Artemisinin – when cancer cells kill themselves
What if you had an herbal extract that could fight cancer safely even in those animals who were very sick and old?
Artemisinin is the second most common herbal I use to fight cancer in animals and it is extremely safe in almost all cases.
Artemisinin is an extract from the herb sweet wormwood and was originally used to treat malaria. It is currently under study by Dr. Henry Lai at the University of Washington for its effects against cancer, especially breast and bone cancer.
So how does it work?
Cancer cells take up more iron then normal cells. Artemisinin is attracted to these high iron cells and selectively goes to them. Once inside the cancer cells it reacts with the iron causing free radial formation which kills the cancer cells.
Also see
UW licenses potential cancer treatment derived from ancient Chinese folk remedy
Ancient Chinese remedy shows potential in preventing breast cancer
K9 health support also has a great page with links to articles and research on Artemisinin
Dog Cancer Treatment Options
Because it selects for these cells with high iron it is very safe to use in all cases but one. If your animal is undergoing radiation you must not use this herbal. Radiation blasts cancer cells, which spreads their iron into neighboring cells. In this case, Artemisinin can hurt the normal cells as well. If your animal is undergoing radiation you must wait a month after the last treatment of radiation to use this.
I have found Artemisinin to be very impressive for keeping tumor growth in check and for preventing spread of cancer in my animal patients. While I usually use it in combination with other herbals I have had some cases where I have used just this herbal and nothing else.
I find it works best against bone cancers, squamous cell carcinoma, fibrosarcoma and lymphoma. However I have used it for a number of other tumors as well. When using Chinese Medicine classification this herbal works better against the phlegm nodule tumors. This is also an herbal which may be effective for brain cancers.
I have yet to see a side effect from this herbal beyond that its antibacterial effects can make bad breath better. In fact I occasionally use this for animals with very bad breath who are too ill for dental work.
I dose Artemisinin at 50mg twice a day for cats and dogs under 25 pounds. Dogs over 25 pounds receive 100mg twice a day. Dogs over 100 pounds receive 200mg twice a day. I recommend the online company Holley Pharmacy for purchasing Artemisinin. I have found their customer service to be good, their product to work, and they usually have a special of some sort going.
The studies have shown that Artemisinin works best if there is a break from it every two weeks. I recommend that this herbal is giving for 11 days then stopped for three and then restarted in 11 days on, 3 days off cycles.
As with everything, please check with your animal’s vet before using this product.
Return to Integrative and Holistic Methods for Treating Cancer in Cats and Dogs.
May 31st, 2011 at 10:37 am
Hi Doctor,
I sure wish you lived near us
I got some artemisinin to give my cat. He is 12 years old – he lost a leg to bone cancer 1.5 yrs ago. Cancer has reappeared on his left rib (bulging out). It has been growing since January. The vet said that surgery would likely not be useful and also very expensive. The cat is eating well and seems otherwise healthy!
My question is – how to give him artemisinin without meat/iron! It is bitter tasting. The capsule seems too big to shove down his throat. Any tips on how to get him to take it?
It is our last resort.
Thanks,
misty
May 31st, 2011 at 1:14 pm
Hi Misty,
There is a lot of debate about if it should be given with meat or iron. I am fine with it being given with food. If he will eat it with food that is great, you can open the capsule and give him the powder mixed in. The 50mg can also be pushed down his throat, it shouldn’t be too big. You can also open it and mix with water and then syringe it into his mouth that way. Or if he has a favorite thing like tuna water you can also try mixing it with that. There are also some pharmacies that will compound it into a liquid.
Hope one of these works.
best wishes,
Lena
May 31st, 2011 at 2:34 pm
Thanks so much for the reply. The tuna water is a good idea too.
I guess if he has terminal cancer, giving with iron may not be the end of the world.
I know his chances are not good, but we are doing what we can.
