This herb's potential came to light through a project that aims to save endangered medicinal plants and develop sustainable incomes for Vietnamese hill tribes, whose people are among the poorest in Asia.
Director of Forest Herbs, Peter Butler, says the find was unexpected. he says, "We certainly weren't looking for a cure for cancer. Our expertise is in natural products to control Candida albicans outgrowth."
Butler says the patent for the melanoma treatment will be assigned to a collective of the hill tribe's people in the Sa Pa district, near the Chinese border.
He adds, "The plant with anti-melanoma properties is a very rare tuber found at high altitudes in the forest. Methods have been developed to propagate and cultivate the plant to protect the wild stock and to provide a viable base for an industry."
The tuber of the plant stephania brachyandra traditionally has been used for many purposes, including as a relaxant and sleep aid.
