The University of Pittsburgh backed claims long made by Indian scientists that the herbal drug Triphala inhibits the growth of cancer and outright kills tumor cells, drastically reducing the lesion's size in half.

Scientists in Pittsburgh have just finished preliminary research with mice grafted with human pancreatic tumors. Fed orally with a milligram of Triphala each day, the mice showed remarkable results by the end of the research. More importantly, the Indian herbal medicine  has proven to have preventive properties as far as cancer is concerned.

The herbal drug is a mixture of powdered leaves coming from three plants. In India, it has long been used as a laxative and a digestion aid. Indians have also used it to boost appetite and treat diarrhea. It also can also boost red blood cells and aid in fat reduction.

Herbal drugs have been popular in developing countries but a lot of doubt has been cast on these medicines in the west because of the many incidents of exaggeration entailed in them. Now, American medical research units are realizing the value embedded in plant-based cures and are looking more closely at the possibility of discovering truths behind the hype.