THE mango tree is all set to become more famous for its therapeutic qualities than for its delicious fruits. It has been claimed by some Indian scientists that an extract from the bark of the mango tree suppresses cancerous growth, and that an isolate from mango leaves checks, the growth of the deadly AIDS virus. The substance named NII-78, "has showed remarkable ability to regress the growth of tumour even in extremely small doses", said Shakti Upadhyaya, a scientist from the National Institute of Immunology. The trials have so far been done on animals and human trials will hopefully begin soon. Meanwhile, the institute will be applying for a patent On NII-78.
But the claim to fame for the mango tree rests with a substance isolated from its leaves, which can stop the growth of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), commonly known as the AIDS virus. The breakthrough has been reported by the Chittranjan National Hospital in Calcutta. The trials of the leaf isolates were done on AIDS patients by the National Institute of Healing in Washington. They found the isolates to be effective against HIV.
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