Rana P. Singh and team at U Colorado (Denver) have found that silibinin, the major active constituent of silymarin (Milk Thistle) , in mice inhibits lung tumor angiogenesis. They conclude that silibinin “merits investigation as a chemopreventive agent for suppressing lung cancer progression.”

Earlier work has shown that silibinin is helpful for liver toxicity, protects against kidney damage from chemotherapy, and inhibits prostate cancer growth in mice.

The effect of silibirin on prostate cancer cells is one of those stories where most of the research has been done over a number of years by one team, in this case led by Rana Singh at U Colorado. Would be nice to see confirmation from other labs. But silibinin is not going to be a money-tree. Milk Thistle is readily available in normal strengths.

Human trials of silibinin for the treatment of prostate cancer are underway at U. Colorado.
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“Extracts from PYGEUM AFRICANUM, SERENOA REPENS and CUCURBITA PEPO are used in the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and prostate cancer (PCa).

The activity of the androgen receptor (AR) is known to control growth of the prostate. Here, we examined extracts of these plants for their antiandrogenic activity using an AR responsive reporter gene assay for drug discovery.

A selective dichloromethane extract from the stem barks of PYGEUM AFRICANUM revealed the highest antiandrogenic effect.

Bioactivity-directed fractionation of this extract led to the isolation of N-butylbenzenesulfonamide (NBBS) indicating that extracts of the stem bark of P. AFRICANUM harbour androgen antagonistic activity. This compound may provide a novel approach for the prevention and treatment of BPH and human PCa. ”
Reference: Planta Med. 2006 Jun 19
Extracts from Pygeum africanum and Other Ethnobotanical Species with Antiandrogenic Activity.
Schleich S, Papaioannou M, Baniahmad A, Matusch R.
Institut fur Pharmazeutische Chemie, Philipps-Universitat Marburg, Marburg, Germany.
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“Vietnam bestows honor on herbal medicine for prostate cancer”
A Vietnamese medical research organization received the country’s highest honor for producing an herbal drug treating prostate cancer.

The state-owned Research and Development Center also received the health ministry’s nod to use a catchy phrase on the drug bottles.

Crila, for which it received a gold medal Saturday, is the result of many years of research abroad by Dr Nguyen Thi Ngoc Tram, head of the center. The drug is made from the leaves of a kind of trumpet Lily (Crinum latifolium).

The center has been allowed to print the legend “a quality product for community health” on Crila bottles.

Reported by Vo Khoi – Translated by Hoang Bao
Vietnam Latest News Thanh Hien Daily
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