Quick Answer: Can Alternative Treatments Cure Prostate Cancer?
No herb, vitamin, mineral, mushroom, tea, special diet or other complementary product has been proven to cure prostate cancer or reliably make it go into remission.
Some complementary approaches can still be useful when they are used alongside—not instead of—standard cancer care. Examples include exercise, selected mind-body approaches and, in appropriate settings, therapies such as acupuncture for symptom or treatment-side-effect management.
For supplements, the situation is different. Evidence for anticancer benefit is generally weak or absent, product quality varies, and some products can interact with radiation, chemotherapy, hormone therapy or other prescription medicines.
Two particularly important examples are vitamin E and selenium: the large SELECT trial showed no prostate-cancer prevention benefit from selenium, while vitamin E alone increased prostate-cancer risk by 17% compared with placebo.
“Alternative,” “Complementary” and “Integrative” Do Not Mean the Same Thing
The terminology matters because it changes the safety of the decision.
| Term | What it means | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Alternative treatment | Used instead of evidence-based medical cancer treatment. | Refusing curative radiation for high-risk localized cancer and using an herbal formula instead. |
| Complementary treatment | Used alongside standard medical treatment. | Using relaxation, yoga or clinician-approved acupuncture to help manage treatment-related symptoms. |
| Integrative cancer care | Coordinates evidence-based conventional treatment with selected complementary approaches that have acceptable evidence and safety. | Oncology treatment plus exercise, nutrition support and symptom-directed mind-body care. |
For prostate cancer, the safest framework is generally complementary or integrative care, not replacing proven treatment with an unproven product.
Why “Kills Cancer Cells in the Laboratory” Is Not Enough
Many herbs, vitamins and plant compounds can affect prostate-cancer cells in laboratory experiments.
Researchers may observe:
- slower cell division;
- changes in androgen signaling;
- programmed cell death (apoptosis);
- reduced inflammatory signaling;
- changes in PSA expression; or
- effects on tumor growth in animals.
Those findings can justify further research, but they do not prove that swallowing the substance treats cancer in a human being.
Important unanswered questions include:
- Can a safe oral dose reach the same concentration in a human tumor?
- Does the body metabolize the substance before it reaches the prostate?
- Does it improve recurrence-free survival?
- Does it prevent metastasis?
- Does it improve cancer-specific or overall survival?
- Does it interact with effective treatment?
Clinical outcomes—not laboratory headlines—determine whether something is a cancer treatment.
“Some Chemotherapy Drugs Come From Plants” Does Not Validate Herbal Cancer Remedies
The legacy page argues that because some anticancer medicines originated from natural compounds, herbal mixtures should also be considered anticancer treatments.
That reasoning is incorrect.
Some modern cancer drugs were indeed discovered from plants or other natural sources. But a pharmaceutical cancer medicine differs from an herbal supplement because it has:
- a precisely identified active compound;
- a standardized dose and purity;
- pharmacology and metabolism studies;
- toxicity testing;
- controlled clinical trials;
- manufacturing standards; and
- regulatory approval for defined indications.
The fact that a medicine had a natural starting point does not prove that eating or drinking the original plant will reproduce the drug’s anticancer effect.
The PC-SPES Story: A Major Warning From Prostate Cancer History
Much of the herbal list in the old version of this page matches the historical product PC-SPES.
PC-SPES contained eight botanicals:
- Baikal skullcap (Scutellaria baicalensis);
- chrysanthemum;
- reishi mushroom (Ganoderma lucidum);
- isatis (Isatis indigotica);
- licorice (Glycyrrhiza species);
- ginseng/notoginseng;
- Rabdosia rubescens; and
- saw palmetto (Serenoa repens).
Early reports suggested that the product could lower PSA and testosterone.
But the interpretation collapsed when some batches were found to contain undeclared prescription drugs.
NCI (National Cancer Institute) explains that it became impossible to know whether the observed effects came from:
- the herbs;
- the undeclared prescription medicines; or
- a combination of both.
PC-SPES was removed from the market, clinical trials were stopped, and the original product is no longer legally available in the United States.
Baikal Skullcap
Baikal skullcap contains compounds such as baicalein and baicalin that have shown anti-inflammatory and anticancer effects in laboratory models.
