Medicinal value of Eucalyptus (E. camaldulensis)

Cancer is the second most common cause of mortality of human being. Research is going on all over the world to develop treatment modalities, including chemotherapy for better management of this deadly disease. Drugs lead compounds of natural origin are the potential candidate for the development of functionally active chemotherapeutic agents. Eucalyptus is a diverse genus (more than 700 species) of flowering tree distributed worldwide predominantly in tropics and subtropics. Bio-active principles obtained from Eucalyptus have wide range of pharmacological potentials as well as applications. This work was designed to investigate the anticancer property of E. camaldulensis in animal model. Compounds and extracts from this plant exhibited strong inhibition of cancer cells growth with minimal host toxicity. Apoptosis of cancer cells was triggered with the treatment of this plant ingredient. Development of drugs exploiting Eucalyptus may unveil a new hope for cancer treatment in future.