144 Handbook of herbs and spices
Semecarpus ‘Lehyam’ (SL) – a Siddha medicine – with respect to breast cancer and
found SL to be a potent antitumor agent against the ER-negative breast cancer cell
line. An extensive review by Premalatha (2000) described the phytochemical and
pharmacological basis of anticancer properties of the species.
Anti-proliferative and antitumor effects of a herbal preparation termed PC-SPES
(patent pending, US serial number 08/697, 920) which is a refined powder of eight
different medicinal plants were studied (Tiwari et al., 1999; Marks et al., 2003). PC-
SPES administered as a food supplement caused a dramatic decrease in prostate
specific antigen levels in some prostate cancer patients with advanced disease. The
study revealed the therapeutic benefit of this herbal food supplement and may be a
useful adjuvant to conventional therapeutic modalities. Two marker compounds in
PC-SPES are baicalin and oridonin, both of which exhibit antiproliferative effects.
Bonham et al., (2005) studied the anticancer activity of Scutellaria baicalensis, a
botanical constituent of the herbal mixture PC-SPES and purified four constituents
that function in part through inhibition of the androgen receptor signaling pathway.
L-Canaline, the L-2-amino-4-(aminooxy)butyric acid structural analog of L-ornithine
is a powerful antimetabolite stored in many leguminous Plants and this natural product
was found to possess significant antineoplastic in vitro activity against human pancreatic
cancer cells (Rosenthal, 1997).
Ovesna et al. 2004, investigated the antitumor and chemopreventive activities of
plant-based diet (beta-sitosterol and taraxasterol) which were found to inhibit colon
and breast cancer development. These compounds act at various stages of tumor
development, including inhibition of tumorigenesis, inhibition of tumor promotion,
and induction of cell differentiation and effectively inhibit invasion of tumor cells
and metastasis.
A study by Zava et al. (1998) of about 150 herbs used traditionally by herbalists
for treating a variety of health problems showed their relative capacity to compete
with estradiol and progesterone binding to intracellular receptors for progesterone
(PR) and estradiol (ER) in intact human breast cancer cells. It was demonstrated that
many of the commonly consumed foods, herbs, and spices contain phytoestrogens
and phytoprogestins that act as agonists and antagonists in vivo.
The rosemary extract (Herbor 025) and the extract of Provencal herbs (Spice
Cocktail) showed good antioxidant activity in the Rancimat test, especially in lard
(Aruoma et al., 1996). Both preparations promoted some DNA damage in the copper-
phenanthroline and the bleomycin-iron systems. The two herbal preparations possess
antioxidant properties that may make them useful in the food matrix.
Studies conducted using total extract, polar and non-polar extracts, and their
formulations, prepared from medicinal plants mentioned in Ayurveda, namely, Withania
somnifera (Dunal), Tinospora cordifolia (Miers), and Asparagus racemosus (Willd.),
exhibited various immunopharmacological activities in cyclophosphamide (CP)-treated
mouse ascitic sarcoma (Diwanay et al., 2004).
Mishima et al., (2003) reported that vaticanol C, a resveratrol tetramer, exhibits
strong cytotoxicity against various tumor cell lines. They also reported the antitumor
activity of the ethanol extract from the stem bark of Vateria indica, which has been
traditionally used for health and healing diseases in Ayurveda in India.
Dietary administration of Withania root on hepatic phase I, phase II and antioxidant
enzymes by estimation of its level/activity, as well as in attenuating carcinogen-
induced forestomach and skin tumorigenesis in the Swiss albino mouse model showed
that roots of W. somnifera inhibited phase I, and activated phase II and antioxidant