Shark cartilage in its powdered form has been claimed to be a cancer cure for many years. Some say that sharks are not prone to cancer and therefore some of their cartilage may work as a type of cancer cure. This however is not true as most sharks are just as much prone to cancer as most humans are.

With this type of theory, it is no wonder that many alternative medicines are dismissed as being harmful or useless to humans. Miracle cures and other such wonder products are not a new thing being available to the public for many years and selling shark cartilage as a cancer cure may just well be one of them.

With shark cartilage, there have been no scientific studies done by independent researchers under controlled circumstances to prove that shark cartilage is a useful treatment for cancer. Studies actually have shown that it has no benefits for humans other than being an aphrodisiac in some cultures.

Real scientists who did things such as injecting bovine and shark cartilage into rabbit and mice who have cancer inspired such theorists. In this case, the substance inhibited angiogenesis, which is blood vessels growing which therefore supply nutrients to cells with cancer. This is a very unique case as relying on angiogenesis controls not all cancers and most scientists agree that if shark cartilage is to be taken orally, will not be effective in treating cancer in humans. It is said that there is a protein in cartilage that affects angiogenesis and if digested, could find its way into a tumor. Saying that, if cartilage was injected directly into the blood stream of humans, it could become a dangerous affair.

All in all, the fact remains that shark cartilage has not been proven to be effective in any way against cancer in humans and until such a fact is proved otherwise, it would not be advisable to take it in any form; pills or powder. Besides this fact, it is very important to realize that some sharks are an endangered species and killing them for any reason, especially human consumption is illegal in many countries. In the UK and the USA, it is in fact illegal to sell any kind of shark product as a form of medication. If you see such goings on around you, please report it to the local authorities.