NIGERIANS and indeed people from all races need not die from cancers and malaria any longer. United States and Nigerian researchers have, in two recent but separate studies published in reputable medical journals, validated the use of local herbal drugs for the treatment of lung cancer and malaria.

The basic constituents of the herbal drugs SAABFAT6 and SAABMAL include: garlic (Allium sativum), lemon grass (Cymbopogon citratus), bitter leaf (Vernonia amygdalina), sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum), green vegetable/Amaranth (Amaranthus caudatus), Aloe vera (Aloe barbadensis) and sesame (Sesamum indicum).

United States researchers from Texas Southern University, Houston, Texas, found that a Nigerian-made herbal supplement, SAABFAT6, have potential for the regulation the growth of colorectal and lung cancer. SAABFAT6 has been registered by the National Agency for Food Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC).

The study published in April 2015 editions of The FASEB Journal and Experimental Biology is titled “Antiproliferative and Cytotoxic Evaluation of Herbal Supplement SAABFAT6 on HT29 Colorectal Adenocarcinoma Cells.” The researchers, Syntia E Kwende and Momoh A Yakubu, who recently presented their findings at the American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics (ASPET) yearly scientific meeting concluded: “The consumption of herbal supplements has been one of the remedy for several aliments including cancer for a long time. Cancers, especially colorectal adenocarcinoma are diseases with high morbidity and mortality and are often associated with suffering and poor quality of life.

“Herbal supplements are an attractive cancer therapy, we have investigated the antiproliferative and cytotoxic properties of the herbal supplement SAABFAT6 on colorectal adenocarcinoma cell (HT29). Ethanol extracts of SAABFAT6 (0.5-2 mg/mL) was incubated with HT29 and in vitro antiproliferative/cytotoxicity activities were evaluated using MTT assay.

“Treatment of HT29 with SAABFAT6 significantly reduced cellular proliferation at 48 and 72 but not at 24 hours except for 2 mg/mL concentration. Cytotoxic evaluation showed significant reduction in cell viability at 24 and 48 hrs (2 mg/mL) and at 48 hours (0.5 and 1 mg/mL). This preliminary result indicates that SAABFAT6 supplement may have a potential for the regulation of HT29 growth and survival.

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