One of the greatest advancements in cancer research was provided by Dr. Otto Warburg, a German biochemist who won the Nobel Prize for Physiology/Medicine in 1931 for his research on the cellular process for making energy (aka cellular respiration). 

He discovered the phenomenon whereby cancer cells switch their mode of energy production from an oxygen-dependent process called “oxidative phosphorylation” to a sugar-dependent process called “glycolysis.” In other words, he was the one to discover that cancer cells feed off of sugar. This phenomenon would later become known as the Warburg effect.

Because of the Warbug effect and cancer’s preference for sugar, certain effective therapies masquerade as sugar and essentially trick the cell into letting it in. Salicinium is one of these therapies. 

Salicinium is a complex molecule attached to a glycome, or sugar molecule. The sugar-hungry cancer cells see the glycome in the bloodstream and quickly take it in. Once inside the cell, the salicinium is activated, and it shuts down intracellular production of a substance called nagalase. 

Nagalase is an immunosuppressive enzyme that hinders the immune system’s ability to detect and destroy mutated and infected cells, allowing them to replicate and spread. Salicinium shuts down the production of nagalase, allowing the immune system to more effectively “see” and attack the malignant cells. It also helps boost the immune system by activating specific types of immune cells called  macrophages which are one of the most important first-line defenses in the immune response. When nagalase production is stopped, Gc-MAF is able to function properly and activate these immune cells to identify, engulf, and destroy foreign invaders such as bacteria, viruses, and cancer. This Gc-MAF also helps to balance and normalize the immune system, and there is ongoing research to understand its role in autoimmune diseases. 

Salicinium assists with the destruction of cancer cells while leaving healthy cells intact. Studies show that it can also increase the efficacy of chemotherapy or radiation by making cancer cells more susceptible to these treatments. This can potentially lead to lower doses of chemotherapy, resulting in fewer side effects from chemotherapy.

Lyme disease and many other chronic illnesses can shut down cellular energy production. This decrease in energy production impacts every other system and can manifest as fatigue, weight loss, insomnia, anxiety, depression, poor wound healing, poor digestion, impaired detoxification, chronic pain, and constant feelings of malaise. Salicinium has been shown to help restore energy production, thereby improving cellular function and overall health. This helps to explain its benefit in many chronic illnesses.

Another potential benefit of salicinium is improvement in detoxification by supporting liver function. By helping the body to eliminate toxins, salicinium may help reduce the overall burden on the immune system, thereby freeing the immune cells to more effectively target and destroy diseased or cancerous cells.

The half-life of salicinium is 24 hours, and to reach appropriate blood levels it is recommended that a person receive daily IV treatments (3 grams per treatment) for three weeks after which an oral protocol can be started. Treatment efficacy can be monitored by testing nagalase levels or one of the RGCC tests that includes circulating tumor cells.