But there is no established clinical evidence that Baikal skullcap:
- treats localized prostate cancer;
- prevents recurrence;
- controls metastatic disease; or
- improves prostate-cancer survival.
It should not be prescribed as an alternative to standard cancer treatment.
Licorice: The Old Safety Advice Was Backwards
The old article says licorice may lower testosterone and warns mainly about potassium becoming too high.
The important safety issue is actually the opposite.
Licorice containing glycyrrhizin can produce a syndrome resembling excess mineralocorticoid activity, causing:
- low potassium (hypokalemia);
- high blood pressure;
- fluid retention;
- muscle weakness;
- abnormal heart rhythms; and
- in severe cases, cardiac arrest.
NCCIH warns that even relatively modest exposure can be hazardous in susceptible people, especially those with:
- hypertension;
- heart disease;
- kidney disease; or
- high salt intake.
Licorice can also interact with medications, including corticosteroids.
Reishi Mushroom
Reishi (Ganoderma lucidum) has been studied in laboratory and small human studies for immune and anticancer effects.
There is no reliable clinical evidence that reishi cures or controls prostate cancer.
Mushroom supplements also vary substantially in:
- species;
- fruiting body vs mycelium;
- extraction method;
- active-compound concentration; and
- product purity.
Patients receiving cancer treatment should disclose mushroom supplements because interactions and adverse effects may be relevant.
Isatis
Isatis indigotica is used in some traditional medicine systems.
Laboratory research cannot be converted into a recommendation to use isatis for prostate cancer.
It should also not be presented as a treatment for bacterial or viral prostatitis without evidence of the actual infectious cause and appropriate medical treatment.
Chrysanthemum
You may come across older articles or traditional medicine sources suggesting that chrysanthemum can help treat prostate cancer or precancerous changes in the prostate. At the moment, however, we do not have good clinical evidence showing that chrysanthemum can prevent, slow, or treat prostate cancer in people.
This does not mean that every traditional use is without value, but traditional use alone is not enough to prove that a remedy works against cancer. Laboratory studies and historical claims are also very different from evidence showing that a treatment improves outcomes in real patients.
If prostate cancer or a precancerous prostate condition is suspected, I would not recommend relying on chrysanthemum or any other herbal product instead of proper medical evaluation. Diagnosis, monitoring, and treatment should be based on established medical evidence and discussed with a urologist or other qualified healthcare professional.
Saw Palmetto Is a BPH Supplement, Not a Prostate Cancer Treatment
Saw palmetto has been studied mainly for lower urinary tract symptoms associated with benign prostate enlargement.
It has not been shown to cure or control prostate cancer.
Laboratory findings showing effects on prostate-cancer cells are not enough to justify cancer treatment.
Our detailed evidence review is available at Herbs for Enlarged Prostate: Saw Palmetto, Pygeum, Pumpkin Seed & Evidence.
Green Tea and EGCG
Green tea contains catechins such as EGCG (epigallocatechin gallate) that have shown anticancer effects in laboratory models.
Human evidence remains inconsistent.
NCI concludes that there is not enough evidence to establish green tea as prostate-cancer prevention or treatment.
Small studies in advanced prostate cancer have shown little meaningful clinical activity.
Brewed green tea can be part of a healthy diet, but concentrated extracts can cause medication interactions and rare serious liver injury.
Read Green Tea and Prostate Cancer: Prevention, Treatment, EGCG & Safety.
Lycopene, Tomatoes and Other Red Fruits
Lycopene is a carotenoid found in:
- tomatoes;
- watermelon;
- pink grapefruit;
- guava; and
- papaya.
Some observational studies have associated higher lycopene intake with lower prostate-cancer risk, while other large studies have found no association.
Human evidence does not establish lycopene supplements as prostate-cancer prevention or treatment.
The old claim that eating a fixed number of tomato servings reduces prostate-cancer risk by 35% should not be used as a clinical recommendation.
See Lycopene and Prostate Cancer: Prevention, Treatment, Tomatoes & Supplements.
Apples and Prostate Cancer
Apples are nutritious foods that provide fiber and polyphenols.
Laboratory research on apple-derived compounds does not establish apples as prostate-cancer treatment.
