Plant that gave us warpaint recruited in fight against cancer

Note from me: Please remember this is all theory, until clinical trials.
J

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-2311761,00.html

The Times August 14, 2006

Plant that gave us warpaint recruited in fight against cancer
By Sam Lister
WOAD, the plant that was used by Ancient Britons and Celts to make their
striking blue warpaint, has been found to be one of the most potent
natural sources of a compound used to fight cancer.

A team of Italian scientists found that it contains 20 times more of the
cancer-fighting chemical glucobrassicin than broccoli, a plant prized for
its powers to combat the disease. The researchers, led by Stefania
Galletti, of the University of Bologna, found that the glucobrassicin
levels could be further enhanced to nearly 65 times. They hope that the
discovery may advance research of disease treatments, particularly for
breast cancer.

The study, published in the Journal of the Science of Food and
Agriculture, showed that the compound plays a defensive role in plants,
with levels increasing by 30 per cent if a leaf is damaged. Derivatives of
glucobrassicin can kill some plant pests, such as insects, and also appear
to have antitumour properties, and are particularly effective against
breast cancer.

Glucobrassicin has shown an active role in flushing out cancer-causing
chemicals linked to oestrogen; women with higher levels of this hormone
are at increased risk of developing breast cancer. The Italian team hopes
that by using a cheap, rich source of glucobrassicin, in-depth research
can be done to study how the compound acts in the body.

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