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Kanga
Australia
4 Posts |
 Posted - 06/14/2010 : 02:20:28
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The Australian Blushwood tree Hylandia dockrillii as a possible source of a cancer treatment received some widespread TV publicity on the Channel 7 Sunday night program on June 13 2010.
http://current.com/news/92088221_possible-cancer-cure-found-in-blushwood-shrub.htm
The applications are far wider than skin cancer and the substance has had wide testing on other cancers in animals, with apparently excellent success. It is planned to distribute the drug among Australian vets, which may make it more accessible to people in need, only for their sick cats of course! We must at all costs avoid the sick and dying obtaining any relief without first having their wallets evacuated. Those writhing in their death agony of cancer with only months to live need also to be protected from the possibility of horrendous side effects such as mild nausea, allergic reactions or other terrors that might befall them with drugs tried only on animals.
The observation that rainforest marsupials spit out seeds after eating the fruit of a certain plant led to the company’s lead compound, EBC-46. Scientists at EcoBiotics learned that the unpalatable seeds contain an inflammatory agent that made the animals’ tongues swell. They isolated the active ingredient, a diterpene ester, which belongs to a new class of chemicals.
EBC-46 shows anticancer properties against basal and squamous cell carcinomas, melanoma, and head and neck tumours, Delco reports. The active ingredient in EBC-46 is easily purified from a ubiquitous plant species that can be quickly grown on plantations. The company is developing a GMP process to insure commercial quantities of the drug for future investigations.
EBC-46 is a protein kinase C regulator that initiates apoptosis of tumor cells and causes a local inflammatory reaction that recruits the body’s neutrophils to attack the tumor. When injected into incurable soft tissue sarcoids, nasopharangeal cancers, and oral malignant melanomas in horses, dogs, and sheep, EBC-46 destroyed the tumors and healing was evident in about two weeks, Delco reports. The positive animal results “don’t guarantee that EBC-46 will work in people,” he adds, “but it’s promising.” EcoBiotics plans to file an investigational new drug application for EBC-46 within a year.
Given that the discoverers of this plant's capabilities lodged patent applications in 2006 this is not that new, but already on other forums people are asking where to get the seeds.
One possible outcome is that the discovery will never be developed but the company and its patents if any are granted will be bought ought by big pharma and never come to market. Note that Peplin an Australian company in Brisbane which developed a skin cancer treatment from Euphorbia peplus (radium weed) (there is a thread on these forums about it) was taken over on the Australian stock exchange in November 2009 for around $269 Million by a large international pharmaceutical company.
Ecobiotics may well suffer the same fate, and the knowledge could be hidden. This is the great evil of people being able to take patents on essentially natural processes. So it is important to spread the knowledge of this plant as widely as possible and for people to obtain the seeds and grow it.
The full contact details including the registered address is in the public domain in its patent applications under the name Qbiotics Limited. They may have since changed the name to Ecobiotics, but the Australian patent application in about 2006 lists Qbiotics Ltd Yungaburra QLD 4884 Australia .
The location of a number of Hylandia dockrillii trees growing in the rainforest hinterland near Cairns in Danbulla State Forrest, near lake Tinaroo and in the Wooroonaroo National park is recorded with detailed GPS coordinates in the National Herberium in Canberra and the data can be accessed at this URlL of the Global Biodiversity facility.