There is no evidence-based dose of apples that:
- lowers PSA reliably;
- shrinks prostate cancer;
- prevents recurrence; or
- prevents metastatic progression.
They can simply be included in a varied healthy diet.
Selenium: It Does Not Prevent or Treat Prostate Cancer
The old page says selenium can:
- reduce prostate-cancer risk;
- increase cancer-cell self-destruction; and
- amplify the therapeutic effects of radiation.
Those claims should not remain.
The large randomized SELECT trial found that selenium supplementation did not reduce prostate-cancer risk.
Further analysis found that men who already had high selenium status and then received selenium supplementation had an increased risk of high-grade prostate cancer.
There is no established role for taking selenium supplements to make prostate radiation more effective.
Vitamin E: Evidence of Harm, Not Prevention
This is one of the most important corrections on the page.
The old article calls vitamin E a prostate-cancer treatment and says it lowers testosterone.
The SELECT randomized trial found the opposite of a protective effect:
Men taking vitamin E alone had a 17% higher prostate-cancer risk than men taking placebo.
Vitamin E should therefore not be recommended to prevent or treat prostate cancer.
Vitamin D
Vitamin D is important for:
- bone health;
- calcium metabolism; and
- other normal physiological functions.
But vitamin D deficiency should not be described as a proven cause of prostate cancer, and high-dose vitamin D should not be presented as cancer treatment.
Vitamin D has a clear clinical role when a man is deficient or at risk of bone loss—particularly during long-term androgen deprivation therapy.
The goal in that setting is to protect bone health, not directly kill prostate-cancer cells.
What About High-Dose Vitamin C, Curcumin and Other Popular Supplements?
Many substances are promoted online as cancer therapies.
NCCIH notes that:
- high-dose intravenous vitamin C has produced mixed and inconclusive human results;
- curcumin has insufficient evidence to recommend it as cancer treatment; and
- herbal supplements may cause side effects or interfere with anticancer drugs.
A promising laboratory study is not enough to recommend a supplement as treatment.
Can Supplements Interfere With Prostate Cancer Treatment?
Yes, they can. It is easy to assume that vitamins, herbs, or other supplements are harmless because they are sold as “natural,” but some can interact with prostate cancer treatments.
Certain supplements may affect how medicines are absorbed or broken down by the body, increase the risk of bleeding, or interfere with hormone therapy, chemotherapy, radiation treatment, or medicines used around surgery.
Possible interactions can involve:
- drug-metabolizing liver enzymes;
- blood clotting;
- blood pressure;
- electrolytes;
- liver toxicity;
- kidney function;
- hormone signaling; and
- the pharmacologic action of anticancer drugs.
For this reason, patients should tell their oncology team about:
- herbal mixtures;
- mushroom extracts;
- green-tea/EGCG capsules;
- high-dose antioxidants;
- vitamin/mineral megadoses;
- CBD/cannabis products where used;
- traditional medicines; and
- any product marketed as “prostate support” or “immune support.”
This is especially important before surgery and during radiation, chemotherapy, ADT, AR pathway therapy or targeted treatment.
Complementary Approaches That May Actually Help
Rejecting unproven cancer cures does not mean every complementary approach is useless.
NCCIH notes that selected complementary approaches can help manage symptoms or treatment side effects when used appropriately.
Exercise
Exercise has strong value during prostate-cancer care, especially for men receiving ADT.
Combined aerobic and resistance activity can help with:
- fatigue;
- muscle loss;
- weight gain;
- bone health;
- cardiovascular fitness;
- insulin sensitivity; and
- quality of life.
Mindfulness, Relaxation and Yoga
Mind-body practices may help some cancer patients with:
- stress;
- anxiety;
- sleep;
- fatigue; and
- general well-being.
They are supportive care, not tumor treatment.
Acupuncture
In selected patients, properly performed acupuncture may help manage certain cancer-related symptoms or treatment side effects.
It should be delivered by a qualified practitioner who knows the patient’s:
- cancer treatment;
- blood counts;
- anticoagulant use;
- bone-metastasis sites; and
- infection risk.
