Drug-herb combination therapy in cancer management

Mol Biol Rep. 2022 Nov;49(11):11009-11024. doi: 10.1007/s11033-022-07861-9. Epub 2022 Sep 9.

Abstract

Cancer is the second leading cause of fatality all over the world. Various unwanted side effects are being reported with the use of conventional chemotherapy. The plant derived bioactive compounds are the prominent alternative medicinal approach for reduction of chemotherapy associated side effects. The data is collected from Pubmed, Sci-hub, Google scholar, and Research gate were systematically searched up to year 2020. Several herbal drugs have been investigated and found with grateful anti-cancer potentials hence, it can be used in combination with chemotherapy for the depletion of associated side-effects. Herbal drugs and their extracts contain a mixture of active ingredients, which show interactions within themselves and along with chemotherapeutic agents to show either synergistic or antagonistic therapeutic effects. Therefore, it is necessary to develop alternative treatment to control chemotherapy associated side-effects. In this review, we discussed some of the significant chemical compounds, which could be efficient against cancer. This review focuses on the different herbal drugs that play an important role in the treatment of cancer and its associated side-effects. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of herbal treatment in combination with chemotherapy for cancer treatment.

Keywords: Cancer; Chemotherapy; Clinical; Herbal drugs; Phytochemistry; Side effects.

Publication types

  • Systematic Review

MeSH terms

  • Antineoplastic Agents* / pharmacology
  • Antineoplastic Agents* / therapeutic use
  • Drug Therapy, Combination
  • Humans
  • Neoplasms* / drug therapy
  • Plant Extracts / chemistry
  • Plant Extracts / pharmacology
  • Plant Extracts / therapeutic use

Substances

  • Antineoplastic Agents
  • Plant Extracts