Nowadays, most doctors will ignore the idea of the natural and traditional therapies using plants. But there are also strong scientific evidences accumulating that prove the healing properties of plants. Like for example, Natural News reported a recent study that uses milkweed can cure nuermous skin cancers. Another one comes from Spanish and UK scientists claiming that a plant called Tansy can cure herpes.
Tanacetum vulgare, the scientific name of Tansy, is a flowering plant that grows in the mainland of Asia and Europe. According to traditional healers, this plant is also called as Golden Buttons or Mugwort and has been utilized for years to cure conditions ranging from high fevers and rheumatism.
Based from Phytotherapy Research, they claim that Tansy could possess powerful antiviral properties. According to Professor Francisco Parra of the Universidad de Oviedo, their research is focused on the antiviral properties of the plant, especially its potential healing power to treat herpes. They lack effective vaccines for herpes that is why they are looking for a new alternatives.
To find out more about the healing properties of the plant, Professor Parra, together with his team who are experts on antiviral compounds started a collaboration with some scientists that is led by Dr. Solomon Habtemariam of the University of Greenwich who happens to be working on establishing evidences for traditional medicines. This collaboration worked on both root of Tansy and crude extracts of aerial parts and also examine purified compounds of the plant for antiviral events. Fortunately, they have successful results.
According to Professor Parra, they found out that Tansy has known antiviral elements like axillarin that contributes to its antiherpetic effect. This illustrates that many properties of the plant play a huge role on the antiviral propert of the plant.
However, the exact molecular target of Tansy extract need further investigation, this study shows the visible potential of tansy for treating the dermatological lesions made by herpes simplex virus. This illustrates systematic phytochemical and pharmacological studies like this can have big roles in the modernization and innovation of European traditional herbal medicines.
Here’s a video about Tansy from YouTube: