Could Plants Treat Diabetes and Cancer? An Indian Researcher Finds Out

Vandana Gulati, an Indian researcher who is currently pursuing Ph.D at Melbourne's Swinburne University of Technology, is conducting a study to test the use of plants in the treatment of diabetes and cancer. She was involved with pharmaceutical research in India after completing her masters in ayurvedic pharmacy. She has investigated 12 medicinal plant extracts and their applications in treatment of diabetes and cancer, reported a Melbourne-based Indian newspaper - Link."When we moved here, we found that people had reservations about the effectiveness of plant-based research. There were a few groups working in this field, however, majority were not receptive to the idea," she said. Previous studies have found that diabetes and cancer are linked, as the risk of low insulin in diabetes affects the growth of cancer cells.Preliminary research has shown that witchetty bush (Acacia kempeana) and Australian sandalwood (Santalum spicatum) stimulate glucose uptake in fat cells, while dead finish (Acacia tetragonophylla), turpentine bush (Beyeria Ieshnaultii) and caustic weed (Euphorbia drumondii) significantly reduced fat accumulation in fat cells. The witchetty bush and dead finish also showed strong activity against cervical cancer cells.
"There are still many experiments that need to be completed on the cells, followed by testing on animals and finally a trial on humans directly. However, we are very positive of the outcome," Gulati added.