Thailand Medical: Thailand’s Deputy Prime Minister ‘Attacked’ For Claims That Drinking Tea Made From Papaya Leaves Cures Cancer
Nikhil Prasad Fact checked by:Thailand Medical News Team Dec 27, 2023 11 months, 4 weeks, 2 days, 8 hours, 14 minutes ago
Thailand Medical: Deputy Prime Minister Somsak Thepsuthin was attacked by many so called medical ‘experts’ and media for claiming on a local television programme that drinking a tea made form papaya leaves could help in curing cancer. He also said that the protocol was effective for certain cancers only. He also said that there were some patients who can attest to the efficacy of the protocol!
However, local media and so-called medical ‘experts’ and doctors aligned with big pharmaceutical corporations were quick to dismiss the claims as fake news and misinformation.
It was further revealed that individuals working at the government’s Anti-Fake News Centre were surprised and displeased as they had issued a statement last year claiming that there is no scientific evidence to support the efficacy of such a protocol.
Individuals working at the centre has said, “There is no study or clinical research that confirms that leaves and flowers of papaya could cure cancer.”
It was also revealed that the Thailand National Cancer Institute and the Public Health Ministry also confirmed that drinking water boiled with papaya leaves does not cure cancer.
Accordingly, studies have only involved in vitro research only while actual clinical trials have never been conducted yet to validate the efficacy of papaya leaf extracts against cancer.
The anti-Fake News Centre warned that claiming that unconfirmed facts are true may cause misunderstanding and some individuals may lose their opportunity to receive proper medical treatment from qualified medical professionals.
https://www.thaipbsworld.com/deputy-pm-somsak-makes-false-claim-over-cancer-cure/
To fair to the Minister and instead of labelling him as making false claims, also for Thailand to progress in the field of medicine, biotech and herbal medicine…a much more better approach for all parties involved is for Thailand to actually initiate proper vivo studies, animal studies and also clinical trials.
To be fair,
Thailand Medical News has identified many peer-reviewed published studies that indicated a great potential of papaya leaf extract to help treat various cancers.
https://www.oaepublish.com/articles/2394-4722.2018.22
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667394021000253
https://innspub.net/anti-cancer-activity-of-carica-papaya-leaf-ethanolic-extract-and-fractions-against-selected-human-cancer-cell-lines/
https://sc
ialert.net/abstract/?doi=pjbs.2017.36.41
https://www.elsevier.es/es-revista-medicina-clinica-practica-5-articulo-the-combination-from-ethanol-extract-S2603924920300227
https://microbiologyjournal.org/anti-angiogenic-activity-of-carica-papaya-leaf-extract/
https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/news/newsroom/news-releases/2019/01/case-reportpapaya-leafdandelion-root-extracts-may-be-effective-in-treating-a-deadly-type-of-leukemia
https://ufhealth.org/news/2010/uf-researchers-find-cancer-fighting-properties-papaya-tea
https://www.oatext.com/phytochemical-hematologic-and-anti-tumor-activity-evaluations-of-carica-papaya-leaf-extract.php
https://www.mskcc.org/cancer-care/integrative-medicine/herbs/papaya-leaf
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0147956
https://www.eurekaselect.com/article/99836
Instead of local
Thailand Medical News outlets and mainstream media labelling the minister as spreading misinformation, a collective effort should be done to isolate the phytochemicals present in papayas leaves that can have anti-cancer effects and to conduct detailed animal studies and also human clinical trials, including both observational trials and also randomized clinical trials.
Thailand is at the moment trying to position itself as a leading hub for herbal and traditional medicine and such collective actions involving research is a better approach rather that simply labelling everything as being fake. But at the same time, the Deputy Prime Minister should also explain to the public that no proper clinical human trials have yet validate the efficacy of papaya leaves against cancer and that no one should take such a protocol yet without consulting a cancer specialists or doctor.
The Deputy Prime Minister can be considered as a very progressive individual who recognizes the potential of herbal medicine and phytochemicals and has been instrumental in making Kratom and also Cannabis removed for the restricted and narcotic lists. He also shares the vision of making Thailand a hub for herbal and phytochemical research.
Thais should also be wary and careful of medical doctors and medical officials who have a closed minds set and are too close with the big pharmaceutical companies. Some should actually be investigated for possible collusion with the pharma giants.
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