URI researcher explores medicinal value of plants

By Barbara Morse Silva
Health Check 10 Reporter
Published: November 18, 2008

SOUTH KINGSTOWN, R.I.—We have them in our yards, drive by them along our roads.

But did you know that some plants, trees, flowers and wild berries may serve a medicinal purpose and, in the future, be just what the doctor ordered?

A new researcher at the University of Rhode Island is excited about the possibilities.

Dr. Navindra Seeram is at the School of Pharmacy to teach and to research an area many might not be so familiar—pharmacognosy.

Pharmacognosy is the study and development of drugs from natural sources.

“It’s back to the future, I would like to say, where we go back now to the plant. But the difference is now we’re looking at folklore, ethno-botanical medicinal purposes, but now we’re doing it with a scientific basis,“ Seeram said.

One berry that’s capturing his interest is the jamun berry.

“It’s native to India, southeast Asia, but it actually grows in Hawaii, Texas and Florida,“ Seeram said.

Seeram said the seeds are used in Indian medicines for its anti-diabetes properties and anti-diabetes potential.  And there’s some interest in its ability to treat breast cancer. 

He starts with the berry, which is blended and made in to an extract.

“You take the extract and you basically set up something called a cell culture experiment. Everything is in a dish, basically in a test tube.  You have literal breast cell lines that you obtain from human subjects, and these breast cell lines are growing in this dish into which we treat the cells with the extracts,“ Seeram explained.

He said the jamun berry looks good in the lab.  But he’s also interested in and has done scientific research on pomegranate juice to help prevent prostate cancer recurrence.  His research, already published, was done while he worked at the University of California, Los Angeles.

“We found that compared to before they drank the juice, their PSA doubling time actually was delayed by three or four times. In other words, if the guys were liable to get prostate cancer by six months, we had delayed that by three or four times,“ Seeram said.

With so many plants and berries, where does he begin?

“My visual cue is always color. I’m very interested in what makes the blueberries blue and what makes the strawberries red because these molecules, which are present in these berries to give them their color, are also very good antioxidants,“ Seeram said.

One great antioxidant is the coffee bean, which is actually a berry.

“Coffee is one of the highest sources of antioxidants in the typical American diet,“ Seeram said.

Ginger is a digestive aid that can help prevent motion sickness. There’s neem, which in India is used as a toothbrush that releases gum protecting antibacterial compounds. 

A reminder: never eat a plant or berry you’re not familiar with. It could be toxic.