Plants for Bioassay?

[Cheesy Potatoes]

I know this sounds too technical and maybe it's not something for a forum for gardening, but I am just wondering if anybody knows a plant here that has anti-angiogenic properties and stuff like that? Or heard of plants that are supposed to lower blood sugar or stop the growth of tumors. Probably herbal medicine and stuff like that. Plants with supposed medicinal or anti-fungal properties are nice too. I am thinking of using them for a research experiment, but I could not think of anything.

 

[zigs]

Hi Cheesy

Garlic lowers blood sugar, turmeric is anti cancer. They also extract Taxol from Yew trees to fight cancer, but I wouldn't mess around with that as it's really toxic.

 

[gata montes]

Apart from those plant sources which have already been researched and proven to be effective when used with differing compounds to treat many forms of illness - like for instance the one that Zigs has mentioned Taxol which is now widely used in cancer treatments - there are many. many plant substances as well as herbs that have as yet not been thoroughly researched and proven to be effective.

Which as they haven't yet been fully researched and there is as yet no conclusive scientific evidence to say whether any are effective in treating certain medical conditions - maybe some of those would be of interest to you - as there are many to choose from.

Like for instance the two that have already been mentioned - especially as - although there has been quite a bit of research into garlic and some studies have shown that Garlic may possibly be effective in lowering blood pressure and maybe even help in fighting fungal infections of the skin - there is still a lot more research needed - as there is as yet no conclusive evidence to support any of those claims - as one of the major concerns are the side effects - with the main one being - that as garlic is known to thin the blood - it puts patients at risk and particularly those undergoing surgery as well as those taking heart medications and anticoagulants.

Turmeric or Curcumin on the other hand might be a particularly good choice as a leading edge research project - mainly because - as of yet - their is no conclusive evidence to say whether or not Turmeric may be an anticancer agent or in fact have any other medical uses either.
Due to the fact research into Turmeric and Curcumin for cancer prevention and treatment as well as other medical uses - has only just begun and is therefore still in the very early stages of development and as all the scientific studies so far have found - that it does not absorb well from the intestine and that very large doses are required just to get small amounts into the blood stream - as a great deal more research is needed in order to ascertain what role, if any, turmeric and curcumin may play in the prevention or treatment of cancer.

Maybe researching curcumin or turmeric and making some ground breaking discoveries - might be just the kind of research you are looking for

 

[Trellum]

Cinnamon can also lower sugar. Prickly pear cactus (the leaves) do lower the sugar FOR SURE. I know because I tried it and it worked, sadly the consistency of the resulting drink is gross.

If you have access to it check it out. It's so effective, but only when drunk raw.

 

[R.R.]

Mistletoe tea has been used in Europe for centuries to cure cancer. Also, certain kinds of kalanchoes are used in South America for the same reason.

 

[gata montes]

Although Mistletoe is known to be used for various aliments in Alternative Medicine - as there is as yet no known cure for cancer and there is no conclusive scientific evidence to support any of the claims - that any one specific food or substance is capable of either curing, preventing or treating cancer - I think that it would be very misleading to say that Mistletoe is capable of curing cancer.

Especially as - after thorough and intensive research and investigation dating back as far as the 1960s - into whether Mistletoe had any anticancer properties - it was concluded by experts in the field on oncology that as of yet - although in some cases its use was shown to improve quality of life for cancer patients - there is still no conclusive evidence to say whether or not Mistletoe may have any anticancer properties or even if it would be beneficial in the treatment of cancer.

 

[R.R.]

True, nothing confirmed, but I was only mentioning the ones that came to mind to help Cheesy Potatoes

As for the expert oncologists, they work for Big Pharma and they'll never say a plant cures cancer, because Big Pharma would stop making money out of cancer treatments. I'm not saying these plants cure cancer, but I am also saying I don't trust pharmaceutical companies or doctors. They just want our money.

 

[TDolce]

Artemisinin is one of many plant extracts currently researched as a possible cancer cure. It is from the sweet wormwood plant (Artemisia annua) and has shown promise in some studies.

 

[Jewell]

I do know that herbals used for health should not be taken with some pharmaciticals. Especially not mixed with medicines for heart or cancer treatments. Medicinals are still chemicals whether from nature or the local drug store and some don't work together at all.

 

[TDolce]

I do know that herbals used for health should not be taken with some pharmaciticals. Especially not mixed with medicines for heart or cancer treatments. Medicinals are still chemicals whether from nature or the local drug store and some don't work together at all.

That is a very important point you made. Even some plants such as leafy greens like spinach are excellent sources of vitamin K. However, some patients have to avoid vitamin K, because of its effect on the body. And some seemingly harmless supplements can cause problems with the absorption of prescriptions drugs. I've noticed warnings on some herbs and other supplements, but not all of them do this. The consumer should take the time to research everything about the supplements before using them.

 

[Cheesy Potatoes]

Thank you for the suggestions, guys! I'm definitely looking all of those things up. I ended up using Durio zibethinus in my report, but I am not sure if I'm going with that, since there are a lot of research about it already. I'm really interested in plants you mentioned, but there are some that are not available in the Philippines. Our professor told us that it would be better if we use plants endemic to our country.