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| Sophora, a plant widely used in traditional Chinese medicine, maybe a potential drug for cancer and other conditions. |
In today's modern medicine, humans have created a medicine for almost every disease. In most instances, whenever you contract any disease, you can simply visit the doctor, get a medicine prescribed and regain normal health. However, there are certain diseases such as cancer, where medicines are still in its research stage. Plus, the medicines which we have are not affordable by everyone. In such a scenario, most researchers have divulged their attention to options present in traditional medicine. Traditional medicine offers a wide variety of options, and one such option which is both rich in benefits as well as affordable is sophora.
Sophora, known as Ku Shen in Chinese, is a shrub used in traditional Chinese medicine supposed to have beneficial effects against cancer. Besides cancer, sophora is also reported to have other wide range health benefits.
Among the different Sophora species, Sophora flavescens is the most widely used. Hence, when someone uses the term "Sophora", it usually means the S. flavescens species unless stated otherwise.
🌱 WHERE IS SOPHORA GROWN?
Sophora is an evergreen shrub which reaches a height upto 1.5 m. It grows in light, medium or heavy soil, but it must be moist. Likewise, it can be grown in either of acidic, neutral or basic soil. The plant is cultivated mostly in spring and autumn.
The plant is widely cultivated in China, India, Russia, Japan, Korea and other parts of Asia.
💊 WHAT EXACTLY DOES IT CONTAIN?
The roots of Sophora are rich in the alkaloids matrine and oxymatrine, which are responsible for most of its benefits. Besides matrine and oxymatrine, it also contains numerous other alkaloids but in lesser amounts.
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| Sophora is rich in matrine - the chief component responsible for most of its benefits. |
🍶 HOW MUCH SOPHORA SHOULD BE USED?
Usually, the amount of Sophora taken is 3-10 gms per day. However, in certain cases such as arrhythmia, 30-60 gms per day has been used.
👍 BENEFITS OF SOPHORA
A. Anti-cancer.
Sophora is found to contain many anti-cancer compounds, as a result of which it has been used to treat cancers, either singly or in combination with other chemotherapeutic agents.
B. Analgesic.
Sophora has been used to ameliorate the pain caused due to certain cancers. However, like its other uses, more concrete data are required to validate this claim.
C. Antibiotic & Antiviral.
Sophora is believed to combat different bacteria and viruses known to cause serious illnesses, such as Staphylococcus, Streptococcus, Influenza, Hepatitis B.
D. Wound healing.
It also helps in wound healing by means of growth factors and pro-inflammatory cytokines.
E. Sleep.
Sophora is also found to enhance sleep by increasing the levels of melatonin.
F. Asthma.
Sophora can reduce lung inflammation and suppress asthmatic reactions. Hence, it is found to be effective against asthma.
G. Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.
Sophora may also be useful for Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. However, more trials need to be done before it is validated for widespread use.
H. Diabetes.
Sophora removes excess glucose through kidneys and may be beneficial in preventing diabetes.
I. Alopecia.
In men, sophora is effective in preventing hair loss. In addition, it may also promote hair growth.
J. Rheumatoid arthritis.
It is also reported to be effective against arthritis, especially rheumatoid arthritis.
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| Besides cancer, sophora has a wide range of benefits from hairfall to severe conditions such as arthritis. |
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✋ WHEN SHOULD WE NOT USE IT?
Sophora is thought to act as a phytoestrogen. Hence, it should not be used in patients having hormone-sensitive cancer.
It is also thought to enhance the effect of ampicillin, and thus may kill the oral bacteria.
👎 WHAT ARE ITS SIDE EFFECTS?
Sophora is thought to have less side effects. However, when used in higher amounts, it can cause several effects. It can lead to gastrointestinal symptoms such as malaise, nausea, vomiting and constipation.
One of the components of sophora is cytosine, which resembles nicotine. So, taking sophora in excess may exhibit nicotinic effects.
📚 CLINICAL RESEARCH ON SOPHORA
Inspite of the reported benefits of sophora, adequate clinicinal testing is still lacking. Hence, its efficacy is not yet completely accepted worldwide. But, in the future, more and more researchers seem to be interested in conducting high-qualitity evidence-based trials.
🚩 CONCLUSION
Sophora is definitely an option for medical researchers to look onto because of its benefits as well as low cost. As an anti-cancer agent, it has the most promising potential.
What are your thoughts about sophora being used as an alternative drug, especially in cancer? Do let us know in the comment section below.
Find out more about sophora below.
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