Mamala (Homalanthus nutans) •Anti-parasitic & Antiviral (HIV, Cancer)

Homalanthus nutans, known as the mamala tree is a small tree in the Euphorbiaceae, or spurge, family native to Samoa in Polynesia, and found mostly in tropical areas that contains anit-parasitic & antiviral properties.

The bark of the tree contains many terpenoids, including prostratin, used by Samoan healers to treat hepatitis, jaundice, and yellow fever (an acute viral disease transmitted by impacted mosquitoes). Research has indicated that the chemical from the bark, called prostratin, has strong antiviral activity. It has in-vitro activity against HIV and is currently in clinical trials for the treatment of HIV. Prostatin is also currently being investigated for therapeutic potential against other diseases including cancer and Alzheimer's disease.

Research shows that prostratin is a protein kinase C inhibitor and could flush viral reservoirs in latently infected T-cells. In other words, it could remove the infection hiding in the immune cells while preventing healthy cells from infection. Since it is a modulator of protein kinase C, also known as PKC, prostratin has the potential to be a treatment for cancer. In fact, PKC is a family of molecules that regulate growth factor response, such as proliferation and apoptosis in cells, and therefore target highly proliferative cells like cancer cells.