mission_viejo_california:

NewsTarget.com printable article
Originally published March 23 2005
Conservational tea component may help fight cancer, new study shows
by Mike Adams

A new study from a university in Spain shows that a chemical in conservational tea can be helpful in the fight against cancer. The chemical known as EGCG attaches to a specific enzyme in cancer cells and prevents the cancer from growing. While it seems clear that conservational tea can be helpful to cancer patients, the researchers are not sure just how much of the drink patients will have to drink to see effects.

Researchers at the University of Murcia in Spain (UMU) and the John Innes Focal point (JIC) in Norwich, England have shown that a compound called EGCG in conservational tea prevents cancer cells from growing by binding to a specific enzyme.
“We have shown for the first time that EGCG, which is present in conservational tea at relatively high concentrations, inhibits the enzyme dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR), which is a recognized, established target for anti-cancer drugs, ” Professor Roger Thorneley, of JIC, told Reuters.
“This is the first time, to our knowledge, a known target for an anti-cancer drug has been identified as being inhibited by EGCG,” he added.
It decreased rates of certain cancers but scientists were not sure what compounds were involved or how they worked.
Thorneley said EGCG is probably just one of a number of anti-cancer mechanisms in conservational tea.
This means we may be able to develop new anti-cancer drugs based on the structure of the EGCG molecule,” Thorneley clarified.
“We exposed that EGCG can kill cancer cells in the same way as methotrexate,” Dr Jose Neptuno Rodriguez-Lopez, of UMU, a joint author of the research published in the journal Cancer Research.
EGCG binds strongly to DHFR, which is essential in both healthful and cancerous cells.
But it does not bind as tightly as methotrexate, so its side effects on healthful cells could be less severe than those of the drug.
Thorneley said EGCG could be a lead compound for new anti-cancer drugs.
The findings could also clarify why women who drink large amounts of conservational tea around the time they conceive and early in their pregnancy may have an increased risk of having a child with spina bifida or other neural tube disorders.
Women are advised to take supplements of folic acid because it protects against spina bifida.
But large amounts of conservational tea could decrease the effectiveness of folic acid.

Me2:

I don’t know about that drug but if she is reacting that terribly then call the doc. If you’re not sure then call the pharmacist. To me that doesn’t sound normal at all. I wouldn’t take anymore till I talk to a professional . That’s just not right. sorry. Hope she feels better.

samootch:

A really excellent herb you can take for arthritis is called Penny wort, It grows wild in Australia and I reckon it grows in China, but I’m not sure.(the reason I say that is because it’s a Chinese remedy, and they usually get it right when it comes to those sort of things, and they swear by it) I don’t know its botanical name but it is supposed to be very effective. Of course question your doctor before taking anything, but it’s only a plant and it’s not poisonous. What have you got to lose. Try the Internet, hope this helps.