A Curry for Cancer?

Galangal, a common ingredient in Thai cooking, has been found to have anti-cancer properties say researchers at King's College London.

The ginger-like root was among seven South East Asian plants which were evaluated to see if there was a scientific basis for their traditional reputation as cancer treatments.

Galangal stood out from the others in laboratory testing because its extract was found both to kill cancer cells and to increase the ability of healthy cells to protect themselves from carcinogens.

Peter Houghton, Professor of Pharmacognosy at King's has spent over 30 years testing the medicinal properties of natural remedies from around the world. His work is part of a long tradition - one in four of the medicines on the market today are based on plant molecules.

While promising, the tests of Galangal's anti-cancer properties are at an early stage. They are still a long way short of advising us all to eat Thai curry as an antidote to cancer.