Diet and Multiple Myeloma: Healing Herbs: Parsley, Sage, Basil and Holy Basil (Part Two)

What about sage and basil, the next recommendations? At risk of duplication, I’ll refer back to the column where we described the powerful effect of the ursolic acid in slowing myeloma.  I’ve already praised apples whose peels contain prodigious amounts of ursolic acid. Now, its time to give due to Sage and Basil that also contain lots of the same compound. Simply put, ursolic acid – found in apple peels, basil, cranberries and sage looks to have strong complimentary effects with standard myeloma chemotherapy agents such as thalidomide (and Revlimid) and Bortezomib (Velcade). http://mcr.aacrjournals.org/content/5/9/943.full And the more effective Revlimid and Velcade are, the better off we myeloma patients are likely to be.  So, time for Sage Biscuits and fresh pesto (basil!) Recipes to come. So, what is the final herb, Tulsi? It is an Indian herb (Ocimum tenuiflorum), often called Holy Basil. It also contains a good amount of Ursolic acid like sage and basil as well as some other compounds such as oleanic aid that look to inhibit inflammatory response. It is a big player in ayurvedic medicine, although that has little to do with my enthusiasm. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocimum_tenuiflorum The caffeine free tea has the taste of mildly roasted cloves and I have found it quite delightful in the afternoons. Served as an herb tea, it can have mood elevating effects (which I have subjectively verified). Do any of you recall Dr. Brian Durie’s recent statement that stress for myeloma patients was much more of a deleterious impact than sugar (although he suggested limiting sugar too)?  Worth reading again: http://myeloma.org/MtEntryPage.action?source=/imf_blogs/myeloma_voices/2012/03/sugar.html That’s because, there is evidence that being stressed can directly lead to noradrenaline release that help myeloma cells to get going and start growing blood vessels to aid their reproduction. http://www.cancercompass.com/message-board/message/all,18352,0.htm So, maybe Tulsi tea might help you to relax a bit– and the ursolic acid is a nice bonus. God knows, those of us with myeloma can use anything that might help even a tiny bit with the disease and help us to feel a little better at the same time. “Are you going to Scarborough Fair?” Give it a try.

Thanks again for another excellent column–and for answering reader’s questions so quickly, Danny.  Much appreciated! Feel good and keep smiling!  Pat