Green Tea Crushes Cancer & Disease

EGCG's Crucial Role in Eradicating CSCs

CSC - An Underestimated Enemy in Cancer Progression - Courtesy of Dr. Paul Marik

AI recently ranked Green Tea as #5 in Cancer Stem Cell blocking activity. Cancer Stem Cells are slowly dividing cells that evade chemotherapy and radiation treatments.

Worse, CSCs are notorious for cancer recurrence. And if given the chance, CSC’s grow the tumor back in a fully resistant mutated form. The time to kill CSCs is at the beginning, while they are weak and few. And with a little Curcumin and EGCG, they should wither away and die, never allowing the cancer to regrow again. However, depending on the type of cancer, one may wish to be more aggressive and block more CSC pathways with even more compounds. CSCs must be suppressed at the earliest possible time to avoid metastatic cancer.

Announcing Our New CSC Blocker Protocol

To prevent this deadly outcome, Dr. Marik and I strongly recommend that patients begin a multi-supplement/drug cocktail of the top five or ten CSC blockers at the start of any cancer chemotherapy and/or radiation treatment, regardless of stage. We will be publishing our preferred protocol soon.

In medicine, our first rule is to do no harm. However, it appears Oncologists are inadvertently doing harm with chemo/radiation therapy by stimulating CSCs and neither informing the patient of the risks, nor offering suppressive therapy which is ethically required.

This is what AI concludes, when asked if current treatments stimulate CSCs, and it completely aligns with our position:

Dr. Marik and I are perfecting two repurposed drug/supplement protocols against cancer, one for limited disease and the other for advanced disease. And today we highlight one of the key ingredients - Green Tea [EGCG].

I. Green Tea Suppresses Cancer Stem Cells

Green Tea use is essential if one wishes to eradicate CSCs -the “roots” of cancer. Addressing the CSCs from the beginning reduces the chance of recurrence. AI confirms what we already know: the top five drugs/supplements listed above possess massive CSC blocking activity.

EGCG is particularly active against CSCs in Prostate, Breast, and Colon Cancer. In addition, evidence is accumulating that it is active against many other cancers as well.

Colon Cancer CSC Suppression:

• Inhibiting Wnt/β-catenin signaling: Treatment with 50 μM EGCG reduced β-catenin nuclear translocation by 62% in DLD-1 spheroids, accompanied by a 4.3-fold increase in GSK3β phosphorylation (p < 0.01). This led to 75% reduction in CD133+ cells and 83% decrease in tumorsphere formation compared to controls.

• Inducing CSC apoptosis: EGCG (100 μM) upregulated pro-apoptotic Bax/Bcl-2 ratios by 3.8-fold in SW480 CSCs while activating caspases-3/9.

• Sensitizing to chemotherapy: Co-treatment with 5-FU and EGCG (25 μM) enhanced cytotoxicity 4.2-fold in oxaliplatin-resistant HT29 cells through ABCG2 transporter inhibition.

Prostate Cancer CSC Suppression:

In prostate CSCs:

• Androgen receptor suppression: 40 μM EGCG downregulated AR expression by 51% and PSA transcription by 63%.

• CSC marker inhibition: CD44+CD133+ cells decreased by 39% after 48-hour exposure (p < 0.01), with parallel reductions in Nanog and c-MYC.

• Synergy with docetaxel: EGCG (20 μM) enhanced docetaxel cytotoxicity 6.7-fold in chemoresistant DU145 cells through P-glycoprotein inhibition.

Breast Cancer CSC Suppression:

• EGCG preferentially targets ALDH1+ breast CSCs:

• Cohort studies in Japan correlate ≥5 cups/day green tea with 20–30% lower breast cancer recurrence.

• Tumorsphere inhibition: 20 μM EGCG reduced SUM-149 inflammatory breast cancer tumorsphere formation by 89% (p < 0.001) and ALDH1 activity by 76%.Lymphangiogenesis blockade:

• In orthotopic mouse models, EGCG (50 mg/kg) decreased peritumoral lymphatic vessel density by 64% through VEGF-D suppression (p = 0.007).

• Epigenetic modulation: Daily 800 mg EGCG for 6 months reduced global DNA methylation by 18% in ductal carcinoma in situ patients, particularly at CpG islands of CSC genes like SOX2 and OCT4.

Lung Cancer (SCLC):

• EGCG reduced radiation-induced esophagitis severity without compromising survival.

• Synergy observed with chemotherapy agents in preclinical models.

Head & Neck Cancer:

• EGCG reversed DNA hypermethylation (e.g., p16, RECK), inhibited EGFR/AKT/mTOR signaling, and synergized with resveratrol.

• Phase II trials showed 58.8% response rates in high-dose EGCG arms.

Esophageal Cancer:

• EGCG reactivated tumor suppressors (e.g., p21, p27) via demethylation, inhibited VEGF/cyclin D1, and accumulated in target tissues at 400–600 mg doses.

Pancreatic & Ovarian Cancers:

• Targeted CSCs via Wnt/β-catenin inhibition, reduced MDSCs/CAFs in TME, and inhibited glycolysis (GLUT1/PFK).

• Enhanced chemotherapy/radiotherapy sensitivity in pancreatic/ovarian cancers.

