Couroupita guianensis, a plant from the Lecythidaceae family commonly known as Ayahuma or Cannonball tree, is distributed in the tropical regions of northern South America and Southern Caribbean [1]. The evergreen tree is allied to the Brazil nut (Bertholletia excelsa) [5], and it is known as Cannonball tree because of its brown canon-ball-like fruits (see right image at the end of this article). The tree is quite common in India, where you can find it in places as Rajpipla, in Gujarat, a state in northwestern India, with four trees in the Indrajit-Padmini Mahal, better known as Vadia  [6].

Among the many medicinal properties that this plant exerts we can mention its use to treat hypertension, tumours, pain, inflammatory processes, cold, stomach ache, skin diseases, malaria, wounds and toothache [1]. Image left: Cannonball tree flower by Steven Brewer under Creative Commons license (CC BY-SA 2.0).

COUROUPITA GUIANENSIS

Family: Lecythidaceae 
Genus: Couroupita
Common name: Ayahuma, Cannonball Tree, Brazil nut,  নাগকেশর, Nagakeshar, নাগালিংগম, Nagalingam.

Chinese Bayberry (Myrica rubra) is a subtropical evergreen tree originating in China [1], where it has been cultivated and consumed for more than 7,000 years, becoming part of Chinese traditional medicine as part of herbal remedies for some ailments and illnesses. It is primarily cultivated in southern China for several thousand years [1], in high altitude lands and mountains, having a total annual production of over 1.1 million tons. The best known cultivars are Biqi and Dongkui, both from the Zhejiang province [1]. There are four species within the genus Myrica in China, namely Myrica rubra, esculenta, nana and adenophora.

Due to its delicious taste and the amount of health benefits exerted by Chinese bayberry, the areas in which it is cultivated has considerably extended in the last year, becoming considerably bigger in China and being introduced also in Australia [1].  Image left: Yumberry berries by Carsten Ullrich under Creative Commons License (CC BY-SA 2.0).

MYRICA RUBRA

Family: Myricaceae
Genus: Myrica
Common name: Chinese Bayberry, Japanese Bayberry, Red Bayberry, Yumberry, Waxberry, or Chinese strawberry tree [9].

With over 900 types, Mistletoe (Viscum album), commonly known as European mistletoe, is a semi-parasite plant that grows on different host trees [1] and has been mostly known for being part of the Christmas tradition as well as being used for decoration in most of our countries, becoming part of those traditional Christmas symbols that became part of this special celebration. Other plants as Rafflesia arnoldii, the biggest flower in the world, are also example of semi-parasitic plants.

Kissing under the mistletoe tradition dates back to Roman times, being a later synthesis of the Sexual license of Saturnalia with the Druidic sacrificial cult [18,19].

The first documented used of Mistletoe (Viscum album) for the treatment of cancer dates back to 1920, when mistletoe extracts were introduced for the first time as a cancer treatment by Rudolf Steiner (1861-1925),  founder of anthroposophy [9,10], a philosophy that postulates the existence of an objective, intellectually comprehensible spiritual world accessible to direct experience through inner development [11]. But in Europe the use of Mistletoe is not limited to the treatment of cancer but also arthrosis, hypertension, arteriosclerosis, diabetes etc [8]. Image: The moment by Stephen Willis under Creative Common license (CC BY-SA 2.0).

VISCUM ALBUM

Family: Viscaceae
Genus: Viscum
Common name: Mistletoe, European Mistletoe, Common Mistletoe.

Resveratrol (3,5,4'-trihydroxy-trans-stilbene), is a non-flavonoid polyphenol [6] naturally occurring in several foods and plants as red grapes (Vitis vinifera), where it is primarily found in the skin but also in its seeds, and also in the roots of hellebore (Veratrum album), from where it was originally isolated by Takaoka back in 1940 [7], and in more than other 70 plant species, among which we can mention berries and peanuts [1].

In spite nowadays it is widely known that Resveratrol may exert many health benefits, as for example stop breast cancer cell growth, increase longevity, be cardioprotective, neuroprotective [2], to treat pain, inflammation, tissue injury and even beneficial against coronary heart disease [1], something that was only found back in 1992, to reduce the risk of neurodegenerative diseases as Alzheimer's disease and since now another one, its susceptibility to be used as a radiation enhancer in the treatment of prostate cancer cells.

A University of Missouri researcher has discovered that Resveratrol can make prostate tumor cells more susceptible to radiation treatment, increasing the chances of a full recovery from all types of prostate cancer, including aggressive tumors. Image: Red grapes by Danny Molyneux under Creative Common license (CC BY 2.0).

RESVERATROL

Formula: 3,5,4'-trihydroxy-trans-stilbene
Occurrence: Red grapes, berries, peanuts, hellebore