“Selected Vegetables” and “Sun’s Soup” are names given to several different mixtures of vegetables and herbs that have been studied as treatments for cancer and other medical conditions, including acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS).[1-6] The original formulation contained shiitake mushroom (Lentinus edodes [Berk.] Singer), mung bean (Phaseolus radiatus L.), Hedyotis diffusa Willd. (also known by the Chinese herbal name Bai Hua She She Cao), and barbat skullcap ( Scutellaria barbata D. Don, also known by the Chinese herbal name Ban Zhi Lian).[1]

A second formulation, specifically named “Selected Vegetables” (“SV”), was tested in a phase I/II clinical trial that involved patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (refer to the Human/Clinical Studies section of this summary for more information).[4] SV, which is a freeze-dried vegetable and herb product, is marketed in the United States as a dietary supplement under the names “Freeze-dried SV” or “DSV.”[5]

A third formulation, called “Frozen SV” or “FSV,” has also been studied clinically in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (refer to the Human/Clinical Studies section of this summary for more information).[6] FSV, like SV/DSV, is marketed in the United States as a dietary supplement.[5]

In the United States, dietary supplements are regulated as foods, not drugs. Therefore, premarket evaluation and approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are not required unless specific disease prevention or treatment claims are made. The FDA can, however, remove from the market dietary supplements that it deems unsafe. It should be noted that no formulation of Selected Vegetables/Sun’s Soup has been approved by the FDA for the treatment of cancer or any other medical condition.

Because dietary supplements are not formally reviewed for manufacturing consistency, there may be considerable variation from lot to lot, and there is no guarantee that ingredients identified on product labels are present in the specified amounts or present at all.

SV/DSV and FSV are reported to contain soybean (Glycine max [L.] Merr.), shiitake mushroom, mung bean, red date (Ziziphus jujuba Miller), scallion (Allium bakeri Regel), garlic (Allium sativum L.), leek (Allium fistulosum L.), lentil (Lens culinaris Medic.), Hawthorn fruit (Crataegus monogyna Jacquin and/or Crataegus oxyacantha L.), onion (Allium cepa L.), ginseng (Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer), Angelica root (Angelica sinensis), licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra L.), dandelion root (Taraxacum officinale Weber), senega root (Polygala senega L.), ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe), olive (Olea europaea L.), sesame seed (Sesamum indicum L.), and parsley (Petroselinum crispum [P. Miller] Nyman ex A.W. Hill).[4,6]

Many of the ingredients in Selected Vegetables/Sun’s Soup were chosen because previous biochemical research and traditional Chinese medicine suggested they contain molecules that have anticancer or immune-system –stimulating activity. Reviewed in [1-6]

Selected Vegetables/Sun’s Soup is administered orally as part of the diet.[1,4,6] Reviewed in [3] Studies in humans have not always specified a dose or an administration schedule [1], but daily doses of 30 g SV/DSV, mixed with water or other soup, or of 10 oz (approximately 283 g) FSV were used in the above-mentioned clinical studies in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer.[4,6]

To conduct clinical drug research in the United States, researchers must file an Investigational New Drug (IND) application with the FDA. An IND must also be obtained for clinical evaluation of dietary supplements as agents for the treatment or prevention of disease. Because the IND application process is confidential and because the existence of an IND can be disclosed only by the applicants, it is not known whether an IND currently exists for the study of Selected Vegetables/Sun’s Soup as a treatment for cancer or any other disease.

In this summary, the specific formulation of Selected Vegetables/Sun’s Soup given to individual patients or groups of patients will be identified wherever possible.

References

1. Sun AS: Herbal Treatment of Malignancy. US Patent 5437866. August 1, 1995. Washington, DC: US Patent and Trademark Office, 1995. Available online. Last accessed November 28, 2007. 
   
   
2. Sun A: Food therapy for non-small cell lung cancer. In: Comprehensive Cancer Care: Integrating Complementary and Alternative Therapies - A Conference for Health professionals, June 12-14, 1998. Breakout Session 405: Herbal Therapies. Available online. Last accessed November 28, 2007. 
   
   
3. Cancer Advisory Panel for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAPCAM).: Minutes of the First Meeting - July 8-9, 1999: Section X: Phase I/II study of stage III and IV non-small cell lung cancer patients taking a specific dietary supplement - Dr. Alexander Sun, Medical Director, Connecticut Institute of Aging and Cancer. Bethesda, Md: National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2002. Available online. Last accessed November 28, 2007. 
   
   
4. Sun AS, Ostadal O, Ryznar V, et al.: Phase I/II study of stage III and IV non-small cell lung cancer patients taking a specific dietary supplement. Nutr Cancer 34 (1): 62-9, 1999.  [PUBMED Abstract]
   
   
5. Sun Farm Vegetable Soup (SV). Milford, Conn: Sun Farm Corporation, 2000. Available online. Last accessed November 28, 2007. 
   
   
6. Sun AS, Yeh HC, Wang LH, et al.: Pilot study of a specific dietary supplement in tumor-bearing mice and in stage IIIB and IV non-small cell lung cancer patients. Nutr Cancer 39 (1): 85-95, 2001.  [PUBMED Abstract]
   
   

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