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This article was published 27/5/2016 (1576 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Interim NDP leader Flor Marcelino has been sharing from her legislative office for the past three years a natural medicine which she says has positive benefits for people with cancer.

Marcelino shares free of charge through her office the dried leaves of the guyabano fruit plant -- bringing them back from the Philippines, and asking others to bring back guyabano leaves when they visit the Philippines.

But both Health Canada and CancerCare Manitoba say that not only is there no medical evidence that guyabano -- also known as graviola, soursop, or annona muricata --- has any effect on cancer, but there are harmful and potentially dangerous side effects in ingesting its leaves.

Ottawa requires approvals and permits to bring guyabano leaves into Canada, and approvals and permits to sell or even give it away, and has regulations requiring that it be promoted only for authorized uses.

Marcelino had previously contacted a Free Press reporter by email to suggest a possible story on guyabano leaves and her role in promoting and sharing the natural medicine's use. She has been too busy with legislature business to grant an interview.

"I have been sharing guyabano leaves (no charge) to family, friends, acquaintances and even complete strangers after hearing that it has healed several folks I know of cancer, high blood pressure and high cholesterol," Marcelino said.

"I know of two people now who are still around after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Actually there are many cases in the Philippines that I have heard of being cured by the leaves. One whom I know very well had breast cancer," she wrote.

Marcelino included a series of emails from other people who use guyabano leaves, and gave them instructions on how to find her office in the legislature building to pick up guyabano leaves.

herbal-d-tox.com Guyabano plant tea

"God is the great healer and He utilizes advancement is (sic) science. Many more people will be diagnosed with cancers, and the knowledge that so many have died from it, alternative treatment and drugs should be looked at," Marcelino wrote by email. "I have my thermos bottle with guyabano tea. I drink it everyday whenever I can."

Health Canada said from Ottawa that even if a person gives away such natural products for free, it must be done through a federal permit. Bringing it into Canada requires a permit, and federal legislation specifies that a natural product can only be distributed for the purposes for which Health Canada has authorized it -- in the case of guyabano leaves, only as an antioxidant.

CancerCare Manitoba's chief medical officer Dr. Piotr Czaykowski warned that, "There are numerous safety concerns with the consumption of graviola such as movement disorders and myeloneuropathy, with symptoms similar to Parkinson’s disease.

"There is insufficient reliable evidence to show that graviola should be considered as a treatment for cancer. While some laboratory-based research might suggest that graviola has anti-cancer potential, a clinical trial, which includes any and all phases of clinical research, has never been conducted in humans. As a result, we cannot recommend, prescribe or comment on the risks and benefits of graviola in the context of a cancer treatment."

Rheanne Gray of Russell said she's seen the positive effect that guyabano leaves provided free by Marcelino have had on a friend who has cancer.

When Marcelino was tourism minister, Gray said, she heard about Gray's kids raising money to promote the reunification of Filipino families in Canada. That led to a discussion about Gray's friend and her cancer.

"She (Marcelino) happened to share some information," said Gray. "She's just an exceptional human being."

Gray said her friend was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in January of 2015: "She was given a year to live.

"She's still here," and has been drinking tea made from guyabano leaves. "Flor said she had friends who take it. That was what stood out most -- the remarkable positive effect on people who have a cancer diagnosis."

Gray said she picks up the guyabano leaves from Marcelino's office when she's in Winnipeg, and other people in the Russell area also bring the leaves back from overseas.

"We all drink the tea -- we do it for prevention," Gray said. "It doesn't surprise me that Flor wants to do this -- she has this spirit of generosity."

Speaker Myrna Driedger's staff said Friday she has jurisdiction for the chamber and committee rooms, but the finance minister has responsibility for what happens in the rest of the building, including MLAs' offices. Finance Minister Cameron Friesen was working on Tuesday's budget and unavailable to comment.

The Internet has numerous websites on which individuals say that guyabano has been used successfully to treat cancer. However, organizations such as the National Cancer Institute in the U.S. and the Mayo Clinic make no reference to it.

"There is no evidence of graviola’s efficacy in humans, and there are concerns about its safety, thus we do not support or promote its use as a treatment for cancer," said Czaykowski.

nick.martin@freepress.mb.ca