Thanks again,
rachel
June 3rd, 2011 at 11:28 am
Hi, I am researching options for my 15 yo cat Orie, who has squamous cell carcinoma under the skin on her cheek and under her ear. The surgery they recommend would be very extensive and they don’t think it would be curative without radiation also. Orie hates going to the vet and I am hesitant to put her through that much additional treatment, especially such a major surgery. She also has stage 2 renal failure, although her BUN and creatine levels improved from Jan when we got the diagnosis to a couple weeks ago when the oncologist did new bloodwork and now her levels are just the high end of normal she said. Anyway, I am wondering if artemisinin would be safe for her kidneys and if it might be a good thing to try for her tumors. The oncologist also mentioned a newer drug called Palladia(?). I just don’t know what to do, I don’t want to give up on her, but also don’t want to push her through extensive, traumatizing treatments that won’t really work and will just make her miserable for the rest of what might be her short life.
June 3rd, 2011 at 2:40 pm
Hi Mindy,
Squamous cell is always a hard diagnosis. I have used artemisinin in animals with renal insufficiency and consider it to be safe. I had one little dog who we used just artemisinin for sqaumous cell in his mouth and he had good quality life for over a year.
My assistant Diane who helps me in my acupuncture practice learned about seven months ago that her sister’s cat had squamous cell carcinoma. This cat’s vet put her on Palladia and last I checked she was doing really well, tolerating it well and that the tumor was smaller. I haven’t used it myself but it seems like it might be a good choice.
It sounds like the surgery and radiation would be a lot to go through for a 15 year old. I would worry that the anesthesia used for both might be too much for her kidneys if they are borderline, not to mention recovery.
Personally if she was my cat I would probably lean towards doing the Palladia and artemisinin. I would check with your vet on if the Palladia is safe with kidney issues as I am unsure about that. Also don’t forget pain meds if she needs them. Pain control is very important with this cancer.
You have a lot of hard decisions to make. It is never easy. I hope that she is able to have more quality time here with you.
best wishes,
Lena
June 6th, 2011 at 11:25 am
Hi Mindy,
I just checked in with Diane this morning about her sister’s cat on Palladia. She is still doing very well on it and the tumor has stayed very small the whole time.
best wishes,
Lena
July 2nd, 2011 at 11:59 am
Thank you for sharing your expertise and knowledge.
My 7 yo male cat is dx with colon cancer with tumor close to
the rectal area. It is very difficult to watch him straining with
no poo. Surgery outcome was not promising so we just did
laser therapy to try to shrink the tumor. No significant progress so far.
I just learned abut artemisinin from a holistic pet store.
I was ambivalent about using it but I am encouraged now
after reading up more about it and reading your web page.
Thank you for suggesting the dosage.
Roammie
September 20th, 2011 at 5:57 pm
Hi, Dr. McCullough.
Our Australian Shepherd, Sassie, was diagnosed today with osteosarcoma. She’s 14 next month, a little over 30 pounds and had just begun to favor her left hind leg. The growth is below her knee and has definitely weakened the bone. They took a chest x-ray and it has not metastisized to the ribs or lungs. The vet gave us two meds, Rimadyl 75 mg (1/2 two times a day) and Tramadol Tabs 50 mg (2 a day). Up to this point the only meds she has had is her once a month heartworm. I have given her a protein shake (about 4 oz.) with 12 alfalfa tabs every day.
I’ve ordered the Artemin100 from Holley Pharmaceuticals. When they arrive should I discontinue use of any of the meds or protein & alfalfa shake?
Unfortunately, I don’t have the luxury of a holistic vet near us. So, from reading your article and your responses I trust your judgment. Your help is greatly appreciated.
