Assessment Of Cellular Metabolic Activity & Viability
To examine the viability of colon cancer and normal colon mucosal epithelial cells after treatment, cells were incubated with cell proliferation reagent WST-1 for 4 hours at 37°C, following treatment with DRE at indicated doses and time points, using the manufacturers protocol. Absorbance readings of the formazan product were obtained 450 nm using a spectrofluorometer Viability readings were analyzed using GraphPad Prism 6.0 288 software and expressed as a percentage of the control untreated groups.
Cell Culture And Treatment
Human colon cancer cell lines HT-29 and HCT116 were purchased from ATCC . These cells were cultured in McCoy’s 5a medium , supplemented with 10% fetal bovine serum and 40 g/ml gentamicin . Normal human colon mucosal epithelial cell line was sub-cultured in RPMI 1640 medium , supplemented with 10% FBS and 40 g/ml gentamicin. These cells were grown and maintained in an incubator, set at 37°C, with an atmosphere containing 5% CO2 and 95% humidity.
To assess the efficacy of DRE in our cell culture models, cells were plated and grown to 50 70% confluence prior to treatment with dandelion root extract , at increasing concentration . Subsequent to treatment, cells were analyzed for efficacy of DRE, as described below. All cells were cultured for 4 months, before being discarded and fresh frozen cells were used to continue studies, lasting longer than the 4-month period.
Do Your Body A Favor And Detoxify With Dandelion Tea
Just about everybody knows what a dandelion is. In the western world it is a weed, but in many other societies it is an important herb that is used to treat many common diseases and conditions of the human body.
It is also a food, being used in salads and the roots are also used by some as a coffee substitute the same as chicory. It is also used to make a herbal tea, and most people have likely heard of dandelion tea. However, its medicinal properties are not so well known, even though it has been use for hundreds, if not thousands, of years for the treatment of many conditions including those associated with the gall bladder, liver and kidneys.
However, that is not all, and there are several more traditional uses of dandelion in the folk medicine of many different countries including conditions as diverse as water retention and eczema. So, taking all of this into consideration, what exactly are the main benefits of dandelion to the body and what is it that provides these benefits?
The list includes phosphorus, iron, magnesium, calcium, potassium, silicon, manganese and boron, and the organic nutrients include lecithin, carotenoids, terpenoids, tannins, sterols, choline, inulin, aspargine and so on. It would take a whole book to describe the health benefits of each of these, but an attempt will be made later to discuss the more important of them.
About the Author More information on dandelion root tea is available at VitaNet ®, LLC Health Food Store, vitanetonine.com.
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How To Use Dandelions
You can collect and prepare your own supply of dandelion roots. Once collected, you need to peel, cut and dry them in open air. It should take about two weeks for them to dry you want them to be brittle when you touch them.
Once dry you can store them in jars, in a cool dark place. Besides adding them to foods like salads, people make syrup and tea from their dandelion root stash. The simple recipes are provided for your convenience.
Dandelion syrup: Put 3 liters of water over about 400 dandelion flower and add four oranges and four lemons sliced up. Leave for 24 hours and then strain. Add to 2 cups of sugar in a pot and cook for 30 minutes. Once it is thick, place into sterilized jars and you have the perfect cure for cold, coughs and bronchitis.
Dandelion tea: Dry, chop and mince up dandelion leaves and keep stored for those tea drinking moments. Simply add a half a teaspoon to your cup of hot water and your healing tea is ready. Some people drink as much as three cups a day because of its health properties.
If your garden does not have a ready supply of dandelion flowers, or you don’t even have a garden, then the same benefits can be received taking a supplement.
These can be easily found at health food stores and be sure to always get those that are purely organic. Be sure to check with your physician if you are taking any medications.
Some Relative Comments On Dandelions
Dandelions belong to the big sunflower family Asteraceae , along with over 10% of the worlds flowers. Blossoms are organized into an involucrate pseudanthium in the form of a head . This immediately recognizable characteristic-even from a distance-makes dandelions and their relatives the easiest, and possibly largest, family of flowering plants to identify.
The successful floral configuration surprises almost everyone indeed, a dandelion is not simply one flower, but perhaps a hundred. Each flower makes a dry-seeded fruit attached to a downy parachute, forming the fluffy white puffball every child likes to blow away into the wind .
Composite blooms are mostly two types of flowers: ray flowers and disc flowers . This exclusive asteraceous inflorescence likely ensures being the best-represented plants in any chosen backyard.
Dandelion relatives include herbs, shrubs, and some trees, food and ornamental plants such as:
ARTICHOKEYARROWZINNIA
With Kevins Lows kind permission, we will show you here his photographs of a dandelion relative that is growing wild all over the place in Malaysia:
We look forward to learning the name of this plant and if it is edible/medicinal, perhaps like chamomile tea If you know, please write us your comments! Thanks! We look forward to hearing from you!
