Arum palaestinum Boiss. is a time-honored botanical in Traditional Arabic Palestinian herbal medicine, where it has been used to strengthen bones and treat cancer, parasites, infections, and many other maladies. Recent work demonstrates anticarcinogenic action both in vitro and in vivo, and that work is coupled with a proof-of-principle mechanism of action data showing induction of the pro-apoptotic protein, caspase-6. The data to date is strongest for an Arum palaestinum extract that has been fortified with isovanillin, linolenic acid, and β-sitosterol, constituents that are endemic to a crude water extract of Arum palaestinum. Safety data regarding toxicity are encouraging. Acute dosing animal studies and in vitro studies, which compare effects on cancerous and healthy cell lines, show toxicity thus far limited to cancer cells. Future phase 1 and phase 2 clinical trials are necessary to fully understand pharmacokinetics in humans and to potentially demonstrate clinical efficacy in human populations.
