In lung cancer, the deadliest type of cancer for both men and women, cells in the lungs grow out of control. These cancerous cells then invade healthy tissues nearby, or spread to other parts of your body. Smoking has been shown to be the primary cause of lung cancer, accounting for 80 to 90 percent of all lung cancer cases, according to the Mayo Clinic. However, lung cancer also can appear in people who have never smoked. Many kinds of herbs have been confirmed to have the properties to cure lung cancer, but you must always check with your doctor before using them.
Green Tea
Drinking green tea or taking green tea catechins, a class of polyphenols, may help prevent and treat a variety cancers, including lung cancer, the University of Maryland Medical Center reports. Epigallocatechin-3-gallate, or EGCG, is the most robust polyphenol compound in green tea. It appears to stop lung cancer cells from dividing, reproducing and exiting the cell cycle, explains the UMMC.
Astragalus
Astragalus, a Chinese herb with potential immunopotentiation activity, aims to strengthen your body's immune system response to various cancer cells, including lung cancer, according to DePaul University. This herb improves the capacity of lung cancer patient's immune system, so that it can do a better job of attacking the cancer. The immunomodulating property of astragalus is attributed to the bioactive compound IL-2 found in the herb.
Rhizoma Zedoariae
The Chinese medicinal herb Rhizoma zedoariae contains a very special class of antitumor agents called beta-elemene, which has been reported to slow down the growth of lung cancer cells, according to the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. The exact mechanism of action is not known, but beta elemene may trigger apoptosis -- a normal physiological process by which your body removes cells that are either genetically damaged or no longer necessary -- in lung cancer cell lines.
