Exceptional Botanical Kills 98% of Cancer Cells in Under 24

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By Carolanne Wright

Contributing Writer for Wake Up World

The same herb frequently eaten as salad in Asia has been

shown to destroy cancer cells without harming healthy
tissue. Researchers at the University of Washington have
created a compound based on traditional Chinese
medicine that is 1,200 times more effective in killing
malignant cells than chemotherapy drugs. Combined with
iron, the herb selectively targets cancerous cells and has
proven to be a powerful tool in combating the disease.
Tomikazu Sasaki, senior author of the study and chemistry
professor at the University of Washington, describes the
compound as a special agent planting a bomb inside the [cancer] cell.

Since traditional chemotherapy is rife with severe side-effects and kills healthy cells, researchers are encouraged by
the findings. Standard chemotherapy destroys as many as 1 normal cell for every 5 cancer cells. The compound
developed by Sasaki and his team is far more specific, killing 12,000 cancer cells for each healthy cell affected,
which minimizes adverse side-effects. Because of this, the effectiveness of the treatment is increased as higher
doses can be tolerated.

Portrait of a 2,000-Year-Old Medicinal Treasure

Sweet wormwood (Artemisia annua L.) has been used for over two millennia in traditional Chinese medicine for a
variety of complaints from skin disorders to high blood pressure and malaria. Native to Asia, the plant is rich in the
following beneficial compounds:

Artemisia annua contains sesquiterpenes, flavonoids, coumarins, essential oil, palmitic acid,
stigmasterol, B-sitosterol, aurantiamide acetate, annuadiepoxide, B-glucosidase III, etc. And
sesquiterpenes contains arteannuin, artemisinin A (qinghaosu I), artemisinin B (qinghaosu II),
deoxyartemisinin (qinghaosu III), qinghaosu IV, qinghaosu V, qinghaosu VI, arteannuin C, artemisinic
acid (qinghao acid), methyl artemisinate, artemisinol, annulide, friedelin, friedelan-3B-ol, etc.
Flavonoids include chrysosplenol D, artemetin, casticin, cirsilineol, axillarin, cirsiliol, tamarixetin,
rhamnetin, cirsimaritin, rhamnocitrin, chrysoeriol, kaempferol, quercetin, luteolin, patuletin, etc.
Coumarins include scopoletin, coumarin, 6-methoxy-7-hydroxycoumarin, scoparone, etc. Wormwood
oil includes camphor, B-caryophyllene, iso-artemisia ketone, B-pinene, bornyl acetate, carveol,
benzyl isovalerate, B-farnesene, copaene, y-muurolene, fenchone, linalool, isoborneol, a-terpineol,
borneol, camphene, myrcene, limonene, y-terpineol, etc. [source]

Of particular interest in the treatment of disease, especially cancer, are the compounds limonene (anti-
inflammatory, anti-cancer, anti-bacterial, anti-viral, antioxidant), B-pinene (antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, anti-
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proliferative, antioxidant) and quercetin (anti-inflammatory , anti-proliferative, supports immune function).

Artemisinin is the active component found in sweet wormwood, which has been used successfully to treat malaria
and has saved millions of lives worldwide. Now researchers are turning their attention towards applying the herb to
cancer.

Iron as a Trojan Horse

Artemisinin on its own will destroy 100 cancer cells for every normal cell. To improve the results, researchers added
an iron chemical tag into the mix. Since cancer cells need large amounts of iron to maintain rapid tumor growth, they
will readily engulf the artemisinin-iron tag compound. As explained by UW Today, Once inside the cell, the iron
reacts with artemisinin to release poisonous molecules called free radicals. When enough of these free radicals
accumulate, the cell dies.

Henry Lai, a University of Washington bioengineering

professor and co-author of the study, said the compound
is like a Trojan horse in gaining access to cancerous cells.
Artemisinin is extremely toxic when combined with iron, but
harmless otherwise.

Cancer cells are also not as efficient as healthy cells

in cleaning-up free-floating iron, making the malignant cells
more sensitive to the herb. Because cancer cells are
already under stress from high iron levels, artemisinin
pushes the cells over the edge. Due to this mechanism,
researchers believe the compound can be used
successfully for almost any type of cancer. Currently, the
artemisinin-iron tag duo has been tested on human breast
and prostate cancers in vitro, and has safely killed breast
cancer in rats.

To establish artemisinins effectiveness, the team saturated normal breast cells and radiation-resistant cancerous
tissue with holotransferrin a compound found within the body that carries iron into the cells. Next, the cells were
dosed with artemisinin. Within 16 hours, all the cancer cells exposed to holotransferrin died and only a few normal
cells were affected. Lai notes that a breast cancer cell contains up to 15 times more iron receptors than other cells,
therefore making it more susceptible to artemisinins assault.

Most currently available drugs are targeted to specific cancers, Lai said. This compound works on a general
property of cancer cells, their high iron content.

The research team hopes that since artemisinin is already widely available, a compound to treat cancer can be
manufactured inexpensively to help those who are ill in developing countries.

The Washington Technology Center and the Witmer Foundation provided funding for the study.

Article sources:

www.washington.edu/news/2008/10/13/scientists-develop-new-cancer-killing-compound-from-salad-plant
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20887269
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23858960
www.theleafonline.com/c/science/2014/10/terpene-profile-pinene

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 www.chineseherbshealing.com/wormwood-herb
www.cancerletters.info/article/S0304-3835(05)00072-8/abstract
www.news.sciencemag.org/chemistry/2001/11/wormwood-extract-kills-cancer-cells

Previous articles by Carolanne Wright:

About the author:

Carolanne enthusiastically believes if we want to see change in the world, we need to be

the change. As a nutritionist, natural foods chef and wellness coach, Carolanne has
encouraged others to embrace a healthy lifestyle of organic living, gratefulness and joyful
orientation for over 13 years

Through her website Thrive-Living.net she looks forward to connecting with other like-
minded people from around the world who share a similar vision. Follow Carolanne on
Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.

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