| arch for a possible cancer cure began in late 2004 | | | | abroad. During 1986-1987 some tests performed in |
| when I found out that my cousin and lifelong friend | | | | Europe proved the effect of NOE on the immune |
| had been diagnosed as having stage-three melanoma. | | | | system as well as cancer tumors. The studies |
| The cancer had appeared out of nowhere and so it | | | | showed that it was at least six times as potent as |
| was quite a shock to my cousin and everyone close | | | | the most active commercially available |
| to him. | | | | immune-stimulants (Schizophylan, Krestin and Lentinan, |
| As luck would have it, I had spent a lot of time the | | | | which were patented by the Japanese in the 1980s). |
| previous four years or so working on my dream of | | | | In 1988, a research team was formed at Munich |
| someday posting a website aimed at helping aging | | | | University Pharmacology Institute to isolate the |
| baby boomers and others live longer, healthier and | | | | active components contained in the N.O. extract. |
| happier lives. Naturally, a lot of my research involved | | | | Several polysaccharides were identified that might be |
| searching for ways to ward off and treat diseases | | | | responsible for some part of the immune activity. On |
| and ills such as cancer, Alzheimer’s, heart | | | | 17-22 July 1990, the initial results were presented as a |
| disease, high blood pressure, kidney and liver disease, | | | | poster at the symposium of Biology and Chemistry |
| and so forth. | | | | of Active Natural Substances (BACANS) which was |
| When I found out about my cousin, I began to | | | | held in Bonn, Germany. The presentation was |
| redouble my efforts and focus my research more on | | | | published in Planta Medica 1990-56:66. However, no |
| cancer. I found a lot of very good information about | | | | single component of the extract was found to be |
| fighting cancer and other diseases, boosting our | | | | the sole source of its benefits. Instead, the activity is |
| immune systems and improving health in general. | | | | induced by a complex mixture of components |
| However, it was not my research that led me to | | | | contained in the extract, acting synergistically to |
| finding out about the magical, miraculous oleander | | | | modulate the immune system. |
| plant – it was a card game! | | | | Since the early 1970’s, Doctor Ozel has been |
| Yes, the way I first heard about the healing powers | | | | treating patients with advanced and inoperable cancer |
| of oleander happened one evening when I was sitting | | | | as well as a wide variety of other of illnesses. His |
| down at a friendly card game and mentioned my | | | | results have been truly remarkable. In fact, so |
| cousin’s cancer. An acquaintance of mine | | | | fantastic were the stories of his success that Doctor |
| whom I had known for a few years and who had | | | | Ozel had to endure long periods of controversy from |
| worked for the American Medical Association at one | | | | the Turkish medical establishment and there were |
| time, looked across the table at me and, as serious | | | | those who tried to charge the good doctor with |
| as could be, said “I know a cure.” He | | | | being a charlatan. Happily, the truth of his successes |
| then proceeded to tell me an amazing story of what | | | | won out and such charges were dropped from |
| he knew about oleander. Later, I found others who | | | | consideration when his results were proven. Scores |
| told me essentially the same basic story, although | | | | of patients rose up to defend the good doctor, |
| each person seemed to have a slightly different | | | | testifying about how they had been cured when all |
| version. Although the versions I heard have differed | | | | other treatment options had failed. |
| somewhat, the basic story line I believe to be | | | | The patented name of Doctor Ozel's oleander |
| essentially correct is as follows: | | | | extract is Anvirzel™, whose trademark was |
| In the early 1960's a Turkish doctor by the name of | | | | once owned by Ozelle Pharmaceuticals, which was |
| Huseyin Ziya Ozel was searching for a cure for his | | | | formed by Doctor Ozel’s son and other |
| pet dog’s cancer when he noticed that a | | | | investors. Today, trademark rights are in dispute. |
| large number of Turkish villagers referred to him | | | | Unfortunately, since Doctor Ozel had claimed that |
| came from high altitudes and he thought that | | | | oleander was a cure for cancer, as opposed to a |
| perhaps there was more to the story than just the | | | | natural supplement, and since his extract was |
| higher incidence of skin cancer associated with higher | | | | patented and given a trademark, the FDA now |
| altitudes: | | | | considers oleander as an unproven medicine which, |
| In many versions of the story, Doctor Ozel was | | | | because of the toxicity of the raw plant, must have |
| reported to have observed Turkish villagers drinking | | | | it's safety and effectiveness proven before the FDA |
| an oleander remedy, which pretty much correlates | | | | will allow it's use even as a herbal supplement, and so |
| with the description of Oleander Leaf on the | | | | it is very difficult to obtain herbal supplements which |
| American Cancer Society website, where it states | | | | contain oleander in the United States. |
| that Doctor Ozel started his study of oleander | | | | Today, the lengthy and costly three-phase FDA trial |
| because of folk traditions that suggested that an | | | | process for approval of Anvirzel™ or any |
| extract from oleander was active against leukemia. | | | | other oleander extract, is far from over, although |
| Further research showed that Nerium Oleander was | | | | many people and millions of investor dollars are |
| most abundant in lower altitudes and practically did | | | | counting on it ultimately being approved. In 2000, |
| not exist at high altitude. Satisfied that he may have | | | | Ozelle Pharmaceuticals had successful phase I FDA |
| determined the cause of the villager’s good | | | | trials conducted on Anvirzel™, but |
| health, Doctor Ozel became intrigued with the plant | | | | subsequently ran into investor problems and had to |
| and began to prepare and work with various | | | | reorganize. Although Ozelle continues to publish plans |