http://data.gbif.org/occurrences/searchWithTable.htm?c[0].s=20&c[0].p=0&c[0].o=13241275&c[1].s=19&c[1].p=0&c[1].o=100.0E,36.0S,180.0E,4.0N
{that's all one URL above but it does not work to click on, copy and paste the whole thing]
Hylandia dockrillii Australian National Herbarium (CANB) CANB 712020 233653 Specimen 09/10/1961 17.25°S, 145.66°E Australia View
Hylandia dockrillii Australian National Herbarium (CANB) CANB 712021 249837 Specimen 04/04/1972 17.3299°S, 145.75°E Australia View
Hylandia dockrillii Australian National Herbarium (CANB) CANB 712022 249839 Specimen 04/04/1972 17.3299°S, 145.75°E Australia View
Hylandia dockrillii Australian National Herbarium (CANB) CANB 303761 256827 Specimen 29/04/1971 17.6599°S, 145.66°E Australia View
Hylandia dockrillii Australian National Herbarium (CANB) CANB 712023 257906 Specimen 29/11/1973 17.4099°S, 145.75°E Australia View
Hylandia dockrillii Australian National Herbarium (CANB) CANB 712025 285788 Specimen 12/03/1975 17.3299°S, 145.75°E Australia View
Hylandia dockrillii Australian National Herbarium (CANB) CANB 712029 547438 Specimen 02/09/1980 17.5799°S, 145.7°E Australia View
Hylandia dockrillii Australian National Herbarium (CANB) CANB 712027 547440 Specimen 17/03/1977 17.5799°S, 145.61°E Australia View
Hylandia dockrillii Australian National Herbarium (CANB) CANB 712028 560042 Specimen 17/12/1980 17.5799°S, 145.73°E Australia View
Hylandia dockrillii Harvard University Herbaria A Arnold Arboretum 106145 Specimen 17.6667°S, 145.667°E
A photo supposed to be the foliage of Hylandia dockrillii is at http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3460/3958498386_d06167b509_m.jpg
There should be some better pictures, please post URL if you find them.
I have plotted these on a detailed topographic map and most are close to roads or 4WD tracks and indicate the trees have a fairly wide range in the area. The tree records date from the 1970's to 2002. There are more along the Palmerston Highway SE of the crossing of the North Beartrice River. The information suggests it should not be hard to find some trees growing in the wild.
Apparently locals are growing the trees in anticipation of commercial production, and the patent application information suggests this is not a new discovery but that work was well advanced in 2006 with an even then good understanding of the biochemistry. The recent Channel 7 Sunday night publicity has only given it a more widespread airing.
I have no idea as to the reliability of the following, but other information I have found on the net suggests the active ingredient is in the seeds and that the substance can be "fairly easily extracted", which may refer to extraction as a tincture in alcohol as a guess.
This suggests that some experiments using such a tincture on skin cancers like Basal Call or solar kerotosis would be fairly easy for people to do
If anyone living in the Cairns area can obtain the seeds and distribute some it would be a service to mankind to help thwart the over commercial exploitation of this natural resource, or worse still the total suppression of the treatment.
The company plans to eventually sell the drug patents to a big multinational pharma company, and make money from selling out in this way which is clearly outlined in the investor presentation on the company website.
http://www.qbiotics.com/?gclid=CIuykNL_nqICFQcYewodnxa8yA#//
Thus there will be no cheap or widespresd access to this treatment, but just another rip off with the drug being sold for many thousands of dollars a dose.
An effective dose is 3mg and the company has stockpiled 12,000 doses for trials, which it values at betweem 3 and 5 million dollars, but has not decided on the commercial marketing cost for vetinary applications.
The company CEO states that the active ingredient is a "major component" of the seed of the plant (which she refers to by the name "Fontania" (phonetic spelling from the audio on a film clip) but which news sources state to be the Blushwood and the photo of the seeds on the company website look like Blushwood seeds.
It is further stated in Qbiotics promotional literature that the active ingredient is able to be easily isolated, however if it is a major component of the seed, and from the dosage used 3mg, it may not need to be actually isolated at all to be effective. Hence my earlier comment that a tincture in say 60% alcohol of the seeds may be a simple and effective treatment?
It is applied both topically and injected into solid tumors with dramatic results. See the company website above.
Any one around Cairns with a half dead dog cat or horse, want to gather up some seeds, soak them in alcohol, and apply the tincture to to an external tumor or inject a small quantity into a solid tumor? With an animal thats going to die of cancer anyway soon what have you got to loose?
And there can't be much harm in anyone trying such a tincture on solar keritosis or Basal cells and see what happens?
