{"entity":{"id":"beta-elemene","kind":"technology","name":"Beta-elemene","aka":[],"tldr":"Beta-elemene is a plant compound given as an injection in China alongside chemotherapy and eaten in herbs by people hoping it cures cancer. Trials so far are of poor quality; a review suggests it may help chemotherapy work in lung cancer, which controlled trials have not confirmed.","summary":"Beta-elemene is a volatile terpene found in celery, mint and herbs used in traditional medicine. Memorial Sloan Kettering's About Herbs summary notes that the purified form is poorly absorbed and is not generally used as a supplement, although many patients consume herbs high in it believing they help cure cancer. It arrests the cell cycle and triggers apoptosis in cancer cells in vitro and enhanced cisplatin against prostate cancer cells. An injectable form isolated from Rhizoma zedoariae has been studied in Asia and is reported to relieve pain, reduce chemotherapy side effects and improve quality of life, but MSK describes the quality of the human trials as poor. A systematic review indicates the injection may improve chemotherapy effectiveness in lung cancer; MSK states controlled trials are needed to confirm it. It inhibited sperm function in vitro, of unknown clinical significance.","status":"phase-2","asOf":"2026-11-04","links":[{"label":"MSK About Herbs: Beta-elemene (page last updated 9 August 2023)","url":"https://www.mskcc.org/cancer-care/integrative-medicine/herbs/beta-elemene"}],"tags":["complementary","supportive-care","evidence:insufficient"],"related":["artemisia-annua-artemisinin","scutellaria-baicalensis","zyflamend"],"cancers":[],"sections":["supportive-care","chemotherapy"],"technologies":["integrative-oncology","traditional-chinese-herbal-medicine"],"targets":[],"drugs":["cisplatin"],"companies":[],"institutions":[],"pathways":[],"terms":[],"trials":[],"people":[],"bottlenecks":["b-misinformation"],"keyPapers":[],"journals":[],"dependsOn":[],"notes":[],"principle":"A sesquiterpene that induces cell-cycle arrest and apoptosis in cultured cancer cells.","strengths":["Injectable form used clinically in China","Systematic review signal in lung cancer"],"limitations":["Poor-quality trials","Oral herbs deliver little of the compound","No confirmed survival benefit"]},"route":"/technologies/beta-elemene/","neighbours":{"technology":[{"id":"artemisia-annua-artemisinin","kind":"technology","name":"Artemisia annua (sweet wormwood) and artemisinin","route":"/technologies/artemisia-annua-artemisinin/"},{"id":"scutellaria-baicalensis","kind":"technology","name":"Baikal skullcap (Scutellaria baicalensis)","route":"/technologies/scutellaria-baicalensis/"},{"id":"integrative-oncology","kind":"technology","name":"Evidence-based integrative oncology","route":"/technologies/integrative-oncology/"},{"id":"traditional-chinese-herbal-medicine","kind":"technology","name":"Traditional Chinese herbal medicine alongside treatment","route":"/technologies/traditional-chinese-herbal-medicine/"},{"id":"zyflamend","kind":"technology","name":"Zyflamend (ten-herb formula)","route":"/technologies/zyflamend/"}],"section":[{"id":"chemotherapy","kind":"section","name":"Chemotherapy","route":"/fronts/chemotherapy/"},{"id":"supportive-care","kind":"section","name":"Supportive Care & Survivorship","route":"/fronts/supportive-care/"}],"drug":[{"id":"cisplatin","kind":"drug","name":"Cisplatin","route":"/drugs/cisplatin/"}],"bottleneck":[{"id":"b-misinformation","kind":"bottleneck","name":"Misinformation and unproven therapies","route":"/bottlenecks/b-misinformation/"}]}}