Hope from the rain forest

Vegetarian Times, May, 2005

A rare plant from the Amazon rain forest may prevent the spread of breast cancer cells. Forsteronia refracta, a member of the often poisonous dogbane family, contains a compound that inhibits the action of a cancer-linked protein without affecting the growth of normal ceils, according to the February 1, 2005 issue of the journal Cancer Research.

Very little is known about the plant, which is from a collection of exotic varieties gathered for research purposes by the National Cancer Institute. Human clinical trials are at least three years away, researcher Deborah A. Lannigan, PhD, of the University, of Virginia's Department of Microbiology, tells VT.