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Edited by - Kanga on 06/14/2010 03:57:35 |
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trudie
61 Posts |
Posted - 06/14/2010 : 08:44:02
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| Thank you for this amazing info. I must be politically challenged because I fail to understand why a drug company would buy out the researchers product and then not make a saleable drug? Surely, they (the pharma) would make more money on it by selling it than suppressing it? I am referring to the peplus, which you said was sold in 2006. |
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Kanga
Australia
4 Posts |
Posted - 06/14/2010 : 19:05:53
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One can't be certain what will happen when a drug is bought out by a big pharma company, they might market it, or they may just sit on it (in effect suppress it). It depends how they think they can make the most money from it. Perhaps they have other drugs already on sale that are good profit earners and think the new drug would undermine their sales, or completely destroy the existing market. Or they may decide to market it in competition with other companies if they have nothing in their range for a particular target market.
With Peplin I don't know what will happen, a big pharma company paid US$269M in an on market takeover. The CEO of Qbiotic Ltd names the big pharma that bought out Peplin as an example of the potential value of the Blushwood drug in the investor spiel.
One big pharma may buy a newly developed drug mainly to stop a competitor from buying it and competing with their existing products. It is all a matter of money not medicine. My view is that there is no question of ethics or finding a cure for anything, just what makes the most money.
Many "big pharma" companies now obtain many of their new drugs in this manner, by buying out companies or the intellectual property rights to drugs, rather than doing all their own research. They also often farm out the actual manufacturing of drugs to smaller specialist drug production companies, such as in Australia a company called The Institute of Drug Technology which owns drug and biotech production plants and makes many drugs and vaccines for various "big pharma" companies, which then market the drugs under their own brands. Thus the big pharma companies are tending to become essentially just marketing organisations, buying in research and drug patents, farming out actual production, and selling the end product.
Qbiotic Ltd make it very clear in their investor briefings (it is an unlisted public company and is presently seeking to raise capital for clinical trials, which may have some connection with the timing of the national TV publicity) that their corporate strategy is to take the drug through the clinical trials phase and then sell out possibly either by a corporate takeover of the subsidiary company Ecobiotics, or some sale of the patents or intellectual property rights to a big pharma company. They list a number of examples (including Peplin) where this has happened recently for amounts up to around $800 Million, in their corporate investor video.
So if this happens as planned clearly a big pharma will end up with the "rights" to the Blushwood seed drug. The drug is so effective in animal trials that it is a one shot cure for a range of solid tumours in dogs cats and horses, so if marketed by big pharma it would be bound to be very expensive.
Then the possibility exists that which ever big pharma eventually buys out Ecobiotics that they may decide to just sit on it. One of the reasons for this is that in many countries there are pharmaceutical subsidy schemes where the governments heavily subsidise the cost of a range of approved drugs. That is the case in Australia, and getting a drug on to the list of subsidised drugs is very important in its marketing, medical politics enter the equation. That is not the same thing as getting the drug approved for human use by the FDA in the USA or in Australia by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA)
If a drug is approved for use but is not on the pharmaceutical benefits scheme or whatever scheme in other countries, few consumers may be able to afford it, so sales may be very few particularly if the price is very high, perhaps many thousands of dollars for one dose. So all of these factors come into play in deciding, where, how and even if a drug is marketed, or effectively just sat on, that is suppressed.
Part of this problem comes from the legal situation about patents and intellectual property, which allows essentially natural substances to be bound up with patent restrictions relating to the uses of the substance rather than the actual structure of the substance itself. Similar problems exist regarding gene technology.
The government of India recently sought to thwart the future commercial patenting of traditional herbal medicine by placing all of the known information on Indian herbs and traditional medicine into the public domain on some kind of web based database. That shows a different and more humanitarian and enlightened attitude than western governments which are still stuck in the concepts of nineteenth centaury patent and intellectual property law based mainly on English law that developed after the first industrial revolution. These attitudes and legal principles have fostered the recent plague of patents on genes and natural substances and attempts to highly restrict their effective use by patenting particular uses where the underlying gene or molecule itself has been unable to be patented. This appears to have some bearing on the Blushwood drug.
The greed mentality supports this antiquated concept of private exploitation of essentially natural substances and their properties, and the trend for research to be privately funded continues the problem. The argument being that the potential profit is necessary for research.
That is only so because many western governments in particular have failed to wisely publicly fund research, even adequately fund education, and adopt a user pays policy for everything.
A fundamental change in the concept of patentable intellectual property is necessary relating to drawing a clear distinction between a discovery and an invention.