| extracts of Oleander himself in 1966 while he was | | | | that it will soon begin phase II trials with |
| the head of the surgical department at Mugla State | | | | Anvirzel™, such plans have not yet reached |
| Hospital of Turkey. | | | | fruition and funding appears to continue to be a |
| Doctor Ozel first conducted animal studies to | | | | major problem for Ozelle. |
| determine that the substance was non-toxic and, | | | | In the interim, a competing company, Phoenix |
| once he determined the toxicology and effects of | | | | Biotech, also obtained a patent for Anvirzel™ |
| Nerium Oleander Extract (or NOE), he conducted | | | | in Honduras and has applied for a U.S. patent as well, |
| further experiments and developed his treatment in | | | | and a clinic has been established in Honduras by the |
| various forms until he eventually started tests on | | | | name of Salud Integral. For the past eight years, the |
| terminal human cases. | | | | clinic has successfully treated a number of patients, |
| After initial success in treating human cancer patients | | | | many of whom travel from the United States for |
| with NOE, Doctor Ozel began to discussing his | | | | initial diagnosis and treatment, as well as three-month |
| findings with other professionals in his field. He sought | | | | supplies of Anvirzel™ for various cancers, |
| analysis of the extract from various Turkish | | | | hepatitis-C, psoriasis and other immune disorders. |
| laboratories to understand the empirical results. They | | | | Within just the past three years, a third competing |
| were unable to characterize the extracted | | | | company appeared by the name of Shimoda Atlantic |
| compounds. In hope of gaining assistance from the | | | | Oncology Biosciences, and claimed to have developed |
| government or research organizations, he prepared a | | | | its own oleander extract named Xenavex™ |
| paper to present his first human cases at the Fourth | | | | which it claimed was much stronger due to an |
| Balkanic Medical Days Symposium held in Ankara on | | | | ethanol extraction method. As it turned out, I and |
| 20 September 1973. | | | | others exposed the company as a fraud that was |
| The cases presented were all considered terminal | | | | created to cheat investors and the drug was actually |
| cases when the patients came to Doctor Ozel. By | | | | a heart medication imported from Russia. |
| law, he could not treat patients with an experimental | | | | Furthermore, although the imported Russian medicine |
| drug, such as NOE, unless they had exhausted all | | | | does have slightly higher concentrations of oleandrin, |
| other conventional treatment methods with no | | | | the ethanol extraction method results in the loss of |
| response or were diagnosed as advanced stage, | | | | other compounds that researchers believe work |
| terminal cases. At the symposium he was able to call | | | | together in a synergistic way to make oleander |
| the attention of the scientific community to NOE and | | | | extract so powerful (over 500 trace compounds |
| how the extract had shown to be efficacious on | | | | have been identified in an aqueous, or water, |
| cancer cases of different varieties. He was sure that | | | | oleander extract, including vital long-chain |
| his presentation would trigger serious and abundant | | | | polysaccharides that are lost in ethanol extraction |
| research on NOE, and that it finally could be put into | | | | methods because they precipitate out during the |
| service for mankind. | | | | extraction process). |
| The response from the scientific community was less | | | | Sadly, I must report that it may be many years, if |
| than overwhelming. The skepticism centered mainly | | | | ever, before an oleander based medicine wins FDA |
| on the fact that the presentation contradicted what | | | | approval. The simple fact is that it takes hundreds of |
| little literature there was on oleander species. Clearly | | | | millions of dollars to get a new drug successfully |
| the results presented could not be explained as an | | | | through all the FDA trials, and this pretty much bars |
| extension of prior art but Turkish scientists strongly | | | | competition to all but the very large pharmaceutical |
| denied the facts that Doctor Ozel had presented | | | | companies. Many feel that if the issue ever went to |
| without any further research. To conclude, the | | | | court, the patent itself would be hard to defend, |
| medical community was reluctant to accept the | | | | since it is based on a common plant and a |
| results. Doctor Ozel was undaunted by the criticism | | | | centuries-old folk remedy. Others feel that, because |
| and lack of support for the ideas presented. He | | | | of the billions of dollars in profits at stake for the |
| continued his research and patients continued to seek | | | | trillion-dollar world pharmaceutical industry and their |
| treatment. | | | | myriad cancer treatments, no oleander medicine will |
| In 1974, he published additional case reports in the | | | | ever be approved in the United States. |
| Turkish Medical Journal “Dirim”. Doctor | | | | The best hope as of the time of this writing appears |
| Ozel resigned from his position as Chief Doctor at | | | | to be the development of an oleander based tablet |
| Mugla State Hospital that same year in order to be | | | | by Phoenix Biotech which is reported to be have a |
| able to work on NOE and initiate research on the | | | | much stronger concentration of oleandrin and the |
| subject, | | | | other cardiac glycosides while losing none of the |
| Doctor Ozel contacted various universities in Istanbul. | | | | other essential synergistic compounds. Only time will |
| Years passed and he realized that no serious | | | | tell if a major pharmaceutical company with the |
| scientific research could be performed in any of the | | | | requisite funds will pick up this new oleander product |
| local universities. In the meantime, his old patients | | | | from Phoenix, shepherd it through FDA trials, and |
| referred new ones to him, and more cancer patients | | | | finally bring it to market. |
| presented to him as word of the results of the | | | | The good news is that there is a home version that |
| treatment spread. | | | | can be made right on the stovetop for only pennies! |
| In 1985 he started to look for research facilities | | | | Stay tuned. |