" or "Essiac," and "C-Cell 4 Destroyer" as cures for cancer. Since then, the products have been pulled from the shelf or rebranded.
  • In 2000, the FDA sent a warning to Richard McPhail[4] to cease marketing Medicardium and P.D.Q.! Herbal Skin Cream as cures for cancer.
gollark: And you can't get around it (without breaking the ToS) because of the ridiculous custom client thing.
gollark: (This is in fact not true. My real age is [ERROR], as I am an entity existing outside of space and time and not subject to foolish mortal concepts like "linear time".)
gollark: I'm fine with somewhat funny loading messages, but not as actual UI elements.
gollark: I'm 12 as a joke!
gollark: Haha yes we are so funny and up with the kids, innit yo?

References
  1. http://www.fda.gov/ICECI/EnforcementActions/WarningLetters/2008/ucm1048286.htm
  2. http://www.fda.gov/ICECI/EnforcementActions/WarningLetters/2008/ucm1048261.htm
  3. http://www.fda.gov/ICECI/EnforcementActions/WarningLetters/2008/ucm1048278.htm
  4. http://www.fda.gov/ICECI/EnforcementActions/WarningLetters/2008/ucm1048293.htm
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