Canarian Weekly
05-04-2013, 12:10
A plant has been found in the Canary Islands that can be used to combat organ rejection and treat bone marrow patients.
Researchers at the Institute of Agricultural Research Canario (ICIA), an autonomous body under the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Water of the Canary Islands, in collaboration with other Spanish research centers have carried out the study.
The work carried out so far has revealed that the species traditionally used as fodder in the Archipelago, contains psoralens, a class of compounds belonging to the group of furanocoumarins, synthesized in the laboratory they have a medicinal use, being used, along with UV light to treat various skin diseases such as vitiligo, psoriasis and mycosis fungoides.
This project began in 2010 and will conclude later this year. It aims to detect plant material with high content of these substances, given their pharmacological interest, maximise production and facilitate extraction processes of pure products available for medical use.
The Islands have a high plant biodiversity thus the reason for the major study of work.
Besides the common species, present in the Mediterranean basin and Macaronesia, which presents unique characteristics in the Canary Islands, there are two varieties endemic to the Canary Islands – Bituminaria bituminous one in Lanzarote and one in Tenerife, in the areas and peaks of (Vilaflor-Las Caņadas)
More... (http://www.canarianweekly.com/plant-pills/)
Researchers at the Institute of Agricultural Research Canario (ICIA), an autonomous body under the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Water of the Canary Islands, in collaboration with other Spanish research centers have carried out the study.
The work carried out so far has revealed that the species traditionally used as fodder in the Archipelago, contains psoralens, a class of compounds belonging to the group of furanocoumarins, synthesized in the laboratory they have a medicinal use, being used, along with UV light to treat various skin diseases such as vitiligo, psoriasis and mycosis fungoides.
This project began in 2010 and will conclude later this year. It aims to detect plant material with high content of these substances, given their pharmacological interest, maximise production and facilitate extraction processes of pure products available for medical use.
The Islands have a high plant biodiversity thus the reason for the major study of work.
Besides the common species, present in the Mediterranean basin and Macaronesia, which presents unique characteristics in the Canary Islands, there are two varieties endemic to the Canary Islands – Bituminaria bituminous one in Lanzarote and one in Tenerife, in the areas and peaks of (Vilaflor-Las Caņadas)
More... (http://www.canarianweekly.com/plant-pills/)