Garden plants like cannabis and gooseberry may block cancer-driving viruses
Singh S, Yadav P
Medicinal Plants
Several of the plants reviewed here, including Indian gooseberry, cannabis, and the angel's trumpets relative Datura, are either already growing in medicinal gardens or actively cultivated by herbalists, meaning the antiviral compounds being studied in labs may be sitting in beds you can walk out and touch.
Some viruses, if they stick around in the body long enough, can nudge healthy cells into becoming cancer cells. Standard treatments like chemotherapy often struggle because the viruses hide out or the cancer develops resistance. Researchers are now looking seriously at plants like Indian gooseberry and cannabis, which make natural compounds that seem to block viral tricks, calm runaway inflammation, and push damaged cells toward self-destruction before they become tumors.
Key Findings
Oncoviruses including HPV, Epstein-Barr virus, and hepatitis B and C are responsible for an estimated 12-15% of all human cancers globally.
Seven medicinal plants, including Phyllanthus emblica (Indian gooseberry), Cannabis sativa, and Andrographis paniculata, contain bioactive compounds shown in preclinical models to target multiple cancer-driving pathways simultaneously.
Current therapies are limited by drug resistance, viral latency, systemic toxicity, and lack of access in low- and middle-income countries, driving the search for plant-derived alternatives.
chevron_right Technical Summary
Certain viruses cause 12-15% of human cancers worldwide by hijacking cell growth and immune controls. This review finds that compounds from seven medicinal plants show real promise as antiviral, immune-boosting, and cancer-halting agents that could complement or replace treatments that fail due to drug resistance and toxicity.
Abstract Preview
Original paper
Role of Oncoviruses in Cancer Progression and Emerging Phytochemical-Based Therapies from Medicinal Plants.
Oncoviruses continues to be an unattended cause of the global cancer load as they cause about 12-15 % of human malignancies in the world. The oncogenic infections that become persistent, such as Hu...
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Phyllanthus emblica, commonly known as emblic, Indian gooseberry, amalaki, amloki, or amla, is a deciduous tree of the family Phyllanthaceae. Its native range is tropical and southern Asia.