A plant long used in traditional medicine is now at the centre of research that could shape future cancer treatment options in South Africa and beyond.
Researchers at the North-West University (NWU) are investigating the anti-cancer potential of Lessertia frutescens, commonly known as cancer bush, after laboratory studies showed activity against several forms of cancer, including drug-resistant small cell lung cancer and colorectal cancer.
According to Prof Chrisna Gouws, a research professor in the Centre of Excellence for Pharmaceutical Sciences in the Faculty of Health Sciences, the research team tested extracts from the indigenous plant on cultured human cancer cells and more advanced laboratory-grown “mini-tumours” known as spheroids.
“Lessertia frutescens has shown significant anti-cancer activity against several different cancer types in our research,” she says.
Targeting cancers considered incurable