Edie
September 21st, 2011 at 10:23 am
Hi Edie,
I’m sorry about Sassie’s diagnosis. Most of the dogs I treat are on a combination of pain meds including Rimadyl and Tramadol. Often times if the pain gets great we will also add in a drug called Gabapentin. It may be sometime to ask your vet about if she reaches that point. I consider pain meds a most, if amputation is not possible, for any type of bone cancer and I use them with Artemisinin in the animals I treat. There should not be any interacts between Artemisinin and protein shakes and alfalfa.
best wishes,
Lena
October 29th, 2011 at 3:55 am
hello Lena, since I contacted you last Zola has been doing very well and our holistic vet is very pleased with her progress.She is maintaing a good weight ,has a good appetitie and is generally full of beans. However two days ago I noticed she was favouring a front leg ,Ive just had a good look/feel at it and although there is nothing obvious ,I can feel a slight thickening above the knee on the outside of the leg, it dosnt feel hard . Ive been reading about Artemisin,would this be a good place to start this herb ,could i use the 5:1 concentrate powder (Qing Hao ) (herba Artemisiae Annuae) along with the other powdered herbs she has.Also have you used Yuan Hu Suo for pain control, I dont think she is in much pain but the fact that she is limping somewhat would indicate some.?
Thanks ,as always, for any input you can make.
Regards, Barbara and Zola
October 29th, 2011 at 11:27 am
Hi Barbara,
I am glad she is still doing well. If you haven’t you may want to run Zola by your vet just to get their opinion if this lump is cancer, or a benign tumor or a soft tissue injury. Usually if it is cancer in the bone it will feel hard and connected to the bone however there can sometimes be soft tissue swelling over a bone tumor. I like Artemisinin a lot for any dog or cat with cancer and commonly use it (unless there radiation treatments are being done). I have always used the Holley Pharmacy product linked to in this article – I’ve found them an easy company to work with and their product works well. I assume the powder would be similar but don’t have any experience with it myself.
I have used Yan Hu Suo to control pain. It is not as strong as the western pain drugs IMO and experience but sometimes I use it as an add on for severe pain and definitely use it for dogs with milder pain alone or combined with other herbs. Most of the arthritic dogs I treat are on a formula which includes it.
best wishes,
Lena
October 29th, 2011 at 1:59 pm
Hi Lena, I’ll have a word with my referral (holistic vet) and see what he says. The primary vet is a non holistic vet, I suspect they will want to x ray. I really didnt want to go down the route of more radiation and more anasthetics as she has had so much the past year.
Ive noticed she has soemthing similar on a back leg below the hock, its a thickening in the skin in this one,she has other very jelly like lumps like this, one on the chest one on a rib .
Barbara
November 19th, 2011 at 9:22 am
Hi Lena, Thanks for sharing your knowledge via this website and your comments.
I just received Artemisinin from Holley today. My 11 year old cat MoeMoe has a huge, fast-growing brain tumor that was found on Monday with a CT scan. The vet put her on Prednisone. He recommended very expensive surgery and radiation, but had a poor prognosis even if we were to do that. I am not going that route.
I will start the 50 mg artemisinin 2x daily. Is it okay taken with Prednisone?
What about putting the artemix gel or artemisinin gel from Hepalin.com on the tumor? Her head is swelled where it is.
I don’t have much hope for her but am willing to try some things. I have also ordered naltrexone in order to try the Low Dose Naltrexone therapy.
I would love to hear any experience or knowledge you may have to give me about this. Many Thanks!
November 19th, 2011 at 11:52 am
Hi Natalie,
I have used artemisinin in a number of animals that are on prednisone and have never had any problems with interactions between the two. I do not think the topical form would help by putting it on her head as the swelling is probably inside the brain and you would be putting it on outside of the her skull. I believe the topical form is not made to put directly on a tumor but is a transdermal way of getting it into the body when an animal can not be pilled. I’ve used it in rabbits before.
I have not had any experience with naltrexone, nor have I seen it used in animals. My understanding is that it is a drug mostly to treat chemical dependency in humans. Is it something your oncologist was recommending? Did they have a rational for using it?
I think the most important thing is to keep her as happy as you can. If the medications become too much for her (I’ve seen some cats that can not handle more than one or two things) then I would consider stopping things in order that she can have good quality as long as she is here. If you have a vet acupuncturist in your area that would be another option to see if you can increase her comfort without adding more medication.
best wishes,
Lena
November 20th, 2011 at 10:54 am
Hi Lena, thanks so much for taking the time to reply.
