Sweet Potato Greens Inhibit Cancer Cell Growth by 69%

A 2011 study has found that sweet potato greens extract (SPGE) may soon become a valuable tool in the fight against cancer. The study found that SPGE not only ‘remarkably inhibited’ the growth and progression of cancer cells, but the administration of SPGE led to absolutely no toxicity, unlike mainstream cancer solutions.

Sweet potato green extract even “perturbed cell cycle progression, reduced clonogenic survival, modulated cell cycle and apoptosis regulatory molecules and induced apoptosis in human prostate cancer PC-3 cells both in vitro and in vivo.”

The study abstract concludes:

“Oral administration of 400 mg/kg SPGE remarkably inhibited growth and progression of prostate tumor xenografts by ∼69% in nude mice, as shown by tumor volume measurements and non-invasive real-time bioluminescent imaging. Most importantly, SPGE did not cause any detectable toxicity to rapidly dividing normal tissues such as gut and bone marrow. This is the first report to demonstrate the in vitro and in vivo anticancer activity of sweet potato greens in prostate cancer.”

Prostate cancer affects more than 235,00 people annually in the US alone. The disease is a multi-billion dollar industry for Big Pharma, with most people being referred to chemo and radiation to treat the disease. Others are treated with immunotherapry or surgery, or even vaccines, but just eating sweet potato greens might circumvent these invasive and costly procedures. Research, and perhaps some case studies, will tell.

Read: 6 Foods that Fight and Prevent Cancer

In addition to supplying natural anti-cancer power and even being called ‘chemopreventative‘, sweet potato leaves are also healing in other ways, too. Full of fiber, beta carotene, vitamins C and E, and minerals manganese and potassium, the leaves of this root vegetable can:

• Lower blood sugar levels

• Help an ailing stomach

• Offer cardiovascular disease relief

Sweet potatoes as a root vegetable have long been cherished for their health benefits. known to offer high levels of nutrition. The greens of sweet potatoes, Ipomoea batatas, are consumed largely in Asia and Africa, and because we are disconnected from our food supply here in the US and Canada by purchasing our vegetables primarily in grocery stores, we never think to consume one of the healthiest parts of this plant.

Read: Ginger Destroys Cancer more Effectively than Chemo