Herb that holds back cancer

A POPULAR herbal supplement may help lower the risk of developing ovarian cancer.

Ginkgo biloba – often used to ward off memory problems – appears to cut the risk of the disease considerably, a study has found.

American researchers came up with the findings after asking healthy women and those with ovarian cancer which herbal supplements they took.

Laboratory tests had also suggested gingko eradicated ovarian cancer cells, they said.

Dr Bin Ye from Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston studied more than 600 patients with ovarian cancer, comparing them with 640 healthy women. He said 4.2 per cent of the healthy women reported taking ginkgo regularly for at least six months.

In comparison, only 1.6 per cent of those with ovarian cancer reported taking ginkgo.

‘ This suggests that women who are using ginkgo may be less likely to develop ovarian cancer,’ he told a cancer prevention conference in Boston.

Ovarian cancer claims 4,700 lives in Britain every year, with the diagnosis too late for many patients to benefit from surgery.

Ginkgo has been used in Chinese medicine for over 2,000 years for age-related ills and is associated with improving memory. Studies show it helps the elderly overcome memory lapses, stabilises symptoms in mild Alzheimer’s disease and alleviates Raynaud’s disease in which patients suffer cold hands and feet.

In the laboratory study, Dr Ye and colleagues treated ovarian cancer cells with a low dose of ginkgolide – a key component of ginkgo biloba – for 72 hours.

This led to up to an 80 per cent reduction in the growth of the ovarian cancer cells.

However researchers warned women at risk of ovarian cancer to consult their doctor before taking gingko in the hope of preventing the disease.

They said it could interact with other medication.