Eat Your Greens to Cure Cancer

There is a New Year's tradition where I live that involves eating collard greens and black eye peas. I don't know the background of the tradition, but perhaps these foods are supposed to ensure health and prosperity for the upcoming year. In fact, there may be considerable health benefits to eating collards and other greens (e.g., turnips, mustard greens, cabbage, and even broccoli). The phytochemicals found in green leafy plants are known to help protect against diseases such as cancer, but it turns out they may also be used to help cure cancer. Scientists at the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station are seeking a patent to use diindolylmethane (DIM), a natural compound derived from greens, to stop tumor growth. DIM is commercially available as a natural supplement for cancer prevention and will face clinical trials for use as a cancer treatment. You can read more at UPI Newstrack (the same page also has articles about an enzyme that deactivates the Mad Cow Disease prion and use of chitin from shrimp to treat hay fever).
Medical Chemistry|Mad Cow Disease