The current webpage is designed to make additional research available concerning how certain culinary herbs and spices or their major bioactive components can increase the treatment effects of aromatase inhibitors. At the bottom of this webpage are links to studies relating to the beneficial herbs and spices in Foods to eat & avoid during aromatase inhibitor treatment.
Herbs and spices inhibit aromatase primarily through the actions of polyphenols, among them:
- Allyl isothiocyanate (found in horseradish & wasabi, as well as mustard)
- Apigenin (found, for example, in celery seed, Mexican oregano, parsley)
- Beta-carotene (basil, cilantro, parsley)
- Capsaicin (chili powder, hot sauce)
- Curcumin (turmeric)
- I3C & DIM (horseradish & wasabi, mustard)
- Kaempferol (saffron)
- Luteolin (Mexican oregano,oregano, thyme)
- Myricetin (parsley)
- Naringenin (Mexican oregano)
- Quercetin (chili powder, hot sauce, Mexican oregano)
- Rosmarinic acid (oregano, rosemary, thyme)
- Sulforaphane (horseradish & wasabi, mustard)
- Ursolic acid (basil, rosemary, thyme)
Herb and spice micronutrients should be obtained by eating herbs and spices rather than taking supplements. When a beneficial micronutrient is administered at low doses by consuming food, it is likely to have subtle chemopreventive effects, whereas the same compound administered at high doses is more likely to have pharmacological effects, with possible unwanted outcomes. For example, quercetin has been reported to contribute to the growth of estrogen-induced mammary tumors once the tumors were established in female rats.