(NaturalPath) According to a new study in the journal Scientific Reports, there is a natural extract derived from India’s neem tree that could potentially be used to treat pancreatic cancer. The compound numbolide is found in the leaves and has been found to combat pancreatic cancer in cell lines and mice. It does so without harming normal, healthy cells.
One researcher noted, “The promise nimbolide has shown is amazing, and the specificity of the treatment towards cancer cells over normal cells is very intriguing.”
A treatment for pancreatic cancer is important due to it having the highest mortality rate. Within five years of diagnosis, a reported 94 percent of patients die. The study found that nimbolide was able to reduce the migration and invasion capabilities of pancreatic cancer cells by 70 percent. The treatment also induced cancer cell death, causing the size and number of pancreatic cancer cell colonies to drop by 80 percent.
Another important finding was that nimbolide does not seem to have harmful side effects, since many people in India actually eat neem.
For more information, read the full study.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-02/ttuh-pes021116.php
Razi Berry, Founder and Publisher of Naturopathic Doctor News & Review (ndnr.com) and NaturalPath (thenatpath.com), has spent the last decade as a natural medicine advocate and marketing whiz. She has galvanized and supported the naturopathic community, bringing a higher quality of healthcare to millions of North Americans through her publications. A self-proclaimed health-food junkie and mother of two; she loves all things nature, is obsessed with organic gardening, growing fruit trees (not easy in Phoenix), laughing until she snorts, and homeschooling. She is a little bit crunchy and yes, that is her real name.