We've noticed that you're using an ad blocker

Our content is brought to you free of charge because of the support of our advertisers. To continue enjoying our content, please turn off your ad blocker.

It's off now Dismiss How do I disable my ad blocker?
❌

How to disable your ad blocker for our site:

Adblock / Adblock Plus
  • Click on the AdBlock / AdBlock Plus icon on the top right of your browser.
  • Click “Don’t run on pages on this domain.” OR “Enabled on this site.”
  • Close this help box and click "It's off now".
Firefox Tracking Prevention
  • If you are Private Browsing in Firefox, "Tracking Protection" may casue the adblock notice to show. It can be temporarily disabled by clicking the "shield" icon in the address bar.
  • Close this help box and click "It's off now".
Ghostery
  • Click the Ghostery icon on your browser.
  • In Ghostery versions < 6.0 click “Whitelist site.” in version 6.0 click “Trust site.”
  • Close this help box and click "It's off now".
uBlock / uBlock Origin
  • Click the uBlock / uBlock Origin icon on your browser.
  • Click the “power” button in the menu that appears to whitelist the current website
  • Close this help box and click "It's off now".
  • ONCOLOGY
  • News
  • Blogs
  • Topics
  • Hematology
  • Image IQ
  • Podcasts
  • Videos
  • Slideshows
  • Conferences

Modern Medicine Network
  • Login
  • Register
Skip to main content
Modern Medicine Network
  • Login
  • Register
Menu
User
Home
  • ONCOLOGY
  • News
  • Blogs
  • Topics
  • Hematology
  • Image IQ
  • Podcasts
  • Videos
  • Slideshows
  • Conferences

SUBSCRIBE: Print / eNewsletter

Panel Says Test Certain Herbs, Additives for Carcinogenesis

Mar 1, 1998
Volume: 
7
Issue: 
3

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, NC--A federal panel has recommended to the National Toxicology Program (NTP) that it review and possibly test a group of products, including three herbs, for their potential to cause cancer or to lead to reproductive and developmental problems.

The recommendations of the Inter-agency Committee for Chemical Evaluation and Coordination were released by Kenneth Olden, PhD, director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) and the NTP, which is headquartered at the NIEHS.

"A recommendation for testing does not necessarily mean a substance is a carcinogen or mutagen but often reflects--as in several of these cases--that substances have gone into widespread use without as much testing as, in retrospect, we would like," he said.

The products recommended for review include 2-acetylpyridine, which is a fragrance material, direct food additive, and constituent of natural essential oils; and myristicin, which occurs naturally in carrots and parsley, and in certain spices such as black pepper, anise, nutmeg, and mace.

Also on the list are 2-chloropyridine, an intermediate chemical in the manufacture of some cosmetics, pharmaceutical, and agricultural products, with considerable occupational exposure; and glycoluril, a slow-release nitrogen fertilizer, whose resins have also been used in paint and other coatings.

Two Fiber Brighteners

The panel also listed two fiber brighteners: 4-mythoxy-N-methyl-1,8-naph-thalimide, a fluorescent agent used for synthetic fibers and as a coating for specialized papers; and 7-(2H-napthol[1,2-d]triazol-2-yl)-3-phenylcourmarin, used not only as a fabric brightener but also in plastics, photographic film, toners, and food packaging.

Finally the advisory committee urged that the NTP review three herbs--comfrey, goldenseal, and saw palmetto.

Comfrey, available commercially as a powdered root or leaf, as well as in capsule form, is espoused by some for use as an anticancer agent, sedative, stimulant, diuretic, and antihemorrhagic. It is also sold for use in salads and as a herbal tea. In 1993, following reports of toxic effects after the ingestion of comfrey, the American Herbal Products Association recommended that the herb only be used externally.

Goldenseal, which grows in the hardwood forests of Canada and the eastern United States, is sometimes used as a self-prescribed medicine for a wide range of health problems, including cancer, digestive and hemorrhagic disorders, upper respiratory congestion, mucous membrane inflammation, and skin and eye problems. Its constituent alkaloids berberine and hydrastine would also be studied for potential car-cinogenesis.

Saw palmetto ranks sixth on the list of best-selling dietary supplements in the United States and is used extensively to self-treat benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH). Controlled studies have failed to find it effective for the disorder, and the FDA considers it mislabeled when sold for the treatment of BPH.

Make-up of the Committee

The interagency committee consists of representatives from the National Cancer Institute, Consumer Product Safety Commission, National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, Food and Drug Administration, National Library of Medicine, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Department of Defense, Environmental Protection Agency, and National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.

Resource Topics rightRail

  • Resource Topics
  • Partner Content
Breast Cancer
Lung Cancer
Prostate Cancer
Colorectal Cancer
Melanoma
Cutaneous T-Cell Lymphomas: Mycosis Fungoides and Sézary Syndrome
3 Keys to Success in the Oncology Care Model

Current Issue

Oncology Vol 32 No 4
Apr 15, 2018 Vol 32 No 4
Digital Edition
Subscribe
Connect with Us
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • RSS
Modern Medicine Network
  • Home
  • About Us
  • Advertise
  • Advertiser Terms
  • Privacy statement
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Editorial & Advertising Policy
  • Editorial Board
  • Contact Us
Modern Medicine Network
© UBM 2018, All rights reserved.
Reproduction in whole or in part is prohibited.