Hoxsey's Herbal Tonic / Hoxsey Herbal Treatment

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The role of your cancer health professional is to create an environment of openness

and trust, and to help in making informed decisions about alternative/ complementary
therapies. Collaboration will improve the safe integration of all therapies during your
experience with cancer. The "Summary" and "Professional Evaluation/ Critique"
sections of this Unconventional Therapies manual are cited directly from the medical
literature, and are intended to help in the objective evaluation of alternative/
complementary therapies.

Summary

"Review by the NCI of the 'cures' from these treatments failed to reveal any evidence
of effectiveness for these patients with cancer." (Spencer)

"After study of the literature and other available information, the American Cancer
Society has found no evidence that the Hoxsey Method results in objective benefit in
the treatment of cancer in human beings. Lacking such evidence, the American
Cancer Society strongly urges individuals with cancer not to seek treatment with the
Hoxsey Method." (CA 1990)

Description/ Source/ Components

"Hoxsey herbal treatment includes a paste of antimony, zinc and bloodroot, arsenic,
sulfur, and talc as external treatments, and a liquid mixture of licorice, red clover,
burdock root, Stillingia root, barberry, Cascara, prickly ash bark, buckthorn bark,
and potassium iodide for internal consumption. A mixture of procaine hydrochloride
and vitamins, along with liver and cactus, is prescribed." (Spencer)

This treatment is currently offered at the Bio-Medical Center in Tijuana, which is

operated by Mildred Nelson, Hoxsey's former chief nurse. (U.S. Congress)

During treatment, patients are asked to avoid consumption of tomatoes, vinegar,

pork, alcohol, salt, sugar, and white flour products. (Fink 1988)

History

"The Hoxsey therapy was started in 1840, when it was used on a horse with a
cancerous sore on its leg. This formula was passed down through the Hoxsey family
and has been used internally and externally on humans for more than fifty years.
Mildred Nelson, R.N., now operated this clinic [Bio-Medical Centre], which has been
in Tijuana since 1963 and formerly was run by the late Harry Hoxsey." (Fink 1997)

Hoxsey was "convicted three times in the 1920s for practicing medicine without a
license. In 1930, he was permanently enjoined from violating the Iowa medical
practice act. In the 1950s, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration forced him to stop
seeing patients." (CA 1993)

Hoxsey's treatment for cancer was based on a formula of ten weeds growing in a field
where Hoxsey's grandfather's horse had grazed and been cured of a reported leg
cancer. (Janssen)

After being prosecuted for violating the medical practice laws of several states,
Hoxsey set up a 'clinic' in Dallas, Texas. (Janssen)

Hoxsey developed prostate cancer in 1967 and treated himself unsuccessfully with
his tonic. He eventually underwent conventional surgery. He died in 1974. (Hafner)

Proponent/ Advocate Claims

The internal formula is claimed to work "by normalizing body fluids that were
chemically imbalanced." (CA 1993)

Proponents believe that "the treatment will help to stop the spread of disease and
destroy cancer." (Ontario)

"Hoxsey therapy is practiced at the Bio-Medical Center in Tijuana, Mexico, where,

based on patient records, an estimated 80% of patients who use the Hoxsey formula
benefit substantially." (Diamond)

"The Office of Technology Assessment (OTA) found that 'taken together, the data
indicate that many of the herbs used in the Hoxsey internal tonic or the isolated
components of these herbs have antitumor activity or cytotoxic effects in animal test
systems.' The OTA indicated that a paste made from these herbs had a reliable
beneficial effect on the treatment of basal cell carcinoma of the skin." (Spencer)

"A recent in vitro study found that biochanin A from red clover inhibited carcinogen
activation in cell cultures..." (Tyler)

Professional Evaluation/ Critique

The 'internal formula' of the Hoxsey cancer treatment is now discredited. (Tyler)

"The peer-reviewed scientific literature contains no study indicating that Hoxsey's

internal herbal formula is more effective than no treatment at all." (CA 1993)

"The National Cancer Institute evaluated case reports submitted by Hoxsey and
concluded that no assessment could be made because the records did not contain
adequate information." (Hafner)

"Hoxsey did not claim to know how or why his herbal cancer treatment worked."
(U.S. Congress)

"No clinical trials of the Hoxsey treatment have been reported." (U.S. Congress)

"A carefully controlled experiment using Hoxsey tonic in tumor-bearing mice

showed no difference in tumor size and growth compared with tumors in untreated
mice." (CA 1990)

"Although dietary measures may be helpful in preventing certain cancers, there is no

scientific evidence that any nutritionally related regimen is appropriate as a primary
treatment for cancer." (CA 1993)

U.S. Food and Drug Administration inspectors investigated 400 cases of persons who
were claimed by Hoxsey to have been cured of cancer by the treatment. No case of a
bona fide cure was found. His clinic was closed in 1960 after legal battles, which
lasted ten years. (Janssen)