Drugs derived directly from plants and genes are discoveries (of something naturally occurring) and need to be treated differently from inventions. As a start there needs be a "use it or loose it" type of concept introduced for any intellectual property right granted relating to a "discovery" including any uses or applications of that discovery. That would begin to prevent the effective suppression of knowledge. The normal expiry period of patents is far too long related to natural discoveries, if there should be any such right at all in the case of naturally occurring substances and their uses.
I hope this helps to explain something of the politics of the suppression of knowledge, why and how it can, somewhat unpredictably occur. I hope it does not happen to the promising Blushwood drug, and it is for this reason that I have brought the information to this forum, including the precise location of the trees and a couple of hypotheses on how individuals might be able to conduct some simple experiments.
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trudie
61 Posts |
Posted - 06/24/2010 : 10:39:17
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| Thank you so much for your lengthy very informative reply. |
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waaki
Australia
1 Posts |
Posted - 10/26/2010 : 04:53:59
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| hi i have been reading the posts regarding the blushwood plant , i contacted the ecobiotics people and asked if my son could be part of the trials on humans coming up in early 2012 , they sent me a few emails back and forwards until i told them my son was 5 and had a brain tumour , they then told me there drug is not being designed for brain tumours , i have written back and said i dont understand as i thought it was for all tumours and how do they know it isnt going to work on the brain ,, i got no response ,, i am down in melbourne and am very keen to try the tincture with the seeds ,, but i have no way of getting to queensland to the daintree ,, does anyone on here know where i can get some fresh seeds to make the tincture ??? thanks heaps everyone , my little boy is ther best and i will do anything to help him |
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opalxx
Australia
11 Posts |
Posted - 10/31/2010 : 18:42:47
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Yeah, I have been looking at ebc46 for a while as i have a bcc on my face about 3 yrs old. Asked a few Q's of ecobiotics with no reply (what a surprise)!!! I guess that even if all goes ok the beurocrats at the TGA will drag things out.
I also tried treatment with tea tree oil which supposedly is another recent amazing Australian discovery at the University of Western Australia. I have tried it undiluted and with different carrier oils and it just doesn't work, or not on my bcc anyway. I also emailed them for further details with the same zero response.
See http://www.sciencewa.net.au/topics/health/180-News/3091-ajanthy-arulpragasam
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Hardy St-Amand
Canada
1 Posts |
Posted - 01/10/2011 : 19:17:12
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Well, one reason that a drug company, and or government, would stall something like this is that there is just too much money to be made from treating dieing patients. Think about it, if you could cure someone at the cost of say 10 thousand, think about all the money that they (drug companied hospitals, and yes, doctors) would be losing. If say, you could get 250 thousand from helping a patient to die, would you do that or just make a pittance of 10 grand... just think about it... Unfortunately we live in a world that thinks money is more important than human life. The almighty buck must prevail. Society has become so ill that they just don't want to help anymore. They would rather have these diseases become a chronic condition rather than cure the people. There is just too much money to be made. When money comes into it, that is when the evil comes to bare. I wish I hope that someone out there starts to think about the well being of the people. I hope the light shines forth. I think it will take some people that truly cares about their fellow man. Groups that would rather see the world become that much better. It just saddens me to think that the governments would let something that is a natural compound be patented. So anyone that tries to help would be stopped from doing such a thing. Then there is the other side of the coin, those who would prey on the suffering of not only those who are afflicted, but those around them. Those who would scam, and harm those afflicted. This always makes things terribly complicated. And I believe the the laws are clearly not stiff enough to dis-wade those who would do such things. Some say, "well, who is going to pay for all of this", I say every time someone dies an early, or painful death at the hands of those who, in a way, could have truly helped them, well all pay a price that is much higher than any of the money that is made because of it. I just hope someone reads this and actually takes it to heart. It would be so great if the greed would be taken out of the equation.
Time is of the essence, too many have, and will die for no good reason. I just prey it's not any of your sons or daughters, wifes, or parents.
Peace to all. |
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SheilaInAus
Australia
7 Posts |
Posted - 03/10/2011 : 08:36:31
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EBC-46 will now be trialled later this year.
Jan 20th 2011 quote.........
