"This provides us with new avenues to investigate for treatment options to treat cancers currently considered incurable."

The research team said another factor attracting attention is the plant's longstanding use in traditional medicine and its safety profile.

"An important consideration is that this plant has a long history of use and is considered non-toxic and safe for use," Prof. Gouws says. "It's anticancer activity comes without the significant side-effects known to occur with most standard chemotherapies."

Other systems in the body may benefit

Researchers also found that the plant may support other systems in the body during treatment.

"Lessertia has known boosting effects for the digestive and immune systems, and it can have mood-enhancing activities as well," she says. "It may therefore not only target the cancer but positively impact the patient as a whole at the same time."

The team is now studying the plant's phytochemicals to identify the molecules responsible for the anticancer activity and understand how they work.

"Although many molecules have been identified and shown to contribute to the anticancer activity of the plant, the mechanism of action remains mostly unclear," says Prof. Gouws.

"We are therefore delving deeper now to try and understand how and why this plant works."

The next phase of the study will include animal model testing later this year to confirm safety and efficacy before future clinical trials can be considered.

At the same time, the researchers are developing a complementary medicine product that may be available in pharmacies by 2027.

Prof. Gouws says the project could also create economic opportunities.

"Chemotherapy can be very expensive and inaccessible in rural areas. A new plant-based treatment will be much more cost-effective and may be more accessible because it can be manufactured locally," she says. "An increase in demand for the plant material will also create economic opportunities through farming."