The Brandt grape cure is named for its chief proponent, Johanna Brandt, a South African naturopathic doctor, who published her protocol in a book The Grape Cure (1928). The book details Brandt's experience after she was diagnosed with stomach cancer in 1916. She claimed that fasting and eating only grapes actually kept her cancer in check!
It’s true there are several potentially anti-cancerous substances in grapes, like beta carotene, ellagic acid, lycopene, quercetin and selenium (depends on the ground supply)
But I don’t think it’s due to any magic about grapes. I think it’s just a full exclusion program, of the kind I recommend in all my writings.
Scott-Mumby rule: It’s what you stop eating that does the most good, not what you eat instead!
The Protocol
Brandt's grape cure involves daily fasting to help cleanse and detoxify your system. The fasts also are intended to 'starve' cancer cells. Here's a current version of how to do it, as described by one of Brand's "fans". . .
After a 12-hour fasting period of drinking water only—typically from 8:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m.—you must follow with a 12-hour period of consuming nothing more than grapes or a juice made from a mash of the fruit and seeds.
This regimen should be repeated in a six-week cycle. The first five weeks follow the fasting and grape juice diet just described. By the sixth week, you can begin to introduce certain foods such as other fresh fruits, tomatoes and cottage cheese.
In the final phase of the diet, a person should continue to eat whole, raw fruits and vegetables. The entire six-week cycle can be repeated as needed.
I should mention that Dr. Brandt, in her book, describes the protocol somewhat differently. She says, "In every case reactions are different. It is, therefore, impossible to say beforehand how long it will be necessary to use grapes only.
"By watching the symptoms — the temperature, the excretions, eruptions, etc., we know when the work of purification is complete. When this point has been reached — and it may last from two weeks to two months — it is advisable to go on to the Second Stage."
In short, reports vary as to the best way to go about the "grape cure."
Doesn't all this sugar feed cancer?
You might know that cancer cells love sugar. So it might seem odd that Brandt would recommend using sugary grape juice to clobber cancer.
Brandt said the water fast makes the cells hungry. When you ingest grapes or a grape juice mash, cancer cells will gobble up the sugar like piranhas!
But cancer cells pay a high price for pigging out on this tasty meal —because it also contains the very nutrients that can cause these cells to fizzle and die! The sugar in grapes functions as a sort of Trojan horse that induces cancer cells to open their doors wide and allow the cancer-killing nutrients to come in, too.
Not just ANY water and grapes will do!
Water is said to be an essential part of the grape cure. And the type of water you use plays a large part in how well the grape diet works.
You should only use natural, purified, or ionized water throughout the fast. If you choose ionized water you'll be reaping the benefit of alkalinizing the body. Because cancer cells thrive in an acidic environment, many alternative therapies aim to tip the body toward an alkaline state.
Don't even think about substituting distilled or tap water! These treated waters can deplete key minerals from your body. Plus they typically contain chlorine and possibly fluoride chemicals.
Brandt's recommendation is to consume at least 1 gallon of water daily. According to advocates of this therapy, the higher water intake makes cancer cells hungry. This is what makes them consume higher quantities of the grape nutrients.
As for the grapes, organic Concord grapes are preferable because they contain high levels of resveratrol, which provides heart health benefits and doubles as a cancer killer.
When Brandt first penned the Grape Cure, she noted that "science has not yet discovered what elements in the grape break down malignant growths." Now we have a better idea, and resveratrol is almost surely one of the reasons that some people report success with this treatment.
Despite having only partial knowledge about grapes, Brandt agreed with the title bestowed upon them in Germany, namely the "Queen of Fruits!"
She further wrote, "Abnormal growths, cancers, tumors, ulcers, abscesses and fibrous masses seem to be dissolved by the powerful chemical agent in the grape. Diseased tissues and fatty degenerations, every form of morbid matter, is apparently broken up into minute particles and thrown into the blood stream to be carried to the organs of excretion."
So does the fasting and grape diet really work?
Many people say "YES!" The evidence is nearly all anecdotal. To my knowledge, no studies support the Brandt approach, but that's not unusual when it comes to alternative cancer treatments.
I respect anecdotal evidence — which should properly be called "case study" evidence — and I think mainstream medicine should pay far more attention to it. First person accounts from patients suggest that some folks have tried the Brandt grape cure and successfully beaten cancer.
I've spoken with one or two patients who ate a large amount of grapes along with doing a variety of other alternative cancer treatments. By doing this you'll benefit from the rich nutrients in grapes even if you don't go in for the whole Brandt plan. But you won't benefit from the "Trojan horse" ploy whereby the cancer cells are starved for the sugar they need, then "tricked" into consuming the cancer-killing nutrients in grapes.
Most of the known, major nutrients in grapes can also be obtained in supplements — resveratrol, ellagic acid, selenium (of course), and the rest. Naturally, fresh fruits and vegetables are preferable as a source of these nutrients, but it's easier and more practical for most people to take the supplements.
I also wonder where one is supposed to get large quantities of fresh Concord grapes in the winter. I think it would be just about impossible.
Everybody's different, every type of cancer is different. It wouldn't surprise me if there are a few people reading this who beat cancer by following the pure, disciplined Brandt approach. If you did, or if you know someone who did, by all means let me know (my email address is at the bottom of this newsletter).
Some critics of the regimen point out that Brandt's recommended diet is deficient in many essential nutrients. They also say it can cause constipation, cramps, diarrhea, and undesirable weight loss.
So it's not really possible or practical to make a flat-out recommendation about this treatment. Even Brandt acknowledged that anyone considering this treatment should consult with a doctor and ask him or her to watch the results.
Resources:
Brandt, J. 1926. The Grape Cure. Ehret Literature Publishing Company. Online book available at
http://www.arnoldehret.org/healthclub/GrapeCurebyJohannaBrandt.html
Goodavage, J.F. 2010. The Grape Cancer Cure. Healing Cancer Naturally webiste. Retrieved from
http://www.healingcancernaturally.com/cancer-healing-greatest-hits.html#grapecancercure
Kehr, R.W. 2011. Johanna Brandt Grape Cure For Cancer: A "Stage IV" Treatment For Cancer. Cancer Tutor website. Retrieved from
http://www.cancertutor.com/Cancer/GrapeCure.html
Roberson, C. 2011, July 16. Brandt Grape Diet. Livestrong website. Retrieved from
http://www.livestrong.com/article/493995-brandt-grape-diet/
The Brandt Grape Cure (Diet) and Cancer. 2011. Retrieved from
http://www.alternative-cancer-care.com/Brandt_Grape_Cure.html