Medicinal plants commonly used against cancer in traditional medicine formulae in Sri Lanka
Authors
Anchala Kuruppu
aDepartment of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka
Priyani Paranagama
aDepartment of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka
Charitha Goonasekara
cDepartment of Preclinical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University, Sri Lanka
Keywords:
Plants with anti-cancer properties, Traditional medicine, Cancer
Abstract
Cancer is a global burden. In low- and middle-income countries around 70% of deaths are due to cancer. For a number of years natural products have been a good source of agents for combatting cancer and plants have played a huge role in anti-cancer product development. For many centuries, indigenous cultures around the world have used traditional herbal medicine to treat a myriad of diseases including cancer. In Sri Lanka, a number of plants have been reported to have anti-cancer properties and some of the commonly used plants are described in this review with an account of their compounds and modes of action. Only a small number of the plants in Sri Lanka have been tested for their bioactivity and more research is required to determine their medicinal activity with the aim of developing novel drugs to fight this disease.
Keywords: Plants with anti-cancer properties, Traditional medicine, Cancer
Author Biographies
Anchala Kuruppu, aDepartment of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka
cDepartment of Preclinical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University, Sri Lanka
Priyani Paranagama, aDepartment of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka
bInstitute of Indigenous Medicine, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka
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