Breast and cervical cancer are highly occurring cancers that affect women worldwide; their recurrence is found among low and middle-income countries. Socioeconomic status and quality of nutrition are among the many factors that play a role in the occurrence of breast and cervical cancer. Therefore, this study examines the possible correlation between natural remedies and the occurrence of these cancers in Peruvian communities. A survey was designed to examine this correlation, in which a total of 45 women (21 years and older) and health professionals of various clinics of Peru were interviewed. According to the data, it has been found that about 78% of women who were surveyed utilize natural remedies. Additionally, many these women use natural remedies themselves as well as to treat inflammation caused by chemotherapy. Various participants believed plants and commonly used nutritional products contain medicinal properties; which included noni (Morinda citrifolia), Aloe Vera, chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla), muña (Minthostachys mollis), honey, and ortiga (Urtica dioica) as the most common. Further research was conducted to test the effect of noni and honey on mammalian cells, in which cell viability and cytotoxicity were examined. Data analysis from the cytotoxicity assay implied that honey had a toxic effect on HeLa cells. Cell viability and cytotoxicity assay results were inconclusive for noni. Future directions include further analyzing the effect of noni on cell viability and cytotoxicity, as well as extract other natural products that were identified by the survey.

Natural remedies and cancer in women: A peruvian communities survey study

255th National Meeting (2018)

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