RESEARCHERS behind a potential cure for cancer being developed on the Tableland hope they may be able to test the drug on diseased patients earlier than expected.
Yungaburra-based pharmaceutical company QBiotics is on track to start human trials in the second half this year of EBC-46, a drug derived from a molecule in the seeds of the rainforest tree blushwood.
The product has so far demonstrated a remarkable ability to treat a range of tumours in more than 200 dogs, cats and horses.
In some cases, deadly tumours in pets disintegrated within five to seven days of treatment.
Unquote............
http://www.cairns.com.au/article/2011/01/20/145405_local-news.html
What I find exciting is that vets will soon be using it all over the world and will be able to see the extent and limitations of it's use in animals, paving the way for further human trials.
Such a shame it can only be used locally either topically or where solid tumours can be injected with ultrasound or CT guidance. I imagine the brain, lungs and pancreas would be unreachable for example. I can see it extending life for those with metastasis in the liver or bones.
There are many media reports on the qbiotics website showing animals remarkable recoveries. However, the animals were all older when cancer tends to be slower growing. Younger animals and humans usually have more aggressive cancers.
http://www.qbiotics.com/?gclid=CIuykNL_nqICFQcYewodnxa8yA#/media/
Sheila |
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hellofromcairns
Australia
4 Posts |
Posted - 04/09/2011 : 06:36:49
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quote:
Originally posted by waaki
hi i have been reading the posts regarding the blushwood plant , i contacted the ecobiotics people and asked if my son could be part of the trials on humans coming up in early 2012 , they sent me a few emails back and forwards until i told them my son was 5 and had a brain tumour , they then told me there drug is not being designed for brain tumours , i have written back and said i dont understand as i thought it was for all tumours and how do they know it isnt going to work on the brain ,, i got no response ,, i am down in melbourne and am very keen to try the tincture with the seeds ,, but i have no way of getting to queensland to the daintree ,, does anyone on here know where i can get some fresh seeds to make the tincture ??? thanks heaps everyone , my little boy is ther best and i will do anything to help him
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hellofromcairns
Australia
4 Posts |
Posted - 04/09/2011 : 06:39:11
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IF YOU CONTACT ME I WILL TRY TO GET YOU THESE SEEDS.quote:
Originally posted by waaki
hi i have been reading the posts regarding the blushwood plant , i contacted the ecobiotics people and asked if my son could be part of the trials on humans coming up in early 2012 , they sent me a few emails back and forwards until i told them my son was 5 and had a brain tumour , they then told me there drug is not being designed for brain tumours , i have written back and said i dont understand as i thought it was for all tumours and how do they know it isnt going to work on the brain ,, i got no response ,, i am down in melbourne and am very keen to try the tincture with the seeds ,, but i have no way of getting to queensland to the daintree ,, does anyone on here know where i can get some fresh seeds to make the tincture ??? thanks heaps everyone , my little boy is ther best and i will do anything to help him
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SheilaInAus
Australia
7 Posts |
Posted - 04/09/2011 : 09:09:28
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Getting hold of the seeds is pointless for internal tumours unless you know how to extract the active ingredient, prepare a sterile injection, and inject it directly into a tumour. Even a doctor couldn't do that in the brain without opening the skull and having a scan to guide the needle.
I imagine it would be poisonous to eat or consume the extract, which would burn the digestive tract and the active ingredient would have no way of getting from the digestive tract to the tumours.
It's just too early to be talking about using the seeds. If I thought they could be used I'd be on a plane to Cairns as soon as I found out which season to collect them as I may be needing them in the future.
If you can get seeds I suggest you plant them. If your climate is too cool then plant some seeds further out from Cairns, anywhere from Brisbane to south of Cairns, to ensure they spread around.
