'Braveheart' war paint could help tackle cancer: study

A plant that provided war paint for ancient Britons and Celts may be a modern-day aid for fighting cancer, Italian researcher suggest.

A team of researchers from the University of Bologna say the woad plant - which produces blue dye of the same name - contains an anti-cancer compound called glucobrassicin.

The chemical is also found in other plants such as broccoli and cauliflower.

The scientists say the compound is effective in fighting breast cancer, and plays an active role in flushing out cancer-causing chemicals.

The researchers found that the woad plant contains 20 times more glucobrassicin than broccoli.

The amount of glucobrassicin increases even more - by 30 per cent - when the plant is damaged. That's because a defence mechanism takes over to produce more of the substance.

Because of this the scientists found even more success in extracting the substance after intentionally damaging part of the plant.

Many studies in the past have said that broccoli - and other vegetables containing glucobrassicin - has many health benefits, but scientists say this compound has been difficult to extract to conduct these studies.

The Italian researchers hope that this source can help scientists more easily conduct studies on plants' role in fighting cancer.

The researchers' study was published in the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture.

Photography: The Gutter

Source: Discovery Channel Reports, August 14 edition