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There’s a famous quote by Hippocrates that underpins today’s article: Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.

Bitter melon is a gourd that belongs to the pumpkin and zucchini family. It’s also a food that has a new potential use for an unusual cancer.

You’ll likely be told by your doctor that this is just a folk remedy and not “approved” for anything important. I disagree.

As you know, my life’s work is devoted to researching natural foods and extracts that work along the same pathways as drugs. I’m a pharmacist, so I understand all of that.

Full disclosure: I also happen to formulate dietary supplements, and I want to be fully transparent. I have included bitter melon in one of them. But it’s in there for blood sugar and insulin sensitivity concerns.

Today’s article isn’t about any of that. It’s about mouth cancer.

Early signs of oral cancer are easy to ignore. They include chronic mouth sores, white or red patches in your mouth, numbness, pain, difficulty swallowing, jaw swelling or voice alterations.

Bitter melon’s constituents have been studied for the past few years for treating fast-growing malignancies, especially mouth cancer, which many smokers get.

Support from recent study

In a new study published in October in Cell Communication and Signaling, researchers found that bitter melon inhibited both glycolysis and lipogenesis, which is hugely beneficial to oral cancer patients. The full article can be read online at PubMed on nih.gov.

This should be making headlines everywhere, but since it’s not heavily funded, and foods don’t make money for drug companies, you probably won’t hear much about it.

The latest news is solid and suggests that bitter melon extracts can slow down the growth of oral dysplasia and squamous cell cancer in the mouth and throat.

This makes me suspect it could help with stomach and colon cancer too. This also makes me think all smokers should read this article.

Your oncologist might be interested in evaluating certain immune checkpoints that bitter melon is known to suppress. I list the specific pathways and cytokines in an extended version of this article, which I can email to anyone who wants it. Just join my online community at suzycohen.com.

A paradigm shift must occur in your mind if you’re being treated for cancer. In my opinion, many malignancies have natural, proven treatments that can help.

Bitter melon is considered a food, but it’s also sold as a tea and dietary supplement. Of course, you want to be prudent, but keep an open mind.

I hope this article gives you renewed hope and a new therapy to consider. My intention is to help improve or extend the life of someone you know and/or augment their chemotherapy. This is purely educational, so please ask your doctor what is right for you.

This information is opinion only. It is not intended to treat, cure or diagnose your condition. Consult with your doctor before using any new drug or supplement.

Suzy Cohen is a registered pharmacist and the author of The 24-Hour Pharmacist and Real Solutions from Head to Toe. To contact her, visit SuzyCohen.com.