Eats Flies and Cancer!(…And not an April Fool’s Joke!)

Eats Flies and Cancer!(...And not an April Fool's Joke!)

The  Venus Fly Trap (Dionaea muscipula), native to the East Coast of the US,  contains well over a dozen multi-functional immune supporting  compounds!

If  you think about it—how many plants can eat a fly without harming its  own tissue?—it starts to make sense that this could be an interesting  place to look for pharmacologically active plant chemicals.

One  of the key promising plant compounds for humans is plumbagin, which  stimulates the immune system, induces apoptosis and reduces  inflammation—for the Venus Flytrap it is a protective agent against  predators and parasites.

Also  present are droserone, which exhibits strong antimicrobial activity,  and gallic acid, which inhibits proliferation of cancer cells and  promotes apoptosis.

Phenolic  acids present in Venus Fly Trap act as anti-inflammatories, apoptotic  agents and angiogenesis inhibitors, and flavonoids are present that act  as antioxidants, anti-inflammatories, apoptotic agents and angiogenesis  inhibitors.

Venus  Fly Traps are fun for kids, but whether they yield a pharmaceutical  agent useful in the treatment of cancer still needs more investigation.

In  the meantime, we can appreciate the novelty of its carnivorous nature  and gruesome imagery of how it uses insects as both prey and  pollinators. We can also enjoy being spooked by stories about flesh  eating plants, such as The Day of the Triffids, Invasion of the Body  Snatchers, From Hell it Came, or hilariously, The Voyage to the Planet  of Prehistoric Women.

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*This  post is for educational purposes only. It is not intended to diagnose,  cure or treat any disease. Always seek medical advice directly through  consultation with a health professional.

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