# Ukrain (NSC 631570)

Source: https://onco.cc/technologies/ukrain/  
OnCo record `ukrain` (Technology). Data CC BY-NC 4.0, attribute "Data from OnCo (onco.cc)"; commercial use needs a licence.

## TL;DR

Ukrain is an injectable product made from the weed greater celandine and promoted as an anticancer drug in parts of Europe and at Tijuana clinics. A few small studies reported benefit, but critics point to a lack of rigour and independent evaluation, and it is not approved in the United States.

## Summary

Ukrain is a semi-synthetic proprietary product of alkaloids from Chelidonium majus (greater celandine) combined with thiophosphoric acid, made in Austria. Memorial Sloan Kettering's About Herbs summary reports laboratory data on immune cells and tumour models, preliminary human studies suggesting help in palliative care or longer survival when given with gemcitabine in pancreatic cancer, and a systematic review suggesting anticancer potential, while stating that large-scale studies are needed and that critics cite a lack of scientific rigour and independent evaluation of efficacy and safety. It is not approved by the FDA. Reported side effects of the injections are soreness at the injection site, nausea, diarrhoea, dizziness, fatigue, drowsiness, thirst, frequent urination and slight fever, with blood count effects and tumour bleeding in a phase 2 trial.

## Fields

- Kind: Technology
- Status: negative
- Last checked: 2026-11-04
- Also known as: NSC-631570
- Tags: complementary; supportive-care; evidence:insufficient
- Principle: Claimed to be selectively toxic to cancer cells and to stimulate T cells; independent confirmation is lacking.
- Strengths: Some small published human studies
- Limitations: Studies small and not independently replicated; Not FDA approved; Tumour bleeding reported in a phase 2 trial

## Sources

- MSK About Herbs: Ukrain (page last updated 19 February 2021): https://www.mskcc.org/cancer-care/integrative-medicine/herbs/ukrain

## Connected records

- technologies: [714-X](https://onco.cc/technologies/714-x/), [Alternative medicine used instead of standard treatment](https://onco.cc/technologies/alternative-medicine-instead-of-treatment/), [Newcastle disease virus as an alternative cancer therapy](https://onco.cc/technologies/newcastle-disease-virus-alternative/)
- cancers: [Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma](https://onco.cc/cancers/pancreatic/)
- fronts: [Supportive Care & Survivorship](https://onco.cc/fronts/supportive-care/)
- drugs: [Gemcitabine](https://onco.cc/drugs/gemcitabine/)
- bottlenecks: [Misinformation and unproven therapies](https://onco.cc/bottlenecks/b-misinformation/)

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