Madagascar Periwinkle

1. Madagascar periwinkle
One of the medicinal plants I found very interesting in the Huntington Library’s herb garden was titled: Catharanthus roseus. Based on the Kew Royal Botanical Gardens’ website, it states that the plant’s common name is called: “Madagascar periwinkle”. Another common name for this plant, rosy periwinkle, derives from the fact that the plant is grown in a diversity of reds and pinks. In fact, this plant is native to the Madagascar Island, therefore it is named Madagascar periwinkle. However, Madagascar periwinkle is widely cultivated and domesticated all over the tropical rainforest areas plus some other subtropical areas although it originates from Madagascar. It is like the ultimate cancer cure from the rainforest.
This plant is very popular in the treatment of cancer diseases today.
Traditionally, people in Madagascar and all the places where the plant is naturalized uses Madagascar periwinkle to treat various kinds of illnesses.
Backed in the 1950s, scientists found out the several extremely toxic alkaloids hidden in the plant’s tissues when they were studying the anti-diabetic properties of the plant. The two powerful alkaloids that is inside the Madagascar periwinkle’s dark green leaves, vinblastine and vincristine. Eventually, vinblastine and vincristine comes to place by disturbing part of cell division and stops the process when newly copied DNA is split into two identical parts to produce two identical new cells. Furthermore, vincristine is being used to treat Hodgkins’ lymphoma whereas vinblastine was acknowledged as a medication that increased the chance of children leukemia survival rate going from 10 percent to approximately 95 percent. Both of these alkaloids are strong plant chemicals that benefits the human body. Since very few amounts of vinblastine and vincristine is in the plant, large amounts are cultivated in order to make little amounts of medicine. At first, rosy periwinkle was just used by the traditional Madagascan healers to treat diabetes. Later, around the 1960s, the Eli Lilly drug co. discovered that the plant also helps to fight
cancer.
On the other hand, Madagascar periwinkle has many other folk names.
In France, it is recognized as the “Sorcerer’s Violet“. The plant was the best flower that makes charms and love potions with 'wise folk'. Madagascar periwinkle was one of the plants that people believe it has the power to drive out evil spirits. Besides being known as the “Sorcerer’s Violet”, the rosy periwinkle was traditionally referred to as the “Flower of Death” in Italy. It is named as the “Flower of Death” because of the extreme toxicity of the flower and the entire plant. Although rosy periwinkle is a valuable medicine, moreover, it is also very poisonous. Even if only a small amounts of the plant was consumed, it can be destructive to one’s health too. On the contrary, the use of vinblastine and vincristine was a folk medicine that derives from Jamaica. In the Indian tradition, the rosy periwinkle is used as a remedy for wasp stings. To heal wasp stings, take a handful of fresh periwinkle leaves and wash it thoroughly. Then, pound the leaves in a mortar and pestle, while the leaves are still wet, to a fine paste without adding any water. Apply the leaves on the affected area and tie with a thin muslin cloth to prevent the paste from falling
down.

2. Cranberry Hibiscus
Works Cited
"Anti-cancer: Rosy Periwinkle - The Living Rainforest." The Living Rainforest. The Living Rainforest, 17 Aug. 2009. Web. 17 Nov. 2015. .
"Catharanthus Roseus (Madagascar Periwinkle)." Catharanthus Roseus (Madagascar Periwinkle). Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Web. 16 Nov. 2015. .
"Periwinkles." A Modern Herbal. Botanical.com. Web. 22 Nov. 2015.