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Our Rating: Missing Context
The claim that “Dandelion root can kill 98% of cancer cells in 48 hours,” is MISSING CONTEXT, because without additional information it could be misleading. There is research on dandelion root as a cancer-fighting substance, but no published clinical research has proven an anti-cancer effect in humans. The 48-hour time period is derived from a 2016 study of DRE’s effect on cancer cells in a petri dish, not in human patients. While cell culture is a helpful research tool, its dynamics are not comparable to a human body.
Healing Properties Of Dandelions
Now, back to your yard. Often considered a nuisance and discarded like a weed, the dandelion actually possesses healing powers that should not be ignored. Many people are unaware of the medicinal purposes this lowly flower can deliver.
Surprisingly, dandelions are edible and were once a part of the American diet prior to industrialization and the takeover of processed, packaged foods. Used to garnish salads, or mixed with vegetables as well as stewed for tea, the dandelion is very nutritious, full of vitamins and health-supporting antioxidants.
A fixture in traditional Chinese medicines, the dandelion leaves have been used to address upset stomachs, digestive problems, inflammation, and kidney disease. They have also been used to effectively improve gallbladder and liver function, to regulate metabolism, relieve coughs and purify the blood.
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Is It Safe To Make Tea From A Dandelion
Dandelion is known as Lions tooth and blowcall. Its also a botanical herb used in traditional medicine by the Native Americans, Chinese as well as Arabs.
In centuries gone by, it is been used to treat certain conditions such as toothaches, fevers, baldness, and lethargy.
Its also been used to treat other medical issues, such as liver and gallbladder problems and bile ducts.
It is still consumed today as both a food and part of complementary alternative medicine.
When used as a food, they can be used raw in salads the same as you would do with spinach.
The roots are also roasted and used to make caffeine-free coffee. The flower of the dandelion is often used to make wine.
It is most commonly known as a botanical herb and supplement and is available in various forms of teas, pills, and extracts.
Effects Of Doxorubicin And Tirapazamine On Spheroid Proliferation
Before applying the 3D spheroid models of BCSCs in future experiments, the spheroids were used to evaluate the effects of the anti-tumor drugs, including Doxorubicin and Tirapazamine. The results showed that the IC50 value of Tirapazamine in the 2D model was significantly higher than that for the 3D model . However, the IC50 values for doxorubicin in both culture conditions was not significantly different
In the 2D model, ethanol-treated and methanoltreated Dandelion extracts exhibited an antiproliferative effect on BCSCs the IC50 values at 48 h were 59.22±0.5g/ml and 14.88±0.03g/ml, respectively. Moreover, the IC50 values of at 72 h were 92.30±2.83 g/ml and 69.40±0.5 g/ml, respectively. In the 3D model, both methanol- and ethanol-treated dandelion extracts yielded IC50 values that were much higher compared to those for the 2D model. In the 3D model, the IC50 value of the ethanol-treated extract at 48 h and 72 h were 1021±49.85 and 412±85.4 g/ml, respectively the IC50 values of the methanol-treated extract at 48 h and 72 h were 1012±5 and 142.2±17.45 g/ml, respectively . These results demonstrate that the IC50 value for BCSCs in 3D culture were much higher than in conventional 2D culture. The results also indicate that methanol-treated dandelion extract is more active than ethanol-treated extract, in both 2D and 3D culture systems.
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How To Harvest Dandelions For Tea
Since all parts of the plant are edible, you first need to harvest plant material. Harvest from an area that is pesticide and herbicide-free. The leaves and flowers make a delicate, lightly flavored tea, while the roots have a more potent taste. You can use leaves as a tea or fresh in salads to add a punch of Vitamin C.
The flowers need to be harvested when the petals are fresh and brightly yellow. Flowers are also tasty dipped in batter and deep-fried. Roots should be harvested in the fall and gently coaxed out of the soil. Wash any harvested plant parts carefully before proceeding to process them for dandelion herbal tea.
Liver Helper: Dandelion Root
The root dandelion in dandelion root extract is a reliable source of both antioxidants and anti-inflammatories, Link shares in Dandelion Root Benefits for Cancer, Cholesterol and the Liver on Dr.Axe.com. The antioxidants have potential benefits for liver detox and fights against free radicals responsible for cellular aging. Therefore, a healthier immune system creates a better response to inflammation. Dandelion root, which can be enjoyed in tea form, has a natural diuretic effect, allowing quicker elimination from toxins to support liver health,
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Should You Add Dandelions To Your Diet
Dandelions have a lot going for them, but there are some things to know before serving them for dinner. You can pick the blossoms right from your yard, but if youre harvesting wild dandelions make sure youre picking them from an area you know hasnt been treated with pesticides or other chemicals, Geib cautions.
You dont need to eat them every day to reap the benefits . Geib suggests approaching them like any other herb and adding them into the rotation as part of a varied and colorful diet.
Dandelions are really wonderful for their nutrition and medicinal value, Geib says. Dont be afraid to try something out of the box.
Dandelion Root Extract Retards The Growth Of Human Colon Tumors In Mouse Xenograft Models
As described above, the in-vitro studies proved that DRE induced selective apoptosis in cancer cells thus distinguishing between cancerous and non-cancerous cells. The next question was whether DRE was safe to use in-vivo and whether it could be effective against tumors grown as xenografts.
