In 2022, there were almost twenty million known cases of cancer worldwide. The recorded deaths were approximated at the staggering number of 9.7 million. Cancer is the second leading cause of death, with cardiovascular diseases being first.
Cancer is truly the disease of the century, and for a very good reason. Popularized unhealthy habits like drinking, smoking and eating unhealthy meals have been proven to be important factors in the development of this destructive affliction. The sedentary lifestyle provided by urbanization also plays a part, as excess body weight seems to indicate a higher risk of developing the dreaded cancer. Fortunately, awareness has increased in the past decade, the focus of the masses shifting to this subject due to the increased efforts of several campaigns. More services are provided by governments and institutions in order to spot and resolve more treatable forms of cancer early on, and care for those who are afflicted can be offered by charities. There is an obvious discrepancy between developed and less developed countries when it comes to how and who receives the resources needed to prevent and treat patients, as 2012 data shows 57% of the cases and 65% of deaths are accounted to the furthest option. Challenges that arise for impoverished or marginalized communities, such as great distances between the home and hospitals or negative experiences in institutions can lead to the escalation of the disease. Thats why some communities tried resolving the problem in a manner that was accessible to them. In South Africa, plants have become the main medicine for cancer-related issues, and the effectivity they have proven to have caught the attention of mainstream researchers looking in to the problem.
What is Cancer
To better understand what impact natural medicine may have, we first have to know what cancer is. Cancer is a disease in which some of the body’s cells grow uncontrollably and spread to other parts of the body. Cancer can start almost anywhere in the human body, which is made up of trillions of cells.
The Plants That Changed It All
For those that couldn’t access reliable care, options were limited. Some had to relay on alternative medicine, using plants to try to heal the disease or just calm the pain. Some of the natural resources used have proven to be surprisingly efficient, so much so that they now influence current research in the cancer treatment field.
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