Angiogenesis is the formation of new blood vessels in the human body that support the growth and development of new body cells. It is an essential part of healing when someone suffers a wound or an injury as well as an important function for a benign tumour to become a malignant one which then becomes life threatening. Research today has been focusing on ways to stop angiogenesis and thus control the growth and development of all cancer cells.

Scientists since the 1970’s have been aware of the importance of angiogenesis in controlling cancer growths and have been searching for ways to stop these new blood vessels forming. To date they have had limited success. When cancer cells first develop they are supplied with nutrients from nearby blood vessels but to grow larger than 1 to 2 millimetres they need their own blood vessels. New blood vessels then have to grow which will feed the new cancer cells and allow them to increase in size. That is an absolute requirement.

One of the latest drugs to inhibit angiogenesis is Avastin which is extremely expensive, has serious side effects but has not had the results they had hoped for. Another drug also in use today for cancer is one that caused huge problems during the late 60s. It is Thalidomide which back then was given to women suffering from morning sickness during pregnancy but one of the side effects was angiogenesis. It stopping the formation of new blood vessels and thousands of children were born without limbs.

Researches for cancer today are looking for a drug that will stop cancer from growing, without side effects and also is harmless to normal body cells. While there are a couple of drugs that have some ability to do just that, what we are not told is that we already have many natural products that have the same result and without any side effects. These natural products are of course some of our natural food that has been grown and produced by nature.

The many products that nature has supplied us with and are angiogenesis inhibitors are;

• Food that is high in vitamin A, C and E. Some examples for vitamin A are carrots and sweet potatoes, vitamin C, strawberries and citrus fruit, and vitamin E, almonds and broccoli.

• Bromeliad which is found in fresh pineapple.

• Mistletoe which is also known as Iscador, and is also well known to boost the immune system.

• Green tea which is one of Mother Natures wonders.

• Milk-Thistle, also known as Silymarin, this herb is known for its liver protection effect.

• Artemisia Annua also called sweet wormwood and has also been helpful for people with malaria.

• Omega 3 Fatty Acid which is used in the popular Joanna Budwig diet and is found in flax¬seed oil and salmon.

• Mushrooms, especially the varieties reiski and maitake.

• Resveratrol which is found on the skin of red grapes and also in red wine.

• Quercetin; is in apples, onions, red grapes, citrus, cherries, broccoli and leafy green vegetables and it inhibits angiogenesis.

Many of the foods listed above not only do they inhibit blood vessels forming but many of them are also known as cancer fighting foods. One of the best foods a patient can eat is food from the cruciferous family which is broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage and brussel sprouts.

We are all part of nature so therefore to fight cancer successfully we must turn to nature to solve the problem. Nature has always had the answers to cancer whereas man does not.