Table of contents

Introduction

Secret Weapon: Polyphenols

What is special about plums and prunes 

Initial Studies Have Shown Great Promise Till Now

More than Fruits

Nature: Gentle Yet Potent

Chewing for Better Health

Introduction

For centuries, enjoying plums has been synonymous with an appreciation of their potentially rich nutrient value. What current science has unearthed in plums, however, transcends this. It is now reputed to possess miraculous potential in fighting cancer. 

In the future, this humble snacking fruit could be considered an ally in the battle against one of the deadliest diseases.

Secret Weapon: Polyphenols

Each plum and prune contains a group of plant compounds referred to as polyphenols. For a long time, a great deal has been known about these natural antioxidants in promoting good immunity, reducing inflammation, and slowing down the effects of aging. However, the most exciting of their recent discoveries is that polyphenols induce apoptosis (a form of programmed cell death) in cancer cells. 

There is some fascinating science going on: Apoptosis cleanses healthy and vital bodies of damaged and abnormal cells; in contrast, cancer cells stubbornly resist apoptosis and eventually develop into a mass that grows uncontrollably with increasing aggression. 

What is special about plums and prunes 

What is special about plums and prunes is that their polyphenols can obviously redirect these malicious cells back into the apoptotic pathway.

And what is even more amazing?

They do nothing to healthy cells.

Why This is Important

Chemotherapy and radiation may be used in the treatment of cancer. Yet, the treatment is not classified as one without causing side effects on both healthy and malignant cells.

This burgeoning and very active research area involves finding compounds that will target only cancer cells and save the rest of the body. In addition to all these wonderful properties, plums and prunes suddenly become exciting therapeutic agents—safe, cheap, and easily accessible to nearly everyone.

Initial Studies Have Shown Great Promise Till Now

Research is very, very preliminary; laboratory tests have indicated that plum and prune polyphenols may:

* Slow proliferation of cancer cells 

* Induce apoptosis in tumor cells 

* Reduce inflammation involved in cancer formation 

* Help cells live without being affected by oxidative stress—maybe chronic diseases of high prevalence are driven by oxidative stress.

For their part, scientists are urging that this evaluation go much further before these fruits can be officially promoted as agents against cancer. However, such findings hold great promise for food-based strategies in the integration of mainstream prevention and therapy.

More than Fruits

Perhaps what stands plums and prunes apart is their selective intelligence. Unlike most supplements or synthesized drugs, the compounds found in these fruits can choose between what is harmful and what is healthy.

Like apples, it is also potentially therapeutically brilliant.

And much more: Rich in dietary fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, plums and prunes promote digestive health, bone strength, heart function, and energy balance, while having new developing roles in cancer research.  

Nature: Gentle Yet Potent

Natural plant-based compounds are, in most cases, gentler than modern pharmaceuticals and are associated with mild side effects and less collateral damage. This is one reason why spright researchers are turning their eyes more toward foods, herbs, and botanicals as new roads of healing.

Chewing for Better Health

Another factor that provides evidence that plum and prune polyphenols are here to stay, likely for use in the laboratory, is that they make it easy to incorporate one of the most delicious fruits, which contributes to overall health protection against cancer.  

So far, there is still a lot we need to understand about these animals’ capabilities to facilitate cures. But every bite is closer to what healing nature is meant to be, when, usually, it doesn’t come with many harsh side effects or negative fallout, which is one of the reasons for sprightly researchers turning more towards foods, herbs, and botanicals for alternative healing avenues.

It reminds one of the ancient wisdom in nature that “healing doesn’t always come in a pill; sometimes it comes from the quiet growth of a tree.”