Long ago, people in India believed black cardamom could help with many health problems. They used it for colds, coughs, and even severe lung diseases.
In some parts of India, they thought this spice could even fight cancer. For years, this was just a tradition.
But now, scientists from the National University of Singapore (NUS) decided to see if these old stories had any truth to them.
What the Scientists Did
A group of experts wanted to know if black cardamom really could help fight lung cancer.
They took the spice, ground it up, and mixed it with different liquids to get its special ingredients out. They then used these mixtures to see what would happen to cancer cells.
The scientists were amazed. The cancer cells did not like the black cardamom at all. In fact, many of them died after coming into contact with the spice. It seemed like the old stories might be right!
After a lot of testing, they found out that two special parts of black cardamom were causing this. These parts were named cardamonin and alpinetin. It seemed these two were the heroes in the fight against lung cancer.
Why This Matters
Knowing that black cardamom can kill lung cancer cells is big news. Today, many people with lung cancer take medicines that can make them very sick.
And sometimes, the cancer learns how to fight back against these medicines. This means we always need new ways to help these patients.
Black cardamom might be one of these new ways. And the best part? It’s natural! Many of us even have it in our kitchens.
It’s a spice used in cooking dishes like rice and curry. In India, they even take it like medicine for many illnesses.
The experts at NUS believe that this spice could be used to find more ingredients that fight against cancer. Maybe, in the future, people with cancer might get medicines made from black cardamom.
But, there’s more work to do. The scientists at NUS have just started this journey. They need to do more tests and studies. They want to see if eating black cardamom can really stop or even cure lung cancer in people.
This study also tells us something more. Sometimes, old stories and traditions have some truth to them. Maybe, other spices and herbs have hidden powers too. We just need to look for them.
Pooja Makhija, a student who worked on this project, talked about the importance of this study. She said that earlier, people just knew that black cardamom was good.
But they didn’t know why. This study gives the answer. And it also shows that the spice is especially good against lung cancer cells.
Another scientist, Professor Gautam Sethi, shared an interesting thought. He mentioned Hippocrates, a famous doctor from ancient times. Hippocrates believed that food could also be medicine.
This idea was forgotten for a long time. But now, with discoveries like this, it’s coming back. Foods and spices we eat every day might be more special than we think.
Lastly, Professor Bert Grobben, who also worked on this project, talked about the future. He believes that black cardamom has many secrets yet to be found. These secrets might be new medicines for many illnesses, not just cancer.
In the end, this spice has shown us the power of nature. And it reminds us that sometimes, to find new answers, we need to look at old stories.
If you care about cancer, please read studies about a new method to treat cancer effectively, and this low-dose, four-drug combo may block cancer spread.
For more information about cancer prevention, please see recent studies about nutrient in fish that can be a poison for cancer, and results showing this daily vitamin is critical to cancer prevention.
The study was published in the Journal of Ethnopharmacology.
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