The Hydrangea Shrub Might Hold Key to a Cure

The hydrangea could be used to treat a raft of common diseases including diabetes, researchers say. The colourful shrub - a staple of Chinese medicine - has the power to 'revolutionise' the treatment of multiple sclerosis, psoriasis and some forms of diabetes and arthritis, they claimed. These diseases occur when the immune system turns on and attacks the body.

Existing treatments are expensive and do not address the cause of the problem. Now it appears that a drug derived from the hydrangea's root could offer an alternative. A series of experiments found that it blocked the formation of white blood cells involved in autoimmune disease. Crucially, the drug does not seem to affect other kinds of cell vital to the body's defences. Mice with a multiple sclerosis-like disease were far less severely affected when given low doses of the drug, which is called halofuginone, the journal Science reported. Researcher Dr Mark Sundrud said: 'This is really the first description of a small molecule that interferes with autoimmune pathology but is not a general immune suppressant.' Hydrangea root has traditionally been used in Chinese and Native American medicine to relieve inflammation and cleanse the joints. It is one of the 50 staple herbs of Chinese medicine and is also a traditional medicine of north American Cherokee Indians. Leaf extract of hydrangea is also said to have anti-malarial properties. In some species, the colour of the flowers varies with the type of soil. Acidic ground produces blue buds, a neutral pH pale cream petals, and alkaline soils, pink or purple flowers. Halofuginone is already used to treat a rare autoimmune disease that affects the skin and internal organs. But much more research would be needed for it to be given the green light to treat other conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and type 2 diabetes.

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