A plant dubbed the suicide tree kills many more people in Indian communities than was previously thought. The warning comes from forensic toxicologists in India and France who have conducted a review of deaths caused by plant-derived poisons.

From New Scientist

A BOTANIST’S relentless search of north Queensland’s rainforests has paid off with the rediscovery of a fern species that could help in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease.

LONDON: Turmeric might quite literally be the very spice of life, helping the body ward off blood cancer and ensuring Indian children had a lower incidence of leukaemia than Western countries, scientists have said.

An ancient native American treatment for cancer has been shown to have a beneficial effect despite scepticism from the medical establishment.

Chaparral, an evergreen desert shrub, has long been used by native Americans to treat cancer, colds, wounds, bronchitis, warts, and ringworm.

But experts dismissed its worth, and warned it could be dangerous.

Now researchers at the Medical University of South Carolina have shown an extract may shrink some tumours.

Cinnamon oil shows promise as a great-smelling, environmentally friendly pesticide, with the ability to kill mosquito larvae more effectively than DEET, according to a new study.

The researchers also expect that cinnamon oil could be a good mosquito repellant, though they have not yet tested it against adult mosquitoes.

CHICAGO (Reuters) – Forget about hair of the dog. A hangover cure may be locked inside the common prickly pear cactus, researchers said on Monday.