This guy was choppin' broccoli before choppin' broccoli was cool.
Posted on 09/12/2007 5:23:32 AM PDT by decimon
A compound extracted from tangerine peel can kill certain human cancer cells, research shows.
A team from Leicester School of Pharmacy found Salvestrol Q40 was turned into a toxic compound in cancer cells, destroying them.
Salvestrol Q40 is found at higher concentrations in tangerine peel, than in the flesh of the fruit.
The researchers suggest the modern trend to throw away peel may have contributed to a rise in some cancers.
It is very exciting to find a compound in food that can target cancers specifically Dr Hoon Tan
Lead researcher Dr Hoon Tan said his work was still at an early stage, but together with his colleagues he has formed a company to investigate further the potential to develop natural anti-cancer therapies.
He said: "It is very exciting to find a compound in food that can target cancers specifically."
Plant immune system
Salvestrol 40 is a type of phytoalexin - a chemical produced by plants to repel attackers, such as insects or fungi.
It is converted into a toxic compound by the P450 CYP1B1 enzyme, found in much higher levels in cancer cells.
As a result, the researchers found, it proved to be 20 times more toxic to cancer cells than their healthy equivalents.
Dr Tan said Salvestrol was found in other fruit and vegetables, such as the brassica family, which includes broccoli and brussels sprouts.
However, the compound tends to be produced at higher levels when infection levels among crops are high.
Therefore, the use of modern pesticides and fungicides, which have cut the risk of infections, have also led to a drop in Salvestrol levels in food.
Dr Julie Sharp, Cancer Research UK's science information manager, said: "Many naturally occurring substances have anticancer properties, but while this research shows that salvestrols have an effect on cells in the laboratory, there is no evidence that they have a similar effect in patients.
"Clinical trials would be needed to tell us if these substances could be developed into a cancer treatment."
GREAT! I have a TANGERINE TREE!.............
Shades of Laetrile?
So meantime, buy a juicer and organic tangerines?
I still have a basement full of peach pits.
Yes, but tangerine peels are easier to chew than apricot pits.
But without the arsenic. Old lace, maybe, but no arsenic.
This guy was choppin' broccoli before choppin' broccoli was cool.
Frankly, if given the choice between eating tangerine peelings and brocolli, I’ll take the brocolli...in a salad.
Didn’t Elizabeth Edwards come out in favor of banning tangerines recently? Maybe this will change her mind.
Actually she said she was giving up tangerines in favor of eating only locally grown food, because shipping foods destroys the environment. In an ironic twist, she has breast cancer.
I did a search on 'tangerine peel recipe' and came up with a number of results. I guess that various peels are good for flavorings.
The Edwards campaign seems an exercise in foolishness.
“Actually she said she was giving up tangerines in favor of eating only locally grown food, because shipping foods destroys the environment.”
If she transports them herself when flying on a private jet it’s OK.
Dr. Hoon Tan?
Any relation to Poon Tang?
Dr. Hoon Tan is a cancer himself?
However, the compound tends to be produced at higher levels when infection levels among crops are high.
Does this mean diseased crops? The older I get, the more I appreciate clearly written English.
You’re supposed to bust them open and eat the bitter almond-like seed inside.
Fascinating.........I hope the research continues. Sometimes I think that big medicine will never find a cure because they make too much profit off of chemotherapy.
GMTA!
I did the same search and also found a reference to the Chinese herbalists using dried _green_ tangerine peels for stomach ailments. Of course, unless you live in a subtropical climate, there is little chance of finding this item outside an Oriental apothacary shop.
I wonder how much this would apply to other citrus? I have a large, old Calamondin tree. The peel is actually sweeter than the fruit (ie: very tart), thin with no pith. I make a small amount of marmalade or orange sauce from the fruit every year and always put a few in whole cranberry sauce. The fruits are tiny, but it produces 2-4 cupfuls 2x a year.
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