II. Green Tea Reduces Non-Cancer Diseases

Emerging evidence shows that daily consumption of green tea catechins, (EGCG), suppresses the risk of multiple chronic diseases.

While traditional green tea provides lower catechin concentrations, EGCG extract has been evaluated for safety and efficacy in many interventional trials.

Below, are eight diseases strongly associated with preventive effects of 800 mg EGCG/day.

Cardiovascular Disease:

• Meta-analyses associate green tea consumption with 10–20% lower coronary artery disease risk, mediated by improved lipid profiles (5–10% LDL reduction) and endothelial function.

• A trial in diabetic patients reported 12% lower systolic BP with 580 mg catechins/day.

Metabolic Syndrome:

• EGCG enhances insulin sensitivity via AMPK-dependent GLUT4 translocation and suppresses hepatic gluconeogenesis.

• In a 12-week trial, 400 mg EGCG twice daily reduced visceral fat by 4.3% and fasting glucose by 5.1% in obese subjects.

• Notably, 800 mg doses in animal models restore pancreatic β-cell function, suggesting potential for diabetes prevention.

Influenza & Respiratory Infections:

• A trial in healthcare workers found that catechins (378 mg/day) reduced influenza incidence by 32%.

• EGCG binds influenza hemagglutinin, blocking viral entry, and inhibits neuraminidase activity.

• Synergy with oseltamivir [Tamiflu] has been observed in vitro, though clinical confirmations are pending.

Colorectal Cancer Prevention:

• Pooled observational data indicate 25% lower colorectal cancer risk with high green tea intake, particularly in women.

• A pilot trial reported 30% fewer metachronous adenomas with 1.5 g green tea extract/day.

Neurodegenerative Diseases:

• EGCG crosses the blood-brain barrier, chelates copper/zinc in Aβ plaques, and inhibits α-synuclein aggregation.

• In a 6-month RCT, 800 mg EGCG improved memory scores in MCI patients by 12%, correlating with increased EEG alpha-band activity.

Dental Caries:

• Green tea mouth rinses reduce S. mutans counts by 40–60% in clinical studies.

• EGCG inhibits glucosyltransferases, preventing sucrose-dependent biofilm formation, and exhibits direct bactericidal effects at oral pH.

Fatty Liver - NAFLD:

• Doses of 500 mg EGCG daily reduced liver fat by 15% in NAFLD patients over 12 weeks.

• Preclinically, EGCG activates PPARα, enhancing fatty acid β-oxidation, and inhibits FASN, curtailing de novo lipogenesis.

Skin Photoaging:

• Topical and oral EGCG (250–800 mg/day) improve skin elasticity by 8–12% via collagen synthesis stimulation and MMP-1 inhibition.

• UV protection is mediated through IL-6/COX-2 suppression and Nrf2-mediated antioxidant responses.

III. Safety Considerations

• Hepatotoxicity remains a concern at 800 mg EGCG/day, with some trials reporting transient ALT elevations in 3–5% of subjects.

• Fasting increases bioavailability but exacerbates liver risks; thus, divided dosing with meals is advised.

Summary:

• EGCG is consistently ranked as one of the top five most effective repurposed drugs/supplements in blocking CSCs - according to AI rankings, and according to Dr. Marik’s research contained in his reference text, Cancer Care, with its nearly 1500 citations.

• For this reason alone, EGCG should be in everyone’s medicine cabinet. And that is also the reason it occupies a top spot in the CSC blocking protocol.

I must admit, it was difficult to believe the European Commission’s warning about a tea extract having the potential to cause liver issues.

However, when I asked AI to provide at least ten case reports of verified hepatitis related to EGCG - in the entire PubMed literature spanning more than 37 million citations - it really could not.

AI came up with hepatitis in a case of IV EGCG in a 24-year-old, some animal studies and a group of patients who took SLIMQUICK, a supplement with dozens of other ingredients besides green tea.

It should go without saying that we do not advise anyone to accept intravenous EGCG infusions.

Is liver toxicity really something you should be concerned about while sipping on your green tea, or taking your supplement? So, I asked AI how many cases of green tea or EGCG toxicity were hospitalized each year. While Tylenol recorded 26,000 cases per year, AI could not find even one for EGCG.

Nonetheless, Dr. Marik and I accept the literature which suggests high daily doses of the EGCG extract - more than 800 mg daily - warrant periodic liver function testing out of an overabundance of caution.

However, even the European Commission agrees that drinking green tea by itself - as distinct from taking the supplement - is safe and not a risk factor. I do both. I prefer drinking a daily bottle of Fiji water - with its high aluminum detoxifying Silica content - cold brewed with one bag of green tea. I do this for health, not necessarily for taste, but it isn’t bad. And I also take EGCG 800 mg daily - in addition to Curcumin.

Our Top Curcumin Formulation Announced:

Following the last article, I fielded a slew of questions about Curcumin, and these included comparisons between many different brands, formulations, and strengths. I added multiple tables of AI analyses, and Dr. Marik and I wrestled over which formulation was best.

And finally, allow me to share with all readers the specific Curcumin brand and formulation Dr. Marik and I liked best and why.

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