Nutrition Support
Healthy eating can help maintain:
- muscle;
- body weight;
- bone health;
- cardiovascular health; and
- treatment tolerance.
But diet should be framed as supportive care, not as a cure.
See Prostate Cancer Diet: What to Eat, What to Limit & What the Evidence Shows.
Why “Natural” Does Not Mean Safe
A concentrated botanical extract can have pharmacologic effects just as a prescription medicine can.
Potential problems include:
- incorrect dose;
- contamination;
- undeclared ingredients;
- wrong plant species;
- variation between batches;
- liver or kidney toxicity;
- drug interactions; and
- delayed effective cancer treatment.
The PC-SPES experience demonstrates how serious these problems can be.
How to Recognize a Questionable “Cancer Cure” Claim
Be particularly cautious when a website or seller claims that a product:
- “kills cancer cells but leaves healthy cells untouched”;
- “cures all stages of prostate cancer”;
- works better than chemotherapy or radiation without comparative trials;
- is being suppressed by doctors or pharmaceutical companies;
- has no side effects because it is natural;
- works because “cancer cannot survive in an alkaline/oxygenated/detoxified body”;
- has testimonials but no controlled clinical evidence;
- requires stopping standard treatment;
- has a secret proprietary formula; or
- guarantees PSA reduction or cure.
NCCIH specifically warns that fraudulent cancer products are often marketed with claims such as “treats all forms of cancer,” “cures cancer” or “more effective than chemotherapy.”
What If My PSA Falls While Taking a Supplement?
A PSA decline can be encouraging, but it does not automatically prove anticancer benefit.
A supplement might:
- alter PSA production without controlling the tumor;
- have hormonal effects;
- contain an undeclared pharmaceutical ingredient;
- coincide with another treatment effect; or
- coincide with natural PSA variability.
Cancer response should be assessed according to the clinical situation using:
- PSA pattern;
- testosterone where relevant;
- imaging;
- symptoms;
- biopsy/pathology when appropriate; and
- validated treatment-response criteria.
Can Alternative Treatment Replace Active Surveillance?
No.
Active surveillance itself is an evidence-based medical management strategy for selected low-risk prostate cancer.
It typically includes:
- PSA monitoring;
- MRI;
- clinical review;
- repeat biopsy when indicated; and
- conversion to curative treatment if the disease meaningfully progresses.
Taking supplements without scheduled surveillance is not equivalent to active surveillance.
Can Alternative Treatment Replace Surgery or Radiation?
For clinically significant localized prostate cancer, surgery and radiation therapy have strong evidence as curative treatments in appropriately selected men.
Herbs and supplements do not have equivalent evidence.
If a patient wants to avoid surgery, the appropriate discussion is about:
- active surveillance when oncologically suitable;
- radiotherapy;
- brachytherapy;
- selected focal-treatment trials/registries; and
- the tradeoffs of each option.
It should not be a choice between surgery and an unproven supplement.
Can Alternative Treatment Replace ADT or Modern Systemic Therapy?
No.
For advanced disease, modern systemic treatment can include:
- ADT;
- abiraterone;
- enzalutamide;
- apalutamide;
- darolutamide;
- docetaxel;
- cabazitaxel;
- PARP-directed treatment in selected cancers;
- PSMA radioligand therapy;
- radium-223;
- sipuleucel-T; and
- other biomarker-directed therapies.
See Latest Prostate Cancer Treatments in 2026.
