The Moon and the Stars and the “Sun’s Soup”

July 7, 2009 - 2:05 pm email to a friend

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Dr Bufi

Lately, in my practice, this soup kitchen talk has been coming up a lot so I think it is time to share a summary perspective. Every now and then there seems to be an increased awareness of a particular item and the Sun’s Soup is the latest.

Sun’s Soup (AKA Selected Vegetables) refers to several different mixtures of vegetables and herbs that are currently being studied as possible cancer treatments. Since the main properties of this soup combination are immune enhancement it is also being considered for other medical conditions, acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) for example. Many of the contents of the soup were chosen because previous research and traditional Chinese medicine suggested they contain anticancer phytochemicals including properties of protease inhibitors, plant sterols, and isoflavones.

There are three main versions of this soup. The original blend consists of the Shiitake mushroom, Mung beans, Hedyotis diffusa, and Scutellaria barbata (skullcap). This version of the soup is currently not sold in the United States. Another type is a freeze-Dried Selected Vegetables (DSV). This freeze-dried mixture of vegetables and herbs is sold in the United States as a dietary supplement and is said to contain this much greater blend of ingredients: Soybean, Shiitake mushroom, Mung bean, Red date, Scallion, Garlic, Leek, Lentils, (I’m getting hungry) Hawthorn fruit, Onion, Ginseng, Angelica, Licorice, Dandelion, Senega, Ginger, Olive, Sesame seed, and Parsley (wow!). All of this is very high in antioxidant activity, so now we are back the concerns of drug-nutrient interaction.

There is also a Frozen Selected Vegetables (FSV) sold in the United States as a dietary supplement, and it contains the same vegetables and herbs as in DSV.

Sun’s soup has a pretty interesting history. The mixture was created around 1985 by Dr. Alexander Sun to treat a relative who was diagnosed with stage IV non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). This relative had not responded well to standard treatment.

Dr. Sun believed the original mixture contain substances that may block the growth of cancer cells and/or help the body’s immune system attack cancer cells. Dr. Sun’s relative was reported to be alive and free of cancer more than 13 years later, and three more patients with advanced cancer were also reported to benefit from the treatment.

In 1992, Dr. Sun applied for a patent for Selected Vegetables/Sun’s Soup as an herbal treatment of cancer. He reported on animal studies done in mice. Dr. Sun then began doing clinical trials to test Selected Vegetables/Sun’s Soup in cancer patients (humans!).

In 1995, Dr. Sun was awarded a patent for Selected Vegetables/Sun’s Soup, and in 1998 he reported at a scientific meeting that patients with different types of cancer had been helped by treatment with his soup.

The Shiitake mushroom ingredient contains lentinan, which has been used in Japan to treat stomach and colon cancer after surgery. Since lentinan is not that easily absorbed by the body from foods, it is given by injection.

In clinical trials, Sun’s Soup is eaten as part of the diet. A daily doses of either 1 ounce of the DSV (mixed with water or other liquid) or 10 ounces of the FSV form are used.

A few preclinical studies (studies are done before human clinical trials) have been done with Sun’s Soup. A small number of mice were injected with tumor cells and fed either standard food or food mixed with one or more ingredients from Sun’s Soup. The researchers reported that the growth of tumors was slower in the mice that were fed the Sun’s Soup ingredients when compared to the mice that ate standard food.

Clinical trials using Sun’s Soup to treat cancer have also been done with small numbers of patients. These patients received other types of treatment (supportive care such as radiation therapy, surgery, or palliative care) either before or during treatment with Sun’s Soup. And different vegetable mixtures were used in the different studies.

The results of these trials were compared with published information on similar patients who did not receive Sun’s Soup. Because patients in these trials received other treatments, it is not known if their responses were caused by Sun’s Soup, other treatments, or both. Most patients receiving the Sun’s Soup mixtures lived longer and were better able to better carry out their activities of daily living. They also either gained weight or maintained their current weight. In some patients who ate Sun’s Soup, tumor growth slowed or the tumor resolved completely. Now, we must be very careful how we read of this for none of the trials were randomized or controlled. Randomized clinical trials give the highest level of clinical evidence and efficacy. Randomized controlled trials, enrolling larger numbers of people, are needed to confirm the results of studies done so far on Sun’s Soup.

No harmful side effects or risks have been reported in the use of Sun’s Soup, yet it is also important to note that some individuals may actually have a food allergy towards some of the selected items in the soup. This would further compromise immune function. The only real complaint from a side effect issue is that some patients felt gas and/or bloating after eating the soup.

Lastly, the FDA has not approved any form of Sun’s Soup for the treatment of cancer or any type of medical condition. We need well-designed clinical trials that test “identical mixtures” of vegetables and herbs to prove whether Sun’s Soup is useful in the treatment of cancer.

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