Homeopathy for Cancer

Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsHomeopathic Remedies for CancerSymptom ManagementRisks and Considerations

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

Homeopathic Remedies for Cancer

Symptom Management

Risks and Considerations

Homeopathyhas been touted as one of thecomplementary and alternative medicine (CAM)approaches in the management of cancer, but it has not been proven to treat cancer. Homeopathic treatments may provide some relief from theside effectsofconventional cancer treatments, although this has not been unequivocally proven either.

Homeopathic remedies are organic substances that have been so highly diluted that there are very few molecules of the original substance remaining.

For cancer, homeopathic practitioners aim to stimulate immunity, lessen pain, and improve energy and overall well-being, especially if a person is grappling with the side effects of chemotherapy and radiation such as nausea, hot flashes, infections, and sores.

Homeopathy may hold an allure for people hoping to avoid the side effects of conventional cancer treatment.

In 2011, an observational study found that homeopathic treatments did improve the quality of life for some cancer patients.There also has been research suggesting thatmistletoe, a semiparasitic evergreen shrub used in some homeopathic preparations, may help some cancer patients better tolerate chemotherapy.

There is no evidence that homeopathics interfere with conventional treatments because there is hardly any substance in them. Nevertheless, homeopathics may do more harm than good if they delay the use of effective conventional therapies.

A study of cancer patients using alternative medicine in lieu of conventional cancer treatments found that after a median of 5 years, patients with breast or colorectal cancer were nearly five times as likely to die if they had used an alternative therapy as their initial treatment than if they had received conventional treatment.

Homeopathic treatments, which contain microscopic amounts of a substance are not the same as herbal remedies, which contain measurable amounts of a substance. Herbal remedies can interfere with the effectiveness of conventional treatments or potentially increase side effects. These include preparations containing grapefruit, St. John’s wort (Hypericum perforatum),milk thistle (Silybum marianum),or turmeric (Curcuma longa).

If you do want to include homeopathy or another type of CAM in your cancer treatment protocol, your oncologist should work in partnership with any alternative care doctor you see.

The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health offers these precautions:

A Word From Verywell

Based on rigorous human studies, it is known that there is no substitute for modern cancer treatment. However, there may be room in your treatment plan for alternative approaches, as long as:

11 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Milazzo S, Russell N, Ernst E.Efficacy of homeopathic therapy in cancer treatment.Eur J Cancer. 2006;42(3):282-9. doi:10.1016/j.ejca.2005.09.025Frenkel M.Homeopathy in cancer care.Altern Ther Health Med.May-Jun 2010;16(3):12-6.Jermini M, Dubois J, Rodondi PY, et al.Complementary medicine use during cancer treatment and potential herb-drug interactions from a cross-sectional study in an academic centre.Sci Rep. 2019;9(1):5078. doi:10.1038/s41598-019-41532-3Kassab S, Cummings M, Berkovitz S, et al.Homeopathic medicines for adverse effects of cancer treatments.Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews2009 15;(2):CD004845. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD004845.pub2Thangapazham RL, Gaddipati JP, Rajeshkumar NV, et al.Homeopathic medicines do not alter growth and gene expression in prostate and breast cancer cells in vitro.Integr Cancer Ther. 2006;5(4):356-61. doi:10.1177/1534735406294224Rostock M, Naumann J, Guethlin C, et al.Classical homeopathy in the treatment of cancer patients—a prospective observational study of two independent cohorts.BMC Cancer. 2011;11:19. doi:10.1186/1471-2407-11-19Kienle GS, Mussler M, Fuchs D, Kiene H. Intravenous Mistletoe Treatment in Integrative Cancer Care: A Qualitative Study Exploring the Procedures, Concepts, and Observations of Expert Doctors.Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2016;2016:4628287.doi:10.1155/2016/4628287U.S. Food and Drug Administration.A New Era for Homeopathic Drug Product Regulation. Mar 22, 2018.Johnson SB, Park HS, Gross CP, et al.Use of alternative medicine for cancer and its impact on survival.JNCI.Jan 2018;110(1):121–124. doi:10.1093/jnci/djx145Jermini M, Dubois J, Rodondi PY, et al.Complementary medicine use during cancer treatment and potential herb-drug interactions from a cross-sectional study in an academic centre.Sci Rep. 2019;9(1):5078. doi:10.1038/s41598-019-41532-3.National Center for Complementary & Integrative Medicine.Cancer: In depth. Jul 2014.