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dare
United Kingdom
1 Posts |
Posted - 09/02/2011 : 16:20:34
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| I see human trials still have not started and are now planned for 2012, I imagine for a small set of external tumours only. It i frustrating, a natural product being patented and witheld from the public. I don't see why it shouldn't work for brain tumours, if injection guided by MRI. Is it available for veterinary use now in Australia? |
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gunsmoke
Australia
2 Posts |
Posted - 01/03/2012 : 07:45:07
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hellofromcairns, i read your helpful post to waaki,the forward thinking mum. i hope you can help me. iam in search of some blushwood seeds for my sister in the hope that it may help with a tumour. any helpful information on where to obtain the seeds would be much appreciated. i am willing to travel north and bring them back with me.
site wouldnt allow me to send you an email though i will try once again thank you
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gunsmoke
Australia
2 Posts |
Posted - 01/03/2012 : 07:59:20
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| I would love to get hold of some seeds before they start any treatment |
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Thomas Haugen
USA
94 Posts |
Posted - 01/04/2012 : 17:47:07
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I'm guessing there may be a gold rush to obtain these seeds. Seems those who own trees/land have all been contracted to supply seeds. Please post any additional info.
TV video at http://blushwood.com/ |
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hellofromcairns
Australia
4 Posts |
Posted - 02/06/2012 : 04:30:30
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quote:
Originally posted by gunsmoke
hellofromcairns, i read your helpful post to waaki,the forward thinking mum. i hope you can help me. iam in search of some blushwood seeds for my sister in the hope that it may help with a tumour. any helpful information on where to obtain the seeds would be much appreciated. i am willing to travel north and bring them back with me.
site wouldnt allow me to send you an email though i will try once again thank you
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hellofromcairns
Australia
4 Posts |
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ohsix
USA
1 Posts |
Posted - 05/30/2012 : 08:10:16
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One may really have to look, but we/everywhere there are expert caring Doctors that would do what they can to save a life.
Don't think for a second some of the veterinarians have not helped member of their own family or friends.
Also and I hate to say it but if enough money can be offered, they will also help. I have been following this since it came out in 09.
The Government there telling people it would be unethical of them to try and get the drug? These people are dying! How can trying to save a loved ones life be unethical? |
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skincat
2 Posts |
Posted - 01/06/2018 : 13:46:56
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The hype about Hylandia Dockrilli.
Online, you can buy products which contain "Hylandia Dockrillii - 500mg”... The description of the product talks about EBC-46 and its efficacy, but it does not say that the product actually contains this, and the packaging does not state this either. It goes on to say that the product contains pure blushwood berries.
Some newspaper articles talk about a compound found “in the berry”… or “super-effective cancer-fighting berry”… etc. Other newspaper articles focus on the seed. Other newspaper articles talk about animals eating the berry and being cured of cancer. But wild animals eat the berry and spit the seed out because the seed causes significant swelling of the tongue. So why are scientists so interested in the seed?
Studies show that injecting an extract from the seed, called EBC-46, into cancer clumps kills them. But the thing is, studies show that even injecting salt into cancer clumps kills them. Studies seem to indicate that it's about generating an inflammatory response in the body, by introducing a foreign substance and changing the chemistry of the cells, so the immune system attacks them. Theoretically, anything which generates a strong localised immune response would do the trick. Toxicity to the body as a whole is also an issue. But the stronger the local inflammatory response on contact with the body, the better. EBC-46 is capable of generating a much stronger inflammatory response in the body than salt. Isn’t this why scientists are so interested in EBC-46?
I wish I knew more about the immune system. People who are suffering from cancer are not only preyed upon by pharmaceutical companies, but also by those promoting alternative remedies, sometimes with the best intentions in mind, because aside from knowing they have a brain, stomach, heart and gut, no-one really knows how their own bodies work. Medical practitioners generally hold all this knowledge and, in this case, knowledge is power. |
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skincat
2 Posts |
Posted - 01/06/2018 : 14:04:27
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I guess what I'm trying to say is that, unfortunately, taking an extract of the berry orally is probably unlikely to recreate such a cancer killing effect.
Or somehow extracting EBC-46 at home and taking it orally.
The mechanism of action seems to be the creation of a severe inflammatory response within the cancer clump by injecting the active inflammation-causing ingredient EBC-46 into the cancer clump, and the immune system races to the site and deals with it.
Check out other clinical studies with similar techniques, using salt, or other substances. The more inflammatory the agent, the stronger the inflammatory response, the more effectively the cancer clump is destroyed. |
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Blushwood Tree - Hylandia dockrillii