The first step in this part of the study was to assess the safety of systemic DRE administration to normal Balb/c mice, at a dose of 40 mg/kg/day, for a period of 75 days. The mice were observed for any signs of toxicity during this time period, by weight measurement and protein urinalysis. There were no observable differences between the control-untreated and the DRE-treated groups in weight gain 3A) or protein content in urine ,3B), indicating a lack of toxicity. The protein urinalysis identified trace amounts of protein in the urine of mice from both groups, without any significant differences between the groups .
Dandelion root extract is well tolerated in animal models
Balb/C mice were separated into two groups, one group on oral administration of PBS control and the other group on oral administration of DRE for a period of 75 days. A. Weight of mice in each group for the duration of the study. B. Urine was obtained from mice every week for the last 4 weeks of the study. Protein urinalysis was carried out using urine dipstick and the Bradford protein assay. C. Hematoxylin and Eosin staining of tissues . Images were obtained on a brightfield microscope at 63X Objective.
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Does Dandelion Root Extract Have Anti
Natural health products are usually well-tolerated. As such, they are interesting options in cancer treatment. These herbal medicines can be used over a long period without significant side effects. Some contribute to reducing the side effects of mainstream cancer therapy. Others can boost the impact of traditional medicine as coadjutant treatments.
Certain plants are so potent against cancer that chemotherapy drugs are based on their isolated bioactive compounds. An example is paclitaxel, which comes from the Pacific yew tree bark extract. Other plants are under active research and show promising potential against cancer. They include lemongrass, hibiscus extracts, long pepper, and dandelion root .
In this article, were examining dandelion root extract and other parts of the plant. Were reviewing the literature and showing you what you can expect from this ingredient regarding tumor growth inhibition and other benefits.
Health Benefits Of Dandelions
Besides being chock-full of nutrients, dandelions contain compounds that may help prevent health problems. Unfortunately, scientists dont focus a lot of attention on wild herbs and plants. More research is needed to confirm everything dandelions can do, Geib notes.
Still, some research points to several benefits of dandelion, she says.
Provide antioxidants
Dandelions contain several different types of antioxidants throughout the roots, leaves and flowers, Geib says. Antioxidants protect your body against free radicals rogue molecules that can damage your bodys cells and make you age faster.
Reduce inflammation
Chronic inflammation in the body plays a role in a long list of serious health problems, including cancer and heart disease. One way to stay healthy is by eating foods that fight inflammation. Add dandelion to your anti-inflammatory diet: Lab studies have found that compounds in these plants can dial down inflammation.
Manage blood pressure
Dandelions are rich in potassium, which makes them a natural diuretic. In other words, they make you pee. Diuretics are often used to help control high blood pressure.
Control blood sugar
Dandelion has been used around the world as a natural way to control Type 2 diabetes. Researchers are still investigating that link, but studies in animals suggest that the compounds in dandelions might help reduce blood sugar levels in people with diabetes.
Lower cholesterol
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Is Dandelion Root A Treatment For Cancer
The internet is full of health claims and it is difficult to determine the fact from fiction. There have been several articles published through online media websites, health blogs and website about this health claim. So we are going to look at this article published on the Natural News website:
The headline of this article states Dandelion root far more effective in fighting cancer cells than chemotherapy. The article suggests recent studies have indicated that dandelion root is a treatment for killing cancer cells.
Related articles
Several articles and videos have appeared online making similar claims about the use of the dandelion root as an effective treatment for cancer.
Growing Dandelions For Tea
Our ancestors knew a thing or two about natural health andhow to use natures bounty to heal all manner of ailments. Dandelion herbal teawas a constant in many homes and all parts of the plant are edible. It has somepotential to benefit cancer patients, improves liver health, and containsnumerous nutrients and antioxidant properties. Plus, its free and tasty.
If you arent worried about the plants taking over, growyour own dandelions. The easiest way is to let some of the flowers comeinto seed and take them off the plant. Sprinkle seeds in the selected area anddust over with some soil.
Another way of growing dandelions for tea is to only harvest a part of the root. Any leftover root in the soil will re-sprout and produce a new plant very quickly. This is a maddening trait of the weed for gardeners who do not desire the plant but makes it easy for those of us who have had a taste of homemade dandelion tea and want a ready supply.
Dont use chemicals in any area in which you will beharvesting.
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Making Dandelion Tea From The Roots
- Step 1: Once youve dug up the plant, cut out its taproot, and rinse thoroughly with cold water before allowing it to dry.
- 2: Add a quart of water in your saucepan and cut the roots up into chunks. If using dandelion in powder form, add two teaspoons off this to a quart of water. However, when using the roots, you can add 1 to 2 pieces of it to boiling water.
- 3: Cover the pot for approximately one minute while the root is boiling.
- 4: Allow the steeping process to go on for another 40 minutes.
- 5: Strain the root from the water and pour the tea into a cup. Add your preferred sweetener and take a sip.
Visit Crafty Little Gnome for an alternative method, where she shows you how to make dandelion tea from roasted roots.