The actress and three-time cancer survivor has turned to plants to help her on her cancer journey.
Grease star Olivia Newton-John gives plant-based a try amid cancer battle. The actress and three-time cancer survivor has turned to plants to help her on her cancer journey. In October of 2020, she launched the Olivia Newton-John Foundation Fund to support plant-based cancer research after her own battle with the disease led her to explore alternative, plant-based therapies.
The Olivia Newton-John Foundation Fund and Plant-Based Cancer Research
The National Cancer Institute has been conducting research on the anti-cancer effects of a variety of plants, and has concluded that roughly 3,000 of the plant species studied have demonstrated anti-cancer activity.
While this number is promising, there is still some hesitancy in the Western world when it comes to treating such a powerful disease with something as simple as plants. Part of this is due to the fact that there is little viable research on the efficacy of various plant medicines. Olivia Newton-John—along with her husband, herbalist John Easterling—hope to fund more research in these areas through the foundation, thereby providing more scientific-backed information on alternative methods of healing.
The foundation’s main goal is to provide funding for plant-based cancer research, as well as other holistic and wellness therapies. The foundation is working with the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF), which assists in finding donors and ensures that potential researchers are legitimate and ready for funding. All donations go through CAF; if you would like to donate to the cause, click here.
Is Olivia Newton-John Vegan?
Olivia Newton-John might not be fully vegan (yet!), but the famous singer and actress has publicly expressed how using a variety of plants has helped her in her twenty-eight year battle with breast cancer. Medicinal herbs and cannabis have helped her greatly, and she has recently begun following the lead of her daughter, singer Chloe Lattanzi (a long-time vegan), in adopting a more plant-forward diet.
Newton-John has found relief from the side effects of her cancer through these plant medicines (alongside traditional Western therapies like chemotherapy and radiation), and her ultimate goal is to bring that relief to others by furthering research in these areas.
