Parsley and dill contain chemicals that help to prevent tumours from forming

July 4, 2016

Eaten together, the herbs formed a compound with anti-cancer properties
Parsley prevents bad breath and hair loss and boosts immunity and vision
Dill is said to combat disease causing free radicals and strengthen bones

Daily Mail Reporter

Published:
13:26 EST, 3 July 2016

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Updated:
13:42 EST, 3 July 2016

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Parsley and dill could stave off cancer as they contain chemicals that help to prevent tumours from forming, say scientists.

When molecules from the garden herbs were combined they turned into a compound already known for its anti-cancer properties.

Parsley and dill offer an abundance of health benefits with the former preventing bad breath, boosting immunity, improving vision and reducing hair loss.

Parsley, left, and dill, right, could stave off cancer as they contain chemicals that help to prevent tumours from forming, say scientists

Dill is said to combat disease causing free radicals and strengthens bones.

Now new evidence suggests their cancer fighting potential after Russian researchers obtained glaziovianin A from parsley and dill.

The same chemical is currently harvested from the leaves of the Brazilian tree Ateleia glazioviana Baill and is an ‘antimitotic’ – meaning it inhibits the growth of tumours by disrupting the process of cell division or mitosis.

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Drug developer Professor Alexander Kiselev, of Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, said: ‘Both improvement of existing therapies and search for innovative approaches are essential components of a quest to treat cancer.

‘Our combined team developed a simple method of producing glaziovianin A and its structural analogs – which inhibit the growth of human tumour cells – using feasible building blocks from nature.’

Currently chemotherapy is the main treatment for cancer which is a complex procedure that works by inhibiting the growth of cancer cells by disrupting their division.

Parsley prevents bad breath, boosts immunity, improves vision and reduces hair loss

Prof Kiselev said that they have developed a simple way of producing glaziovianin A which could lead to better drugs.

He said: ‘Nowadays it’s important not only to find new mechanisms to fight cancer but also improve existing ones.

‘We have developed a simple method for producing glaziovianin A and its structural analogs – which inhibit the growth of tumour cells – from a cheap raw material.’

The scientists said the new cancer-treating method proposed is cheaper than the existing ones as it involves commonly available materials and also requires minimal number of steps in its synthesis.

They hope glaziovianin A from parsley and dill could help develop new medicine that can be used as anti-cancer drugs in future.

The study is published in the Journal of Natural Products.