Fagonia Cretica

Other Names : Manto de la Virgen, Virgin's Mantle.
belongs to the Caltrop family and grows in arid desert areas of Pakistan, India, Africa, and Europe. The small spiny shrub has small, five-petal violet flowers, but it is the leaves that are used by Pakistani women to make a tea called dramah.

Health Benefits and uses of Fagonia Cretica are

• Antimicrobial activity of the plant against such common bacteria as E. coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, among others. They discovered that extracts of F. cretica showed promise against all the tested bacteria, suggesting the plant should be studied further.
• An earlier study in National Products Research reported that the herbal remedy was effective in eliminating and neutralizing the activity of snake venom. While Fagonia cretica has been used by herbalists in the past for snake bites, the authors of the recent study noted that their finding "provides a scientific basis for the use of F cretica in traditional medicine for the treatment of snake bite."
• This helps in reducing severity of headache that many people suffer from during morning hours and feel dizzy.
• The drink is also popular in removing waste products in the body and leaves your blood stream clean and contaminants free.
• Scientists also reveal that the beverage is good for boosting the functions of your brain.
• Bone Health : increasing the bond density and keeping the bone membranes intact. The drink also reduces the rate at which you can contact osteoporosis.
• Cancer : fights free radicals in the body.
• Breast cancer : The leaves that are used by Pakistani women to make a tea called dramah. Like many folklore remedies, the healing claims made by people who have used Fagonia cretica piqued the interest of scientists, who set out to determine if there is any validity to them. That was the goal of the scientists at Aston University in Birmingham, Alabama, and Russells Hall Hospital in Dudley, UK. The team used plant extracts on two human breast cancer cell lines. Within 5 hours of treatment, they noted inhibited growth of the cell cycle, while apoptosis (cell suicide) was observed within 24 hours. An added benefit was that the herbal extract did not damage normal breast cells.

References

• Lam M et al. An aqueous extract of Fagonia cretica induces DNA damage, cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in breast cancer cells via FOXO3a and p53 expression. PLoS One 2012; 7(6): e40152
• Razi MT et a. Antihaemorrhagic potentials of Fagonia cretica against Naja naja karachiensis (black Pakistan cobra) venom. Natural Product Research 2011 Dec; 25(20): 1902-7
• Sajid B et al. Phytochemical screening and antimicrobial activity of Gaoia cretica plant extracts against selected microbes. Journal of Pharmacy Research 2011; 4(4)