Saturday, December 1, 2012

Mistletoe extract destroys colon cancer in lab studies

Credit: Morguefile
New research is uncovering how mistletoe extract might work as a chemotherapy against colon cancer.

Researchers studied 3 different extracts from mistletoe to find colon cancer cells are destroyed when exposed to the plant compounds.

The hope is to find an alternative and less toxic way to treat cancer of the bowel. Another option might be to use mistletoe extract to boost chemotherapy agents.

In lab studies, University of Adelaide researchers found mistletoe extract from fraxini that grows on the ash tree is gentle on healthy colon cells, making it a good candidate.

The treatment has been used in Europe for decades. The current research is being carried out to show how the extract works so human trials could someday be conducted. Read more about the study at Digital Journal.
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