We tried putting the artemisinin in her food today and she would not eat it. I am highly resistant to scruffing her and forcing the pill down her throat, as we have had to do that a lot lately and she is very strong, plus she has swelling in that area and I think it would hurt her to scruff and force the pill down. She will eat the prednisone in her food though.
Do you know the difference between the artemisinin gel and artimex gel on hepalin.com’s site? I will try that if it is okay to use on cats.
I read about LDN therapy online, and found a forum with information about pets and LDN therapy. Yes, it is a drug for opiate addiction, but there has been some success in using it in low doses for MS, cancer, and other diseases. The dose (for pets or people) is .03 mg per pound of body weight. I am afraid we will have the same problem with not being able to get her to take it, I have read it is very bitter. I don’t want to just give up, though!
I am doing all of this on my own – the 2 vets I have seen both have no other recommendations than to keep her comfortable with prednisone and eventual pain meds if necessary.
I am frustrated with this situation as I have put a lot of effort into feeding the right foods to my pets, I did not expect this to happen. I feed grain-free store bought food and she has only had filtered water for many years now. We don’t allow our pets to eat very much either, they get fed twice daily. I know raw fresh food is the best option, but would require a lot of effort that I am not sure I am committed to doing. Now that this has happened I am rethinking everything, however. We have other pets we love. Do you have a brand of pet food that you recommend that is accessible to someone in NC? Thank you Lena!
November 20th, 2011 at 11:18 am
Hi Natalie,
Did you try opening the capsule and putting the powder inside on her food? That may be an option. The artimex gel has a couple other derivatives of artemisinin, I have never used them. The artemisinin gel is just artemisinin which is the only one I have used. Although I doubt it will be a problem in her case, both are high in parabens which mimic estrogens and may induce cancer.
Nature’s Variety has a raw which should be available everywhere. http://www.naturesvariety.com/instinctraw . I think no matter what you do there is still a high risk of cancer in our animals (and in us). We live in an environment with a lot of toxins that we do not have control of. One thing to look at if you are feeding canned food is the BPA in the cans – Weruva I believe is one of the only canned foods on the market without BPA.
If you haven’t found it, IVAS has a nice tool for finding a vet acupuncturist in your area http://www.ivas.org/Members/VetSearch/tabid/124/Default.aspx. Many of these vets also have herbal knowledge.
best wishes,
Lena
November 21st, 2011 at 8:09 am
Thank you very much Lena! Happy Thanksgiving
Warmly, Natalie
December 7th, 2011 at 10:30 am
Hi Lena. I have an 11 yr old australian shepherd who has been undergoing treatment for lymphoma since July. His last treatment is Dec 20 (just 2 more wks!). In the words of his vets, he’s responded extremely well, and they don’t usually do this good. I give him milk thistle, fish oil, famotidine, and l-arginine every day, along with a NuVet vitamin and Pet Health OPC (antioxidants). My question is, what should I give him after he’s finished with treatment? I was considering starting the artemisinin. Do you think he’d benefit from it? The chemo has provided a bit of a security blanket since I feel like any cells that arise are then obliterated after the next treatment. Any advice is greatly appreciated!
December 7th, 2011 at 11:06 am
Hi Jenny,
I usually keep my chemo dogs on both artemisinin and sanshedan after chemo stops. I also recommend people follow up with acupuncture a couple times a month. This seems to be the best way to keep them in remission. Sometimes we will do other herbals if the chemo has left them very deficient. Usually I do not do Hoxsey unless they come out of remission or if I feel like they have a lot of damp heat (inflammation) still in their body. That is great that he has done so well! I hope he has may more years ahead.
best wishes,
Lena
December 8th, 2011 at 7:28 am
Thanks so much. I’ll look into both artemisinin and sanshedan, and maybe I can find someone nearby who does accupuncture. I’ve read that the fish oil and arginine may extend remission times, so I was planning to keep him on both of those. I’m undecided on the milk thistle. Being an older dog, maybe he needs the additional liver support. I was using it as added protection from the chemo. One more question – are there any herbal/drug interactions to consider with either the artemisinin or sanshedan? I too hope that he has many happy years. I know what the statistics say about remission times, but I also believe in the power of positive thinking!
