HOXSEY HERBAL TREATMENT
Other common name(s): Hoxsey Method, Hoxsey Treatment, Hoxsey Herbs, Hoxsey Formula
Scientific/medical name(s): None
DESCRIPTION
The Hoxsey herbal treatment is an herbal mixture taken internally or applied externally. The pastes or salves that are applied externally contain antimony trisulfide, zinc chloride, and blood root, and a yellow powder consisting of arsenic sulfide, sulfur, and talc. Both the paste and powder are escharotics, which means they can burn the skin (see Cancer Salves).
OVERVIEW
There is no scientific evidence that the Hoxsey herbal treatment is effective in treating cancer and there have been no clinical trials of the treatment. In some animal studies, a few of the herbs contained in the Hoxsey formula were studied separately and showed some anticancer activity. It is not known if there are harmful effects of the combination of the herbs taken together. The paste made for external application can severely burn, disfigure and scar the skin.
How is it promoted for use?
The Hoxsey herbal treatment is specifically promoted to treat people with cancer. Its proponents claim the internal formula eliminates toxins from the body, strengthens the immune system, and enhances its ability to slowly absorb and excrete tumors. The external treatment is used to treat skin cancer. It allegedly keeps cancer from spreading and helps destroy cancer cells. The goal of treatment is to restore the body's chemistry to a normal state. There is no scientific evidence to support these claims.
What does it involve?
The herbal mixture used internally is a liquid that contains a combination of numerous herbs including pokeweed, burdock root, licorice, barberry, buckthorn bark, stillingia root, red clover, prickly ash bark, potassium iodide, and cascara and sometimes other ingredients (see Pokeweed, Licorice, and Red Clover). The external preparation, usually a paste or salve, is rubbed directly onto cancerous tumors. Internal and external dosages vary depending on the patient and whether the tumor is inside the body
or on the skin. The Hoxsey herbal treatment is currently illegal in the United States, although it can be obtained through clinics in Mexico.
The Hoxsey treatment now also includes antiseptic douches and washes, laxative tablets, nutritional supplements, and dietary restrictions that prohibit pork, vinegar, tomatoes, pickles, carbonated drinks, alcohol, bleached flour, sugar, and salt.
What is the history behind it?
The Hoxsey herbal treatment is one of oldest alternative cancer treatments in the United States. Its controversial history dates back to the 1920s, when Harry Hoxsey, who had no medical training, marketed a mixture of herbs that he believed would effectively treat cancer. Hoxsey claimed that his great grandfather, John Hoxsey, developed the first version of the herbal formula in 1840 when he noticed one of his horses had developed cancer on its leg. The animal began eating some of the wild plants growing in the meadow, and within a short time the tumor disappeared. John Hoxsey gathered the herbs and mixed them with old home remedies used for cancer.
Although it was Harry's father, a veterinarian, who first used the herbal formula to treat people with cancer, Harry was the one who attracted fame and fortune through self-promotion, publicity, and sensational claims. He even conducted public healing sessions using his herbal concoction. Hoxsey opened his first clinic in Taylorville, IL in the 1920s, and at one point operated clinics in 17 states. He claimed that at their peak, his clinics treated tens of thousands of cancer patients every year. Hoxsey was convicted and fined numerous times for practicing medicine without a license and kept moving his clinics from state to state to avoid legal problems.
In 1936, Hoxsey opened a clinic in Dallas that became one of the largest privately owned cancer centers in the world. In 1949, Hoxsey sued the editor of the prestigious Journal of the American Medical Association for libel and slander after the journal called him a fraud. Hoxsey won the case, but the judge awarded him only $1.
By 1960, after battling Hoxsey for a decade, the FDA finally banned the sale of the Hoxsey herbal treatment in the United States and forced Hoxsey to close all of his clinics in the United States. In 1963, one of Hoxsey's nurses set up a clinic in Tijuana, Mexico. It still operates today, and an estimated 1,200 new patients visit the Tijuana clinic every year. Hoxsey developed prostate cancer in 1967. When he did not respond to his own treatment, Hoxsey underwent conventional surgery. He died seven years later.
What is the evidence?
There is no evidence that the Hoxsey herbal treatment has any value in the treatment of cancer in humans. In 1946, the National Cancer Institute reviewed 77 case reports of Hoxsey's patients and concluded that none of them met the criteria for scientific evaluation.
Only 2 human studies of the Hoxsey herbal treatment have been published. One was published in a pamphlet provided by the Tijuana clinic and simply contains a description of 9 patients who received the treatment. It concluded that the treatment is effective. The other study published in the Journal of Naturopathic Medicine involved 39 people with various types of cancer who took the Hoxsey herbal treatment. Ten patients died after an average of 15 months and 23 never completed the study. Only 6 patients were disease-free after 48 months. In some animal studies, a few of the herbs contained in the treatment showed some anti-cancer activity. Animal studies may show a certain substance holds promise as a beneficial treatment, but further studies are necessary to determine if the results apply to humans.
Are there any possible problems or complications?
The paste made for external application can severely burn, disfigure, and scar the skin. Some of the ingredients in the internal formula, such as buckthorn, can cause nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea when taken in large quantities. Cascara can also cause diarrhea. Pokeweed is a poisonous plant that can also cause undesirable side effects such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal cramps. Red clover may increase the risk of bleeding for people who take anticoagulant (blood thinning) medications. It also has estrogenic activity, which means it should be avoided by women with estrogen-positive breast tumors. Women who are pregnant or breast-feeding should not use this treatment in any form. Relying on this type of treatment alone, and avoiding conventional medical care, may have serious health consequences.
References
Alternative Medicine: Expanding Medical Horizons. A Report to the National Institutes of Health on Alternative Medical Systems and Practices in the United States. Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office; 1994. NIH publication 94-066.
American Cancer Society. Questionable methods of cancer management: 'nutritional' therapies. CA Cancer J Clin. 43;5:309-319.
American Cancer Society. Unproven methods of cancer management: hoxsey method/bio-medical center. CA Cancer J Clin. 1990;40:51-55.
Austin S, Ellen D, DeKadt S. Long-term follow-up of cancer patients using Contreras, Hoxsey and Gerson therapies. J Naturopathic Med. 1994;5:74-76.
Spaulding-Albright N. A review of some herbal and related products commonly used in cancer patients. J Am Diet Assoc. 1997;97:S208-S215.
University of Texas Center for Alternative Medicine Research in Cancer. Hoxsey summary. University of Texas-Houston Health Science Center Web site. Available at: http://www.sph.uth.tmc.edu/utcam/summary/hoxsey.htm. Accessed October 12, 1999.
US Congress, Office of Technology Assessment. Unconventional Cancer Treatments. Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office; 1990. Publication OTA-H-405.
Note: This information was reprinted from the American Cancer Society's Guide to Complementary and Alternative Methods. Copyright©2000, American Cancer Society. This information may not cover all possible claims, uses, actions, precautions, side effects or interactions, is not intended as medical advice, and should not be relied upon as a substitute for consultation with your doctor who is familiar with your medical needs.
| Revised: | 09/17/2000 01:00:00 AM |
For additional assistance please contact your American Cancer Society
1 · 800 · ACS·2345 or www.cancer.org
1 · 800 · ACS·2345 or www.cancer.org