The long pepper, used in Ayurvedan medicine for 3,000 years, combats breast, lung, bowel, brain and prostate tumours.
The herb helps to kill cancer cells – while leaving healthy ones alone – by targeting a specific chemical.
Currently treating cancer with chemotherapy and radiation endangers healthy cells.
US researchers found a compound called piperlongumine, from the fruit of the flowering pepper plant, which targets a protein produced by cancer cells.
Researchers found compound piperlongumine produced a detoxifying enzyme helping to kill cancerous cells in tumours.
The findings confirm existing studies showing the herb’s incredible cancer cell-killing potential.
It already used in medicine to treat diabetes, asthma and preventing hair loss.
Researchers now hope the herb can be used in conventional medicine to treat the killer disease.
Dr Kenneth Westover, of Texas University’s Southwestern Medical Centre, said: “We are hopeful our structure will enable additional drug development and eventual use in cancer therapies.”
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