Fwd: [wiseweeds] Mayapples' anticancer possibility

[Guest guest]

Please keep in mind that Western medicine extracts isolated ingredients, TCM

does not. There may be benefits to the whole herb that are not found in just

the isolated " active " ingredients. On the other hand, if a plant is toxic,

isolating ingredients may be one way to get around that problem (though TCM

also has methods for reducing a toxic plant's toxicity). Also be careful

about equating one variety with another. Sometimes the properties will be

identical or nearly so, but sometimes not.

 

Victoria

 

>http://www.healthmall.com/newsletter.cfm?type=article & id=507

>Herb Can Help Fight Cancer

>

>The leaves of the American Mayapple, a common herb that grows from Florida

>to

>Michigan, could replace a nearly extinct Asian plant in supplying a

>compound

>used in manufacturing a drug aimed at lung and testicular cancer,

>researchers

>say.

>

>By a simple process, the scientists extract from the leaves of the plant a

>compound called podophyllotoxin, which is used in the cancer drug

>etoposide.

>The main source of the compound to date has been from the root stem of an

>Asian plant similar to the Mayapple, but taking it kills the plant and has

>resulted in its near extinction.

>

>By using the leaves, it's not necessary to kill the plant.

>

>The scientists already have a patent for the extraction process, which

>Canel

>describes as a simple procedure involving grinding the leaves of the

>plants,

>drying them and then mixing them with water for 15 to 30 minutes. Now

>they're

>talking to a number of pharmaceutical companies about how to get the

>compound

>ready for therapeutic use, but as yet they have " no firm commitment from

>any

>company, " Canel says.

 

>The information in this post should not replace advice given by your

>medical practitioner.

>

 

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