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Researchers believe garlic can beat cancer
Researchers at the University of the Western Cape (UWC) are upbeat that a traditional garlic medicine could provide hope for people with cancer, after finding the indigenous plant has properties that could fight off fungal infection and cancer cells.
The plant is a member of the genus Tulbaghia and has been used for centuries by traditional healers to fight infections.
But now scientists say a scientific evaluation of the plant has found it is excellent not only in fighting candidiasis, as was established in 2006. The latest research has shown the plant extracts can kill select cancer cells, including breast cancer and leukaemia cells.
Candidiasis is a fungal infection and, among people with HIV and Aids, occurs commonly as oral thrush.
Professor Quinton Johnson, director of the SA Herbal Science and Medicine Institute based at the UWC, said scientists at the university had carrid out experiments in which they exposed cancer cells to formulated garlic extracts.
Addressing an annual indigenous medicine symposium attended by researchers, physicians and scientists from the university and China yesterday, Johnson described the research findings as "exciting news".
"We've now demonstrated that the traditional garlic has selectively killed these cancer cells without harming the healthy cells.
"We've also found that this medicine is safe in mouse models.
"We need to understand more about the mechanisms of action by which the garlic phytomedicine kills the cancer cells.
"There are outstanding questions about the mechanism of action, and whether there is only one compound or a combination of compounds that kills the cancer cells.
"We are busy with those questions before we can go to human trials."
But the study findings were the tip of the iceberg when one considered the number of traditional medicines being used in South Africa, Johnson said.
Traditional medicines were used by at least 80 percent of South Africans. And with more than 20 000 indigenous plant species, South Africa was a "hot spot of botanical diversity".
More than 3 000 of these plants were used by traditional healers for treating ailments ranging from the common cold to serious conditions. Yet this form of medicine was "least understood, with a great deal of stigma and prejudice" towards those who used it.
There was limited documentation on indigenous medicinal plants in South Africa. But there was a lot of value, hence the scientific research.
"It is a fact that many of the country's population, especially those who are poor and live in rural areas, consult a traditional healer before going to a medical doctor or clinic," Johnson said.
"But there is a very little evidence on (traditional medicine's) quality, safety and efficacy.
"As researchers we want to unlock the value of traditional medicines, scientifically and clinically. We believe that medicinal plants (are) valuable because (they have) been used in the absence of science and doctors for centuries."
The university was working with traditional healers in an effort to build bridges between them and scientists and researchers.
Johnson said the idea was to have evidence-based medicine recognised and documented, as had been done in other parts of the world, such as China, where Chinese traditional medicine had been integrated into the public health system.
The SA Medicines Control Council has not registered a single complementary medicine because there are not yet any regulations for this type of treatment, according to the council's chairman, Professor Peter Eagles.
He said regulations should be finalised before the end of next year.
Source: IOL