Not medical advice. Sylva indexes traditional, fringe, and emerging remedies — including ideas mainstream medicine has rejected. Talk to a clinician before changing any treatment.

The library

28 remedies, honestly labeled.

Every entry is tagged by tier of evidence — from controlled trials to folk tradition. Filter by ailment or search by name.

Preliminary research

Fenbendazole

Veterinary anti-parasitic

An animal de-wormer that gained attention after the Joe Tippens protocol claimed remission of late-stage cancer. Lab studies show microtubule disruption in tumor cells.

Cancer
Preliminary research

Ivermectin

Anti-parasitic, Nobel-prize winning

An off-patent anti-parasitic drug being investigated in dozens of preclinical cancer studies for its ability to trigger cancer cell death.

Cancer
Clinical evidence

Intravenous Vitamin C

Linus Pauling, 1970s

Pharmacological doses of vitamin C delivered intravenously produce hydrogen peroxide selectively toxic to tumor cells. Phase I/II trials show benefit alongside chemotherapy.

CancerInflammation
Clinical evidence

Turkey Tail Mushroom

East Asian traditional medicine

PSK, an extract of turkey tail, is an approved adjuvant cancer therapy in Japan with 40+ years of clinical use, particularly for gastric and colorectal cancer.

Cancer
Clinical evidence

Curcumin

Indian Ayurveda

The yellow polyphenol of turmeric. Hundreds of trials show anti-inflammatory effects rivaling NSAIDs for osteoarthritis, with emerging anticancer signal.

InflammationArthritisCancerDepression
Clinical evidence

Psilocybin

Indigenous ceremonial use, Mesoamerica

Phase II/III trials at Johns Hopkins, NYU, and Imperial College show single-dose psilocybin produces rapid and durable remission of treatment-resistant depression and end-of-life anxiety.

DepressionAnxietyCancer
Clinical evidence

Prolonged Fasting

Universal traditional practice

48–120 hour fasts trigger autophagy and stem-cell regeneration. Valter Longo's lab shows fasting-mimicking diets reduce chemotherapy toxicity and may slow tumor growth.

CancerDiabetesInflammationCognitive decline
Clinical evidence

High-dose Melatonin

Endogenous hormone

Beyond sleep, doses of 20–40 mg show oncostatic effects in solid tumors. Meta-analyses in lung and breast cancer show improved 1-year survival as adjuvant.

CancerInsomnia
Traditional / folk

Soursop (Graviola)

Caribbean & Amazonian folk medicine

A tropical fruit long used in folk remedies for cancer. Acetogenins in lab studies show selective tumor toxicity, but human trials are absent and neurological risks are real.

Cancer
Traditional / folk

Rife Frequency Therapy

1930s, Royal Raymond Rife

A controversial frequency-emitting device claimed to destroy pathogens and cancer cells via resonant frequencies. No accepted scientific evidence; an active alternative-medicine subculture persists.

Cancer
Clinical evidence

Boswellia (Frankincense)

Ayurveda & ancient Egyptian medicine

Boswellic acids inhibit 5-LOX, the inflammatory pathway NSAIDs miss. Trials show meaningful pain and stiffness reduction in osteoarthritis and ulcerative colitis.

ArthritisInflammationCancer
Preliminary research

Mistletoe Extract (Iscador)

Anthroposophic medicine, 1920s (Rudolf Steiner)

Injected mistletoe extract is the most-prescribed adjuvant cancer therapy in Germany. Evidence is contested — quality-of-life gains are clear; survival benefit remains debated.

Cancer
Preliminary research

Dichloroacetate (DCA)

Repurposed from rare metabolic-disease use

A small molecule that reverses the Warburg effect by reactivating mitochondrial respiration in tumor cells. University of Alberta research sparked an underground patient movement.

Cancer
Traditional / folk

Essiac Tea

Ojibwe traditional medicine, popularized 1922

An herbal blend (burdock, sheep sorrel, slippery elm, Indian rhubarb) used by nurse Rene Caisse for thousands of cancer patients in Canada. Trials are absent; testimonials abundant.

Cancer
Preliminary research

Artemisinin & Sweet Wormwood

Chinese medicine — Tu Youyou, Nobel 2015

The Nobel-winning antimalarial. Cancer cells hoard iron, and artemisinin's endoperoxide bridge reacts with iron to release tumor-killing free radicals.

Cancer
Preliminary research

Black Seed Oil

Middle Eastern & Unani medicine — 'cures everything but death'

Thymoquinone-rich oil studied for diabetes, hypertension, asthma, and a growing list of cancers. Hadith literature claims it 'cures everything but death.'

InflammationDiabetesCancerSkin conditions
Preliminary research

Cannabinoids (CBD & THC)

Universal — re-emerging from prohibition

Cannabinoids show antitumor activity in glioma, breast, and pancreatic models. Rick Simpson Oil testimonials are widespread; controlled human oncology trials are just beginning.

CancerAnxietyInsomniaMigraine
Preliminary research

Low-Dose Naltrexone (LDN)

Bernard Bihari, NYC, 1980s

An opioid antagonist at 1/10th the addiction-treatment dose. Off-label use spans Crohn's, MS, fibromyalgia, and adjuvant cancer care.

CancerInflammationDepression
Preliminary research

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy

Naval diving medicine, 1930s

Pressurized 100% oxygen forces oxygen into hypoxic tissues. Approved for wounds and decompression sickness; off-label use spans long-COVID, brain injury, and tumor sensitization.

CancerCognitive declineInflammation
Clinical evidence

High-Dose Vitamin D3 + K2

Sunlight; modern megadosing — Cicero Coimbra, Brazil

Maintaining serum 25(OH)D above 50 ng/ml is associated with 25–40% lower cancer incidence. The Coimbra protocol uses much higher doses for autoimmune disease.

CancerInflammationDepressionHeart disease
Traditional / folk

Medical Ozone Therapy

European integrative medicine, post-WWI

Blood is drawn, mixed with ozone gas, and reinfused. Practitioners claim improved oxygenation and immune modulation. Banned in U.S. clinical practice; routine in Germany, Italy, Cuba.

CancerInflammation
Traditional / folk

Gerson Therapy

Max Gerson, 1930s Germany / Mexico

An intensive raw-juice, plant-based diet with daily coffee enemas. Lauded by patients, dismissed by oncology. Practiced primarily at clinics in Tijuana.

Cancer
Clinical evidence

Sulforaphane (Broccoli Sprouts)

Johns Hopkins — Paul Talalay, 1992

The most potent natural Nrf2 activator known. 3-day-old broccoli sprouts contain 20–50× more glucoraphanin than mature broccoli. Trials cover prostate cancer, autism, and air-pollution detox.

CancerCognitive declineInflammation