A Practical Evidence Table
Supplements and Supportive Approaches in Prostate Cancer: What the Evidence Shows
| Approach | Proven to Treat Prostate Cancer? | Reasonable Role |
|---|---|---|
| Baikal skullcap | No | Experimental and laboratory interest only. It has not been proven to treat prostate cancer in humans. |
| Licorice | No | Not a substitute for androgen deprivation therapy (ADT). Products containing glycyrrhizin may cause significant blood pressure, electrolyte, and cardiac problems. |
| Reishi | No | No established clinical role in the treatment of prostate cancer. |
| Isatis / Chrysanthemum | No | No established clinical evidence showing an anticancer benefit in prostate cancer. |
| Saw palmetto | No | Primarily studied for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS), not as a treatment for prostate cancer. |
| Green tea / EGCG | No | Green tea can be part of a healthy diet, but concentrated EGCG or green tea extracts should be used cautiously because high doses may cause adverse effects. |
| Lycopene / Tomatoes | No | Tomatoes and other lycopene-containing foods can be part of a healthy diet, but evidence that lycopene prevents or treats prostate cancer remains inconsistent. |
| Selenium | No | Selenium deficiency may be treated when medically indicated, but selenium supplements should not be used as a prostate cancer treatment or prevention strategy. |
| Vitamin E | No; high-dose prevention trials have shown potential harm | Meet normal nutritional requirements, but high-dose vitamin E supplementation should not be used to prevent prostate cancer. |
| Vitamin D | No | Correcting vitamin D deficiency may support bone health, which can be particularly important for men receiving androgen deprivation therapy. |
| Exercise | Does not replace cancer treatment | Has an important supportive role in maintaining cardiovascular fitness, muscle strength, bone health, mobility, and treatment tolerance. |
| Mindfulness / Yoga | No | May help some patients manage stress, fatigue, sleep difficulties, and overall quality of life during cancer treatment. |
Questions to Ask Before Starting Any “Alternative” Prostate Cancer Product
- Is this being used instead of treatment—or alongside it?
- Has it been tested in randomized human prostate-cancer trials?
- Did the study measure survival/progression, or only laboratory markers?
- Is the exact formulation standardized?
- Has the product been independently tested for purity?
- Could it lower PSA without actually treating the cancer?
- Could it interact with my cancer medicines?
- Could it increase bleeding before surgery?
- Could it damage my liver or kidneys?
- Could it affect potassium, blood pressure or heart rhythm?
- Does my oncologist know I am taking it?
- Am I delaying a treatment that has a realistic chance of cure?
I understand why many patients start looking at natural or complementary options after a prostate cancer diagnosis. Treatment can affect urinary symptoms, sexual function, energy levels, bone health, and overall quality of life, so it is understandable to be interested in approaches that may seem gentler or have fewer side effects.
What I try to explain to patients is that there is an important difference between complementary care and using an alternative treatment in place of established cancer therapy. Exercise, good nutrition, stress management, and selected integrative approaches may all have a useful supportive role. However, an herbal product needs strong clinical evidence before we can say that it actually treats prostate cancer itself.
The history of PC-SPES is a good example of why we have to be careful when interpreting supplement results. The product appeared to lower PSA and testosterone levels, which initially looked promising. Later, however, some batches were found to contain prescription medications. This made it difficult to know whether the apparent benefit came from the herbs or from undeclared pharmaceutical ingredients.
I would also be cautious about using vitamin E or selenium specifically for prostate cancer prevention. The large SELECT trial did not show a preventive benefit from selenium, while vitamin E supplementation was associated with an increased risk of prostate cancer in the study population.
If one of my patients wants to use an herb, vitamin, or supplement during prostate cancer treatment, I would ask him to bring the actual product, bottle, or full ingredient list to his oncology or urology team. This allows the medical team to check the dose, ingredients, possible interactions, and whether it could interfere with treatment.
The aim is not to dismiss complementary care. It is to make sure that anything added to the treatment plan is used safely, has a reasonable purpose, and does not reduce the effectiveness or safety of proven prostate cancer treatment.
Medical References
National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH). Cancer and Complementary Health Approaches: no complementary approach has been shown to prevent or cure cancer; some approaches may help symptoms and treatment side effects.
National Cancer Institute. Prostate Cancer, Nutrition, and Dietary Supplements PDQ: selenium, vitamin E, green tea, lycopene and dietary-supplement evidence.
National Cancer Institute. PC-SPES PDQ: historical herbal mixture, PSA/testosterone findings, adulteration with prescription medicines and market withdrawal.
National Cancer Institute. SELECT: selenium did not prevent prostate cancer; vitamin E alone increased prostate-cancer risk by 17%.
National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. Licorice Root: glycyrrhizin-related hypertension, hypokalemia, arrhythmia and drug-interaction risks.
Last evidence update: September 2026.
Medical information notice: Complementary approaches can sometimes improve symptoms or quality of life, but unproven products should not replace or delay evidence-based prostate-cancer treatment. Discuss every supplement with your oncology team.