The relevance of naturopathy (defined as the practice of medicine for the\ntreatment of human diseases with natural agents) in human cancer is beginning to be\nappreciated, as documented by renewed interest in nutraceutical research, the natural\nanticancer agents of dietary origin. Because of their pleiotropic effects and the ability to\nmodulate multiple signaling pathways, which is a good attribute of natural agents,\nnutraceuticals have frequently been demonstrated to re-sensitize drug-resistant cancers. The\neffectiveness of nutraceuticals can be further enhanced if the tools for the relative assessment\nof their molecular targets are readily available. Such information can be critical for\ndetermining their most effective uses. Here, we discuss the anticancer potential of\nnutraceuticals and the associated challenges that have interfered with their translational\npotential as a naturopathic approach for the management of cancers. In the years to come,\nan efficient screening and assessment of molecular targets will be the key to make rapid\nprogress in the area of drug design and discovery, especially focusing on evidence-based\ndevelopment of naturopathy for the treatment of human malignancies.
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