11 Sources

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Milazzo S, Russell N, Ernst E.Efficacy of homeopathic therapy in cancer treatment.Eur J Cancer. 2006;42(3):282-9. doi:10.1016/j.ejca.2005.09.025Frenkel M.Homeopathy in cancer care.Altern Ther Health Med.May-Jun 2010;16(3):12-6.Jermini M, Dubois J, Rodondi PY, et al.Complementary medicine use during cancer treatment and potential herb-drug interactions from a cross-sectional study in an academic centre.Sci Rep. 2019;9(1):5078. doi:10.1038/s41598-019-41532-3Kassab S, Cummings M, Berkovitz S, et al.Homeopathic medicines for adverse effects of cancer treatments.Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews2009 15;(2):CD004845. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD004845.pub2Thangapazham RL, Gaddipati JP, Rajeshkumar NV, et al.Homeopathic medicines do not alter growth and gene expression in prostate and breast cancer cells in vitro.Integr Cancer Ther. 2006;5(4):356-61. doi:10.1177/1534735406294224Rostock M, Naumann J, Guethlin C, et al.Classical homeopathy in the treatment of cancer patients—a prospective observational study of two independent cohorts.BMC Cancer. 2011;11:19. doi:10.1186/1471-2407-11-19Kienle GS, Mussler M, Fuchs D, Kiene H. Intravenous Mistletoe Treatment in Integrative Cancer Care: A Qualitative Study Exploring the Procedures, Concepts, and Observations of Expert Doctors.Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2016;2016:4628287.doi:10.1155/2016/4628287U.S. Food and Drug Administration.A New Era for Homeopathic Drug Product Regulation. Mar 22, 2018.Johnson SB, Park HS, Gross CP, et al.Use of alternative medicine for cancer and its impact on survival.JNCI.Jan 2018;110(1):121–124. doi:10.1093/jnci/djx145Jermini M, Dubois J, Rodondi PY, et al.Complementary medicine use during cancer treatment and potential herb-drug interactions from a cross-sectional study in an academic centre.Sci Rep. 2019;9(1):5078. doi:10.1038/s41598-019-41532-3.National Center for Complementary & Integrative Medicine.Cancer: In depth. Jul 2014.

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Milazzo S, Russell N, Ernst E.Efficacy of homeopathic therapy in cancer treatment.Eur J Cancer. 2006;42(3):282-9. doi:10.1016/j.ejca.2005.09.025Frenkel M.Homeopathy in cancer care.Altern Ther Health Med.May-Jun 2010;16(3):12-6.Jermini M, Dubois J, Rodondi PY, et al.Complementary medicine use during cancer treatment and potential herb-drug interactions from a cross-sectional study in an academic centre.Sci Rep. 2019;9(1):5078. doi:10.1038/s41598-019-41532-3Kassab S, Cummings M, Berkovitz S, et al.Homeopathic medicines for adverse effects of cancer treatments.Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews2009 15;(2):CD004845. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD004845.pub2Thangapazham RL, Gaddipati JP, Rajeshkumar NV, et al.Homeopathic medicines do not alter growth and gene expression in prostate and breast cancer cells in vitro.Integr Cancer Ther. 2006;5(4):356-61. doi:10.1177/1534735406294224Rostock M, Naumann J, Guethlin C, et al.Classical homeopathy in the treatment of cancer patients—a prospective observational study of two independent cohorts.BMC Cancer. 2011;11:19. doi:10.1186/1471-2407-11-19Kienle GS, Mussler M, Fuchs D, Kiene H. Intravenous Mistletoe Treatment in Integrative Cancer Care: A Qualitative Study Exploring the Procedures, Concepts, and Observations of Expert Doctors.Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2016;2016:4628287.doi:10.1155/2016/4628287U.S. Food and Drug Administration.A New Era for Homeopathic Drug Product Regulation. Mar 22, 2018.Johnson SB, Park HS, Gross CP, et al.Use of alternative medicine for cancer and its impact on survival.JNCI.Jan 2018;110(1):121–124. doi:10.1093/jnci/djx145Jermini M, Dubois J, Rodondi PY, et al.Complementary medicine use during cancer treatment and potential herb-drug interactions from a cross-sectional study in an academic centre.Sci Rep. 2019;9(1):5078. doi:10.1038/s41598-019-41532-3.National Center for Complementary & Integrative Medicine.Cancer: In depth. Jul 2014.

Milazzo S, Russell N, Ernst E.Efficacy of homeopathic therapy in cancer treatment.Eur J Cancer. 2006;42(3):282-9. doi:10.1016/j.ejca.2005.09.025

Frenkel M.Homeopathy in cancer care.Altern Ther Health Med.May-Jun 2010;16(3):12-6.

Jermini M, Dubois J, Rodondi PY, et al.Complementary medicine use during cancer treatment and potential herb-drug interactions from a cross-sectional study in an academic centre.Sci Rep. 2019;9(1):5078. doi:10.1038/s41598-019-41532-3

Kassab S, Cummings M, Berkovitz S, et al.Homeopathic medicines for adverse effects of cancer treatments.Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews2009 15;(2):CD004845. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD004845.pub2

Thangapazham RL, Gaddipati JP, Rajeshkumar NV, et al.Homeopathic medicines do not alter growth and gene expression in prostate and breast cancer cells in vitro.Integr Cancer Ther. 2006;5(4):356-61. doi:10.1177/1534735406294224

Rostock M, Naumann J, Guethlin C, et al.Classical homeopathy in the treatment of cancer patients—a prospective observational study of two independent cohorts.BMC Cancer. 2011;11:19. doi:10.1186/1471-2407-11-19

Kienle GS, Mussler M, Fuchs D, Kiene H. Intravenous Mistletoe Treatment in Integrative Cancer Care: A Qualitative Study Exploring the Procedures, Concepts, and Observations of Expert Doctors.Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2016;2016:4628287.doi:10.1155/2016/4628287

U.S. Food and Drug Administration.A New Era for Homeopathic Drug Product Regulation. Mar 22, 2018.

Johnson SB, Park HS, Gross CP, et al.Use of alternative medicine for cancer and its impact on survival.JNCI.Jan 2018;110(1):121–124. doi:10.1093/jnci/djx145

Jermini M, Dubois J, Rodondi PY, et al.Complementary medicine use during cancer treatment and potential herb-drug interactions from a cross-sectional study in an academic centre.Sci Rep. 2019;9(1):5078. doi:10.1038/s41598-019-41532-3

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National Center for Complementary & Integrative Medicine.Cancer: In depth. Jul 2014.

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