Dr. Johnston looks at a new preclinical study of withaferin A, an ashwagandha compound, in human stomach cancer cells and in mice with stomach tumors. Researchers reported two forms of cell death, apoptosis and ferroptosis. He notes it was preclinical research, not a human treatment trial.
This study right here, published just a few days ago, found that a compound from an ancient medicinal plant attacked stomach cancer cells in two different ways, causing cancer cells to self-destruct.
But in India, where ashwagandha has been used for centuries in Ayurvedic medicine, it has a very long history. Traditionally, ashwagandha has been used to enhance male vitality. As a matter of fact, there are several randomized human trials that have reported that it improves sexual desire and certain aspects of sexual function.
But now, scientists are investigating something entirely different. Certain compounds from ashwagandha attack gastric cancer cells. One of the most fascinating natural compounds from ashwagandha is called withaferin A. Scientists have been investigating withaferin A against several cancers, including breast, prostate, colon and ovarian cancer, but this new study focused specifically on stomach cancer.
Researchers exposed human stomach cancer cells to withaferin A and also tested it in mice bearing stomach cancer tumors. They discovered that it triggered two different mechanisms of cancer cell death. The first is the most common, apoptosis, a process in which damaged cancer cells essentially self-destruct. The second is ferroptosis, a different kind of cell death involving iron and damage to cell membranes.
Researchers also identified changes in mitochondrial function and cellular defenses that help explain how withaferin A produced these effects against cancer cells. And importantly, the researchers observed anti-cancer activity in both lab models and animal tumor models.
Now, this was pre-clinical research, not a human cancer treatment trial, but it adds to a growing body of evidence that compounds from ashwagandha deserve further study.
Here's the research. You decide.
Educational research summary, not medical advice. Talk with your oncologist and pharmacist before starting, stopping or changing any treatment or supplement.