"However, despite its long use as a folkloric remedy, no solid evidence exists that
burdock exhibits any useful therapeutic activity." (Tyler)

The anthroquinone glycoside of Cascara might behave as a weak promoter in rat

colon carcinogenesis. (Mereto)

Toxicity/ Risks

The external remedies for external cancers are "corrosive enough to destroy body
tissues on contact, making no distinction between cancerous and healthy tissues."
(CA 1993)

"If the Hoxsey method is used incorrectly, cancer growth may be stimulated."
(Ontario)

Consuming doses of potassium iodide may result in toxic reactions such as "pimples,
excessive secretion of the eyes or nose, impotence, and a mumps-like condition of the
salivary glands." (CA 1990)

Severe nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea may result from consuming large amount of
buckthorn bark. (CA 1990)

"Numerous instances have been documented where liquorice ingestion has resulted in
symptoms of primary hyperaldosteronism [an abnormality in electrolyte metabolism],
such as water and sodium retention and hypokalaemia [low concentration of
potassium in the blood]." (Newall)

"The drug [from Stillingia root] is strongly irritating to skin and mucous membranes.
Taken internally, it triggers vomiting (it is used as an emetic) and diarrhea (it is used
as a laxative). Skin contact leads to inflammation and swelling. The diterpenes
[compounds found in Stillingia root] cause inflammation and are likely to be
carcinogenic and virus-activating. It should not be administered." (Physician's Desk
Reference)

Dosages over 4 mg [milligrams] of a certain barberry species (Berberis radicis

cortex) will bring about light stupor, nose bleeds, vomiting, diarrhea and kidney
irritation. (Physician's Desk Reference)

"Spasmodic gastrointestinal complaints can occur as a side effect to the drug's

purgative effect. Long-term use leads to losses of electrolytes, in particular K(+) ions,
and as a result of this to hyperaldosteronism [an abnormality in electrolyte
metabolism], inhibition of intestinal motility and enhancement of the effect of
cardioactive steroids; in rare cases also to heart arrhythmias, nephropathies [diseases
of the kidney], edemas and accelerated bone deterioration." (Physician's Desk
Reference)

Costs

"The current cost for the treatment is $3,500 U.S. This price includes follow-up visits
and a lifetime supply of the herbal preparations. X-rays, lab tests and physical exams
cost an additional $400 to $900 U.S. per visit." (Ontario) (Fink 1997)

Cancer patients paid over 50 million dollars for Hoxsey's Tonic and many paid with
their lives. (Janssen)

References

CA (Anonymous). Hoxsey Method/Bio-Medical Center. CA: a Cancer Journal for

Clinicians 1990 Jan-Feb;40(1):51-55.

CA (Anonymous). Questionable methods of cancer management: 'nutritional

therapies'. CA: a Cancer Journal for Clinicians 1993 Sept-Oct;43(5):309-319.

Diamond WJ, et al. An alternative medicine definitive guide to cancer. Tiburon:

Future Medicine Publishing, Inc., 1997:829.

Fink JM. Third opinion: an international directory to alternative therapy centers for
the treatment and prevention of cancer and other degenerative diseases. 2nd ed.
Garden City Park, New York: Avery Publishing Group Inc., 1988:32-33.
Fink JM. Third opinion: an international directory to alternative therapy centers for
the treatment and prevention of cancer and other degenerative diseases. 3rd ed.
Garden City Park, New York: Avery Publishing Group Inc., 1997:41-42.

Hafner AW, editor. Reader's guide to alternative health methods. Milwaukee,

Wisconsin: American Medical Association, 1993:128-130.

Janssen WF. Cancer quackery: the past in the present. Semin Oncol 1979;6(4):526-
535.

Newall CA, et al. Herbal medicines: a guide for health - care professionals. London:
Pharmaceutical Press, 1996:185.

Mereto E, et al. Evaluation of the potential carcinogenic activity of Senna and

Cascara glycosides for the rat colon. Cancer Letters 1996;101:79-83.

Ontario Breast Cancer Information Exchange Project. Guide to unconventional

cancer therapies. 1st ed. Toronto: Ontario Breast Cancer Information Exchange
Project, 1994:72-75.

Physician's Desk Reference. PDR for herbal medicines. Montvale, New Jersey:
Medical Economics Company 1998: 689,1090,1158.

Spencer JW, Jacobs JJ. Complementary/alternative medicine: an evidence based

approach. Toronto: Mosby, 1999:142.

Tyler VE, Foster S. Tyler's honest herbal. New York: Haworth herbal press,
1999:316,72.

US. Congress, Office of Technology Assessment. Unconventional cancer treatments.

Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1990 Sept:81-86.

Revised February 2000