Anti-Malaria Herb Also Fights Cancer In Animals

The Chinese herb compound Artemisinin may prevent breast cancer, say researchers from the University of Washington. The compound, extracted from sweet wormwood Artemisia annua L, cut the development of breast cancer by 40 per cent in rats that had been given a cancer-causing agent. Artemisinin has previously been shown to selectively kill cancer cells, and is already used as an effective anti-malaria treatment. “With the results of this study, it's an attractive candidate for cancer prevention,” said researcher Henry Lai. The study, published in the January 2006 issue of Cancer Letters (vol 231, issue 1, pp 43-48), used rats treated with a single dose of DMBA (50 mg per kg), a compound known to induce multiple breast cancer. The rats were then randomly divided into two groups, with one group's feed supplemented with 0.02 per cent artemisinin.