A pretty yellow flower could hold the key to the next generation of cancer drugs, and is about to head into human clinical trials. The flowering Thapsia garganica plant looks innocent enough, but the common Mediterranean weed is highly toxic to sheep and cattle, earning it the moniker “death carrot” in ancient Greek literature. But this lethal plant could find a new use: targeting and killing cancer cells. The challenge lies in harnessing the power of this toxic substance, goading it into killing just the cancer cells while leaving healthy cells alone.
