{"entity":{"id":"chaparral-herb","kind":"technology","name":"Chaparral (creosote bush)","aka":[],"tldr":"Chaparral is a desert shrub long used as a folk cancer remedy and an ingredient of black salve. A phase 2 trial found it ineffective against cancer, and it has caused severe liver damage, some cases needing a liver transplant.","summary":"Chaparral (Larrea tridentata) grows in the deserts of Mexico and the south-west United States and was used by Native Americans for skin sores, diabetes, cancer and other conditions. Memorial Sloan Kettering's About Herbs summary states that a phase II clinical trial found chaparral ineffective as an anticancer agent. Its active compound, nordihydroguaiaretic acid (NDGA), has anticancer effects in the laboratory, and a pilot study in relapsed prostate cancer reported tolerability with changes in PSA doubling time but raised liver enzymes in some patients. MSK warns that chaparral and products containing it have been associated with severe hepatotoxicity, some cases requiring liver transplantation, and lists fatigue, jaundice and cirrhosis among reported reactions. The US FDA removed NDGA from its list of substances generally recognised as safe, and a topical NDGA cream was withdrawn in 1996. Chaparral is an ingredient of black salve.","status":"negative","asOf":"2026-11-04","links":[{"label":"MSK About Herbs: Chaparral (page last updated 11 February 2021)","url":"https://www.mskcc.org/cancer-care/integrative-medicine/herbs/chaparral"}],"tags":["complementary","supportive-care","evidence:harm"],"related":["comfrey","kava-kava"],"cancers":[],"sections":["supportive-care"],"technologies":["integrative-oncology","alternative-medicine-instead-of-treatment","black-salve-escharotics"],"targets":[],"drugs":[],"companies":[],"institutions":[],"pathways":[],"terms":["unproven-diet-claims"],"trials":[],"people":[],"bottlenecks":["b-misinformation"],"keyPapers":[],"journals":[],"dependsOn":[],"notes":[],"principle":"NDGA is an antioxidant lignan that inhibits lipoxygenase and growth-factor receptors in cell culture; it is also directly toxic to the liver.","strengths":["Tested: the phase 2 trial answered the question"],"limitations":["Ineffective against cancer in a phase 2 trial","Severe liver injury, some needing transplant","Component of black salve"]},"route":"/technologies/chaparral-herb/","neighbours":{"technology":[{"id":"alternative-medicine-instead-of-treatment","kind":"technology","name":"Alternative medicine used instead of standard treatment","route":"/technologies/alternative-medicine-instead-of-treatment/"},{"id":"black-salve-escharotics","kind":"technology","name":"Black salve and other escharotic pastes","route":"/technologies/black-salve-escharotics/"},{"id":"comfrey","kind":"technology","name":"Comfrey","route":"/technologies/comfrey/"},{"id":"integrative-oncology","kind":"technology","name":"Evidence-based integrative oncology","route":"/technologies/integrative-oncology/"},{"id":"kava-kava","kind":"technology","name":"Kava","route":"/technologies/kava-kava/"},{"id":"oleandrin-anvirzel","kind":"technology","name":"Oleander extracts (oleandrin, Anvirzel, PBI-05204)","route":"/technologies/oleandrin-anvirzel/"}],"section":[{"id":"supportive-care","kind":"section","name":"Supportive Care & Survivorship","route":"/fronts/supportive-care/"}],"term":[{"id":"unproven-diet-claims","kind":"term","name":"Unproven diet claims (alkaline, juice, 'anti-cancer' diets)","route":"/terms/unproven-diet-claims/"}],"bottleneck":[{"id":"b-misinformation","kind":"bottleneck","name":"Misinformation and unproven therapies","route":"/bottlenecks/b-misinformation/"}]}}