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Herbal Drugs in Cancer Treatment

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Abstract

For centuries, herbal drugs have been used in various civilizations across the globe. India has its own ancient awareness on herbal drugs that people used without knowing their medicinal value or why they consume them. The changing lifestyle that individuals nowadays are leading and the increasing amount of synthetic chemicals and pollutants that they are being exposed to, many diseases and disorders are becoming more prevalent in modern societies. Cancer is one of these illnesses that causes morbidity and mortality among humankind, contributing to 9.6 million deaths annually. Even drug-resistant types of cancer have begun to increase, requiring a search for innovative and effective remedies. Herbal drugs may provide that potential cure. Plants like Boerhavia diffusa (Punarnava), Curcuma longa (Turmeric), Tinospora cordifolia, Simarouba glauca and many others are known to possess anti-cancerous properties. Molecular isolation and chemical modification of active compounds may be the key to finding the cure everyone is looking for. This paper examines herbal drugs that are being studied extensively, due to their anticancer properties.

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The authors are thankful to Rastreeya Sikshana Samithi Trust for constant support and encouragement.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemical Engineering, RV College of Engineering, 560059, Bangalore, India

    Gagana Velur

  2. Department of Chemistry, RV College of Engineering, 560059, Bangalore, India

    Raviraj Kusanur

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Correspondence to Raviraj Kusanur.

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Velur, G., Kusanur, R. Herbal Drugs in Cancer Treatment. Russ J Bioorg Chem 48, 1151–1158 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1134/S1068162022060267

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