An ingredient used in cough medicine for more than 50 years could be a powerful new treatment for prostate cancer.
Noscapine, a drug derived from opium, has been found to stunt tumour growth and reduce the risk of cancer spreading by up to 65 per cent.
Now other studies are under way to see if it could help fight cancer of the breast, lungs and ovaries, as well as lymphoma - a tumour that affects the lymph nodes under the arm.
Although the drug's anti-cancer properties were first recognised back in the Sixties, in-depth studies have only taken place in recent years as drug companies have stepped up the search for new and powerful cancer treatments.The drug is used in over-thecounter products, such as Vicks Dry Cough medicine, because it is highly effective at stopping coughs.
Although opium is the main source of noscapine, it is also found in tiny quantities in tomatoes and cabbage leaves.
The latest findings, by U.S. scientists, were presented at a recent prostate cancer conference in Colorado.
Experts at the Prostate Cancer Research and Educational Foundation in San Diego carried out laboratory tests to verify the drug's ability to fight cancer.
Mice were fed doses of the drug and their cancers were closely monitored to see what effect the cough-syrup ingredient had.
Study leader Dr Israel Barken, who claims to have been using noscapine on prostate cancer patients for more than a decade, said the results confirmed the drug was effective and safe.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-440498/Cough-syrup--new-cure-prostate-cancer.html#ixzz26AQtYEgm
Article source: Simple cough medicice may cure cancer