Evidence for Edible Chinese Herbal Medicine as an Alternative Approach for the Treatment of Colorectal Cancer

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the leading cause of cancer lethality worldwide, inflicting a heavy burden on\r\nsociety. Unfortunately, the complex nature of CRC pathogenesis renders current chemotherapies and\r\ntargeted therapies unsatisfactory. Conventional medicine generally concentrates on the killing of tumor cells\r\nby inducing cell death or activation of the immune system, which often leads to adverse effects or relapsed\r\nchemoresistance. On the contrary, Chinese medicine theory pays attention to the patients’ whole inner\r\nsystem and helps to shrink the tumor with consideration of overall body condition. Since numerous Chinese\r\nherbal medicines (CHM) are used as food, the edible CHMs as diet resources therapy represent a promising\r\nalternative for the treatment of CRC. Recent research has made remarkable progress toward the therapeutic\r\neffects of edible CHM for CRC. In this review, experimental CRC models, the holistic characteristic of\r\nedible CHM, and recent research on the efficacy and mechanisms of edible CHM as anti-CRC agents are\r\ndiscussed, as well as the safety aspect of edible CHM.