[MPWG] NEWS: Various articles

[Olivia Kwong]

Various articles that have been popping up lately.  Not about North 
American native medicinals, but of interest to this group.  For the full 
article text, see the links.

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http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1671684,00.html?cnn=yes

Can Ancient Herbs Treat Cancer?
By COELI CARR
Monday, Oct. 15, 2007

The Chinese herb Ban Zhi Lian may not be in everyone's lexicon, but to the 
80 women with stage IV metastatic breast cancer, who are participating in 
the second phase of the BZL101 clinical trials, it represents hope and 
life.

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http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/oct2007/2007-10-02-095.asp

Ancient Medicinal Plant Yields Modern Leukemia Drug

ROCHESTER, New York, October 2, 2007 (ENS) - A compound derived from 
feverfew, a common medicinal plant that has been used for centuries to 
reduce fever, will soon be tested on humans for its ability to attack the 
roots of the deadly blood cancer leukemia.

Under development is dimethylamino-parthenolide, DMAPT, which is derived 
from the daisy-like plant.

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http://www.miamiherald.com/tropical_life/story/271984.html

Mystery cure for prostate cancer?
Posted on Tue, Oct. 16, 2007

BY FRED TASKER
ftasker at MiamiHerald.com

At first, it didn't sound like the way a modern cancer treatment would be 
created. As the story went, it was an elixir extracted from the root of a 
mysterious plant found deep in the Amazon forest in Ecuador, used there 
for decades against everything from lupus to AIDS.

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http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071002213442.htm

Tamiflu Survives Sewage Treatment

Science Daily . Swedish researchers have discovered that oseltamivir 
(Tamiflu); an antiviral drug used to prevent and mitigate influenza 
infections is not removed or degraded during normal sewage treatment. 
Consequently, in countries where Tamiflu is used at a high frequency, 
there is a risk that its concentration in natural waters can reach levels 
where influenza viruses in nature will develop resistance to it.