ANTICANCER POTENTIAL OF AYURVEDIC MEDICINAL PLANTS: A REVIEW

Plants are reservoirs for novel chemical entities and provide a promising line for research on cancer. Plants have been used for medical purposes since the beginning of human history and are the basis of modern medicine. Research suggests some herbal medicine may help people cope with cancer symptoms and side effects of cancer treatment. Several herbs may help control the side effects of conventional cancer treatment. For example, research done in humans suggests that mistletoe reduces the side effects of chemotherapy in lung cancer patients. Turmeric contains a compound know as curcumin, which research shows may be safe to combine with gemcitabine in cancer patients. Most chemotherapeutic drugs for cancer treatment are molecules identified and isolated from plants or their synthetic derivatives. The selected and careful use of this plant may definitely in antiangiogenic therapy and thus in cancer management. Plant derived anticancer agents are effective inhibitors of cancer cells lines, making them in high demand. Exploitation of these agents needs to be managed to keep up with demands and be sustainable. Effort has been made through this review to highlight the role of medicinal plants in cancer therapy.