Medicinal plant dried herb of Convolvulus arvensis Ackerwinde
Convolvulus is derived from the Latin convolere meaning to entwine and arvensis meaning of fields 1 The genus convolvulus contains about 250 species Convolvulus is an ubiquitous weed but arvensis is understood to contain alkaloids that are toxic However extracts of the plant largely comprised of proteoglycan molecules PGMs appear nontoxic in animal studies and have been shown to have potent anti angiogenetic effects 2 Most people assume weeds have no therapeutic value However the difference between weeds and herbs may merely be our understanding of them Weeds are unwanted plants and are considered harmful as they compete with crops for light moisture and nutrients and harbor insects and diseases harmful to crops For farmers and agriculture specialists weeds are unwanted plants but for herbalists all weeds are useful plants 3 Such is the case of convolvulus arvensis new research is showing it has great promise as a useful safe and nontoxic chemotherapeutic agent As tumors grow they secrete substances that promote new blood vessel growth angiogenesis Recruitment of new blood vessels plays a crucial role in tumor survival and growth and every aspect of tumor growth requires rapid vascular development Tumors secrete substances that block local regulatory control measures and allow for unnaturally fast growth and replication Many natural and chemical agents have been employed with the aim to halt or block angiogenesis in an attempt to arrest malignant growth development and metastasis One well known natural substance promoted for its ability to halt tumor growth is shark cartilage The data supporting it is conflicting and its popularity has made it a high priced item due to supply and demand laws of economics and the lack of abundant availability Finally environmental and ecological concerns limit the usefulness of shark cartilage as a chemotherapeutic agent Recently however a natural substance from a common weed has been found to inhibit angiogenesis 100 timesmore effec
Size: 4425px × 2896px
Photo credit: © bildagentur-online.com/th-foto / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ackerwinde, arvensis, blindweed, convolvulus
