A message purporting to be from the Institute
of Health Sciences in Baltimore that claimed that lemon is a "miraculous
product" that can kill cancer cells, is 10,000 times stronger than
chemotherapy, and is "a proven remedy against cancers of all types"
has been circulating on the internet for a while now. Below is an example of such email:
Subject: FW: Lemon - kills Cancer
Cells
The surprising benefits of lemon!
================================
Institute of Health Sciences, 819 N. L.L.C. Charles Street Baltimore, MD 1201.
This is the latest in medicine, effective for cancer!
Read carefully & you be the judge.
Lemon (Citrus) is a miraculous product to kill cancer cells. It is 10,000 times stronger than chemotherapy.
Why do we not know about that? Because there are laboratories interested in making a synthetic version that will bring them huge profits. You can now help a friend in need by letting him/her know that lemon juice is beneficial in preventing the disease. Its taste is pleasant and it does not produce the horrific effects of chemotherapy. How many people will die while this closely guarded secret is kept, so as not to jeopardize the beneficial multimillionaires large corporations? As you know, the lemon tree is known for its varieties of lemons and limes. You can eat the fruit in different ways: you can eat the pulp, juice press, prepare drinks, sorbets, pastries, etc... It is credited with many virtues, but the most interesting is the effect it produces on cysts and tumors. This plant is a proven remedy against cancers of all types. Some say it is very useful in all variants of cancer. It is considered also as an anti microbial spectrum against bacterial infections and fungi, effective against internal parasites and worms, it regulates blood pressure which is too high and an antidepressant, combats stress and nervous disorders.
The source of this information is fascinating: it comes from one of the largest drug manufacturers in the world, says that after more than 20 laboratory tests since 1970, the extracts revealed that: It destroys the malignant cells in 12 cancers, including colon, breast, prostate, lung and pancreas ... The compounds of this tree showed 10,000 times better than the product Adriamycin, a drug normally used chemotherapeutic in the world, slowing the growth of cancer cells. And what is even more astonishing: this type of therapy with lemon extract only destroys malignant cancer cells and it does not affect healthy cells.
Institute of Health Sciences, 819 N. L.L.C. Cause Street, Baltimore, MD1201
The surprising benefits of lemon!
================================
Institute of Health Sciences, 819 N. L.L.C. Charles Street Baltimore, MD 1201.
This is the latest in medicine, effective for cancer!
Read carefully & you be the judge.
Lemon (Citrus) is a miraculous product to kill cancer cells. It is 10,000 times stronger than chemotherapy.
Why do we not know about that? Because there are laboratories interested in making a synthetic version that will bring them huge profits. You can now help a friend in need by letting him/her know that lemon juice is beneficial in preventing the disease. Its taste is pleasant and it does not produce the horrific effects of chemotherapy. How many people will die while this closely guarded secret is kept, so as not to jeopardize the beneficial multimillionaires large corporations? As you know, the lemon tree is known for its varieties of lemons and limes. You can eat the fruit in different ways: you can eat the pulp, juice press, prepare drinks, sorbets, pastries, etc... It is credited with many virtues, but the most interesting is the effect it produces on cysts and tumors. This plant is a proven remedy against cancers of all types. Some say it is very useful in all variants of cancer. It is considered also as an anti microbial spectrum against bacterial infections and fungi, effective against internal parasites and worms, it regulates blood pressure which is too high and an antidepressant, combats stress and nervous disorders.
The source of this information is fascinating: it comes from one of the largest drug manufacturers in the world, says that after more than 20 laboratory tests since 1970, the extracts revealed that: It destroys the malignant cells in 12 cancers, including colon, breast, prostate, lung and pancreas ... The compounds of this tree showed 10,000 times better than the product Adriamycin, a drug normally used chemotherapeutic in the world, slowing the growth of cancer cells. And what is even more astonishing: this type of therapy with lemon extract only destroys malignant cancer cells and it does not affect healthy cells.
Institute of Health Sciences, 819 N. L.L.C. Cause Street, Baltimore, MD1201
This claim
sounds too good to be true, so I tried to find out the truth about this claim.
And here it is:
Studies have indicated that citrus limonoids, a
compound found in citrus fruits (including lime) targeted and stopped
neuroblastoma cells in the lab which makes the compound promising as a
potential anti-cancer agent. Also, research by the Texas Agriculture Experiment
Station scientists but the claim that flavonoids and limonoids –
nutrient-packed pigments that give colour and taste to fruit – may work against
cancer in any of three ways: prevent it from forming, slow the growth of
existing cancer, or kill cancer cells.
Also, report on the medicinal uses of lemon by the University
of Florida EDIS noted that:
Citrus flavonoids have potential antioxidant
(prevents aging), anti-cancer, antiviral, anti-inflammatory activities, effects
on capillarity, and cholesterol-lowering ability. The principal carotenoids in
pink grapefruit are lycopene and beta-carotene. Lycopene-containing fruits and
vegetables have been shown to contribute to a significant reduction in prostate
and mammary cancer risk. Recent studies have further shown that limonoids
inhibit the development of cancer in laboratory animals and in human breast
cancer cells as well as reducing cholesterol. Researchers have also suggested
that, if ingested, limonoids may not be absorbed in the large intestine, and
therefore could be distributed throughout the body, with beneficial effects.
However, the claim that citrus fruits (especially lemon is 10,000
times stronger than chemotherapy has never been validated by a legitimate medical research.
Also, the email did not originate from the Health Sciences
Institute of Baltimore as claimed by the widely circulated email. According to
a spokesman of the institute, the information did not come from the institute.
Below is his disclaimer in his own words (which is also available on their website):
The email and information in question did not
come from the Health Sciences Institute. Whoever started this scam email did
use some of our published material – which had nothing to do with lemons in any
way – and inserted the information about lemons. It is erroneous and has caused
us a great deal of trouble. However, most troubling is that it is giving false
or un-tested medical advice to people suffering with cancer. Perhaps citrus
fruits have some anti-cancer properties or perhaps they don’t (I’m not
qualified to speak on that), but the one thing I know for certain is the
provided “source” of this information – the Health Sciences Institute – did NOT
publish this information. We had nothing to do with this email or the
information it contains.
This alone put the integrity of
the claim in serious doubt.
In conclusion,
though scientific studies indicate compounds in citrus, including lemon, have
real potential as anti-cancer agents, the message significantly exaggerates the
potential of lemon as a cancer remedy, contains false and misleading
information. Besides, for such important claims to be valid, it has to be
validated by credible medical sources.
So, at
best, the email is just another internet hoax!
