After I was diagnosed, I was not sure if immune stimulation was the right thing to do in lymphoma. I came across various warnings which cautioned that immune stimulation may make the cancerous cells grow. In effect, people with non-responsive cancers were encouraged to use immunostimulants, whereas people with responsive cancers were discouraged! A perverse situation. Nevertheless, the warnings made me uneasy, and I watched and waited for a clue. Then, after my nodes had grown considerably, I began to use aloe as part of a detoxification program. I had not realized at that time that aloe is also a powerful immune stimulant. When my nodes began to shrink, I researched this in depth, and became a cautious convert to herbal immune stimulation. (I hasten to add that I also, at the same time, began to use a more effective medication for my hypothyroidism. Hypothyroidism is linked to depressed immune functioning.)
After I decided to research this file, I expected that I would come to embrace herbal immunostimulation wholeheartedly. This has not happened. First of all, there is absolutely no information out there that is specific to lymphoma. Second, doubts linger in my mind regarding the appropriateness of this approach, despite my own positive experience. I will try to sum up the issues.
Lymphoma is a neoplastic disease that shows some characteristics of an auto- immune disease (Dr Elaine Jaffe wrote some articles about this a few years back.) Indeed, it is postulated that chronic immune overstimulation, perhaps due to some chronic viral infection or some ongoing toxin problems, is the cause of lymphomas. (Auto-immune diseases are typically treated with steroids which dampen the immune system, and in fact, prednisone has been a valuable drug used widely in lymphoma treatment.) This would cast doubt on immune stimulation, and would instead speak for using substances that are anti- inflammatory immunomodulators, such as used for arthritic disorders or lupus. Some herbs are such immunomodulators, and others act as both immune stimulators and immune depressants depending on dosage.
Another issue is the mechanism of action. Astragalus and echinacea are said to stimulate B cells specifically, and I have avoided them. I feel safer using non-specific immunostimulators like garlic, aloe and licorice. But on the other hand, it cannot be ruled out that even the non-specific ones act in part on the B cells. Research into herbs is increasing at a fast pace, and much more information will be available in a few years. At present, much is still unknown. I continue in the conviction that herbal immune boosting makes sense in lymphoma, but I must also caution everyone that there is at present no reliable information on how to do this -- the best herbs, the optimal dosages, and documented case studies.
Plants and fungi that are mentioned most often in the literature for
their immunostimulating properties:
aloe, pau d’arco, cat’s claw, echinacea, astragalus, licorice,
chinese herb mixtures, ginseng, garlic, barberry, hemp agrimony,
wild indigo, and oriental mushrooms. Also of interest may be ginger,
mistletoe, algae and seaweed, red clover, tea tree, and sweet annie
(Artemisia annua). Many more herbs are in the process of being studied
for their immunomodulating potential. (Please note that Essiac is not
an immune stimulant when it is made of the 4 original herbs: burdock, slippery
elm, rhubarb and sorrel.)
(Miller's voice) Interferon is an immune booster, but the alpha-interferon prescribed for NHL also acts to block the cell cycle (stops cancer cells, and others, from dividing). Alpha-interferon also upregulates MHC, which primes the cancer cells for attack by killer T cells. The product information brochure that came with my alpha-interferon said the manufacturer felt it has a direct effect on cancer cells. IL-2 acts to stimulate killer T cells, and in this way is an immune booster (IL-2's first name, after it was discovered, was "T cell growth factor"). Echinacea and astragalus are also immune boosters, but of a different kind. I took gobs of them three years ago in an attempt to prolong a remission - and feel that they may have contributed to my disease reappearing. After taking two immunology courses at UC Berkeley, I learned that these herbs are "polyclonal B cell activators" - very bad for folks with B cell NHL. In healthy people, they can stimulate the immune system by increasing antibody production by B cells. But us B cell NHLers are a whole different story - we don't need to do anything to stimulate our already over-active B cells. NHL is a cancer of a component of the immune system. We should be careful with immune boosters, and stick to those that will boost those parts of our immune systems that are not malignant.
Suggested research: I will be writing letters to several persons who may be of help in researching this issue further, or in suggesting other leads. I feel that the information that comes from other cancers is not of direct use to us, and at the same time, it seems unlikely that there will be official research with immunomodulating herbs performed for NHL specifically. This means that we need to help one another, reporting here and in other NHL forums on the results of our experimentation, and gathering the results for those who come after. Eventually, I would like to provide detailed information on each of the more promising herbs.
Researched and written by Vera Bradova © 1998
Updated 8-6-1998
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