Wormwood Plant KILLS BREAST CANCER Cells within 16 Hours
Ancient remedy? An extract from the wormwood plant kills breast cancer cells in a test tube. Medieval as it sounds, scientists are testing a recipe of wormwood and iron on breast cancer cells, and so far the results are encouraging. In a new study, researchers report that artemesinin--a derivative of the wormwood plant--kills iron-enriched breast cancer cells but doesn't harm many healthy ones. Artemesinin's destructive properties are triggered by higher than normal levels of iron in cancer cells. Many experiments have found that artemesinin turns deadly in the presence of iron. In Asia and Africa, artemesinin tablets are widely and, in many cases, successfully used to treat malaria, because the parasite has a high iron concentration. Cancer cells can also be rich in iron, as they often soak up the mineral to facilitate cell division. The cells bring in extra iron with the help of transferrin receptors, special receiving points that funnel the mineral into the ce...