Health Problem Fact

Graviola as selective and strong anticancer

In an 1976 plant screening program by the National Cancer Institute, the leaves and stem of Graviola showed active cytotoxicity against cancer cells and researchers have been following up on this research ever since. Much of the research on Graviola focuses on a novel set of phytochemicals called annonaceous acetogenins. The potent antitumor, pesticidal and/or insect antifeedant properties of these annonaceous acetogenins have been reported and patented.

Graviola produces these natural compounds in leaf, bark and twig tissues, and they have be documented to possess both highly anti-tumor and pesticidal properties. Mode of action studies in three separate laboratories have recently determined that acetogenins are superb inhibitors of Complex I in mitochondrial electron transport systems from several organisms including tumors.

Research on various Annona species of plants has yielded many extremely potent acetogenins. Many of them have cytotoxicity with ED50 values as low as 10-9 ug/ml. Active compounds from Graviola and other Annona plants have been submitted to the NIH anti-AIDS screen by Purdue University and their work is continuing with a number of other active plant species in the Annona plant family.

Thus far, Purdue and/or it's staff have filed at least 9 U.S. and/or international patents on their work around the antitumorous and insecticidal properties and uses of these acetogenins. Three separate research groups have isolated novel compounds in the seeds and leaves of Graviola which have demonstrated significant anti-tumorous, anticancerous and selective toxicity against various types of cancer cells, publishing 8 clinical studies on

their findings. One study demonstrated that an acetogenin in Graviola was selectively cytotoxic to colon adenocarcinoma cells in which it was 10,000 times the potency of adriamycin (a chemotherapy drug).

Cancer research is ongoing on Graviola, and four new studies have been published in 1998 which further narrow down the specific phytochemicals which are demonstrating the strongest anticancerous and antiviral properties.

Raintree Nutrition