Yarrow and marigold extracts inhibit pancreatic cancer cell growth, study finds

Spanish researchers investigated four different plants as natural means of preventing the spread of pancreatic cancer. They tested plant extracts from yarrow (Achillea millefolium), common marigold (Calendula officionalis), lemon balm (Melissa officinalis), and marjoram (Origanum majorana) for their anti-carcinogenic activity.

This study was conducted by the Madrid Institute for Advanced Studies on Food. Its findings were published in BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine.

• Pancreatic cancer is a deadly type of cancer that progresses very quickly. It is resistant to current therapeutic treatments.
• Yarrow, marigold, lemon balm, and marjoram underwent two different methods of extraction. Supercritical CO₂ extraction (SFE) and ultrasonic-assisted extraction (UAE) are considered to be environmentally-friendly processes.
• The SFE and UAE extracts of each plant were administered to pancreatic cancer cell cultures. Each extract was evaluated for its ability to kill cancer cells and prevent healthy cells from turning into carcinogenic ones.
• When it came to suppressing and killing pancreatic cancer cells, the marigold and yarrow extracts performed better than their lemon balm and marigold equivalents. Furthermore, the plant extracts derived from the SFE method turned out to be more efficient than their UAE-processed counterparts.
• While marigold and yarrow belong to the same family of plants (Asteraceae), they operate through different means. Marigold disrupts the stability of the 3D colonies formed by the cancer cells, while yarrow stops the growth of those same 3D spheres by reducing the rate of transformation.

The study concluded that yarrow and marigold extracts are possible adjuvants for treating pancreatic cancer.

You can read the completer study at this site.

If you are interested in the healing benefits of marigold and yarrow, visit Herbs.news.

Journal Reference:

Mouhid L, Cedrón MGD, Vargas T, García-Carrascosa E, Herranz N, García-Risco M, Reglero G, Fornari T, Molina ARD. IDENTIFICATION OF ANTITUMORAL AGENTS AGAINST HUMAN PANCREATIC CANCER CELLS FROM ASTERACEAE AND LAMIACEAE PLANT EXTRACTS. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine. 17 September 2018;18(1). DOI: 10.1186/s12906-018-2322-6.