Evidence map›Paper›PMID 27769229›Full record

ArticleBMC complementary and alternative medicine2016

Herbal remedies and functional foods used by cancer patients attending specialty oncology clinics in Trinidad.

Yuri N Clement, Varune Mahase, Annelise Jagroop, Kelly Kissoon, Aarti Maharaj, Prashant Mathura, Chrys Mc Quan, Divya Ramadhin, Cherrista Mohammed

Open access · goldAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in BMC complementary and alternative medicine, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 17 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
17citing papers in PubMed
9.0field-weighted citation impact, top 3% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

17 citing papers in PubMed, 50 citations in OpenAlex.

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  7. A Review onCancers · 2022
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  15. Anticancer Properties of Graviola (Oxidative medicine and cellular longevity · 2018
    Review
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Yuri N ClementPharmacology Unit, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago. Yuri.Clement@sta.uwi.edu.
Varune MahasePharmacology Unit, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago.
Annelise JagroopPharmacology Unit, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago.
Kelly KissoonPharmacology Unit, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago.
Aarti MaharajPharmacology Unit, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago.
Prashant MathuraPharmacology Unit, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago.
Chrys Mc QuanPharmacology Unit, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago.
Divya RamadhinPharmacology Unit, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago.
Cherrista MohammedPharmacology Unit, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago.
University of the West Indies · TT

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundCancer is a major disease worldwide, and many patients use complementary and alternative treatments. The purpose of this study was to identify the herbal remedies and functional foods used as complementary medicine by prostate, breast and colorectal cancer patients at speciality care facilities in Trinidad. We also sought to determine how patients rated the efficacy of these modalities compared with conventional treatment.

methodsA descriptive, cross-sectional survey was conducted using an interviewer-administered pilot-tested de novo questionnaire during the period June to August 2012 at two speciality treatment centres on the island. Data was analysed using χ

resultsAmong the 150 patients who reported use of herbal remedies/functional foods, soursop (Annona muricata L.) was the most popular; with 80.7 % using the leaves, bark, fruit and seeds on a regular basis. Other common herbal remedies/functional foods included wheatgrass (Triticum aestivum L.), saffron (Crocus sativus L.) and Aloe vera (L.) Burm. f. The most commonly used functional foods were beetroot (Beta vulgaris L.), carrots (Daucus carata L.) and papaya (Carica papaya L.) used by 43.3 % of patients; and these were mostly blended as a mixture. Herbal remedies and functional foods were used on a daily basis and patients believed that this modality was equally (32.0 %) or more efficacious (14.7 %) than conventional treatment.

conclusionsThis survey identified the most common herbal remedies and functional foods used among prostate, breast and colorectal cancer patients in Trinidad. Although functional foods rarely pose a problem, herbs may interact with conventional chemotherapy and physicians need to inform patients regarding probable herb-drug interactions.

Indexed as

NeoplasmsAdolescentAdultAgedAntineoplastic AgentsCross-Sectional StudiesFemaleFunctional FoodHumansMaleMiddle AgedPlant ExtractsTrinidad and TobagoYoung AdultAntineoplastic AgentsPlant ExtractsAnnona muricata L.Beta vulgaris L.Breast cancerCarica papaya L.Daucus carota L.Functional foodsHerbal remediesProstate cancerTriticum aestium L.

Identifiers

PMID27769229
PMCPMC5073821
OpenAlexW2538160154

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.