December 8th, 2011 at 10:28 am
Hi Jenny,
Here is a tool to find an acupuncturist in your area http://www.ivas.org/Members/VetSearch/tabid/124/Default.aspx , it does not list all vet acupuncturists only those IVAS or Chi certified so you may find someone also by asking around at your local pet food store or western vet. Artemisinin should not ever be used with radiation (not a drug) but besides that I consider it safe to use with western drugs. Sanshedan I have used with many, many drugs without any interactions, I also consider it safe with western drugs. I would consider leaving him on the milk thistle at least for a couple months to help with chemo recovery, then I see no harm in continuing it but he also may not need it if he his doing well. I just realized you were commending from the artemisinin article, if you haven’t seen it here is my article on lymphoma http://pathwithpaws.com/blog/2011/06/07/lymphoma-dogs-and-cats-integrative-medicine-chemotherapy-acupuncture/ .
best wishes,
Lena
December 8th, 2011 at 12:39 pm
Hi Lena, we have a 9 yr old English Springer Spaniel with anal sac carcinoma too large to remove and spread to local lymph nodes. Just finishing palliative radiation tmrw 12/9. He’s also on Poly MVA, vacustatin, K9 Critical Care and Trans Factor, dandelion/milk thistle, and liver-gallbladder drops. I know we must wait at least 1 month to start artemisinin orally but how bout using the gel from Allergy Research Group on the exposed portion of the tumor? Also, should I stop the vacustatin due to its anti-angiogenic effect, once we start artemisinin?
Thanks so much
Eric
December 8th, 2011 at 1:44 pm
Hi Eric,
I would not use the artemisinin gel as there is absorption into systemic circulation. I have had no experience with bindweed before but I would not imagine there would be an interaction with the artemisinin with it. While I don’t have an article on anal sac carcinomas up I treat them very similarly to lymphoma so there may be something helpful in this article. http://pathwithpaws.com/blog/2011/06/07/lymphoma-dogs-and-cats-integrative-medicine-chemotherapy-acupuncture/
best wishes,
Lena
December 8th, 2011 at 2:30 pm
Hi Lena, thank you for your quick response. Do you mean do not use the gel at all or just not until a month after radiation? And then should I use both the gel and oral or just the oral?
Thanks very much.
Eric
December 8th, 2011 at 3:09 pm
Hi Eric,
I usually do not use the gel unless I have an animal I can not pill – like some of the rabbits I work with and then I use it instead of the pills.
-Lena
December 26th, 2011 at 6:26 am
Lena,
Okay I have collected the following:
Artemisinin 100 mg
Hepasunate 50 mg
K9 Plus wafers
GNC Ultra Mega Superfood Complex
Meeker Rasperry powder (waiting on it – not here yet)
So – now trying to figure out what to give whom and how much
Bailey is the one with the amputated leg – he has not yet started chemo – he weighs 80 #
Bongo cannot have surgery – started radiation therapy – he weighs #116
I know that Arte cannot be given while undergoing radiation – same with Hepasunate?
Any recommendations greatly appreciated. Bongo is also on Tramadol 50 – 4 tabs every 8 hours; Carprofen 100 1 every 12 hours; and Gabapentin 600 1/2 tab every 8 hours
Thank you again
Sharon
December 26th, 2011 at 10:31 am
Hi Sharon,
I moved your comment back to the forums so that it is more continuous. Hope you saw my reply from before. http://pathwithpaws.com/forums/topic/cancer-questions?replies=12#post-104
best wishes,
Lena