Petty Spurge: the common garden weed that could save you a trip to the doctor.
In New Zealand we have some of the highest levels of skin cancer rates in the world (about 82,000 new skin cancer cases each year compared to 16,000 of all other types of cancer).¹
In nature of course, where there is a condition that needs treating, then the treatment will present itself within the environment, in plant form. We are fortunate to have an abundance of a small plant commonly referred to as Petty Spurge (Euphorbia Peplus). This plant has also been known by other names: Milkweed; Radium Plant; Cancer Weed.
Petty Spurge is a common weed found in gardens, beside footpaths and in wild areas. The plant is native to Eurasia and the Mediterranean and found throughout New Zealand and parts of Australia.
The sap from Petty Spurge has been known since the time of Galen, the second-century Greek physician, to have corrosive and healing properties. It was, and still is, a well-known treatment for warts, corns, callouses and skin cancers such as of basal-cell carcinomas (BCCs) and squamous-cell carcinomas (SCCs). The white sap is applied daily for 5 to 7 days, until the wart or skin cancer sloughs off. It is important for the sap not to come into contact with the eyes or lips, or skin adjacent to the site.
Various scientific studies have investigated the effectiveness of the compounds within Petty Spurge for pharmaceutical use for various cancer treatments. The effectiveness of these compounds is illustrated in the 2020 research paper called the New Herbal Biomedicines for the Topical Treatment of Dermatological Disorders (Hoffmann J, Gendrisch F, SchemppCM, Wölfle U).
This research paper documented a randomised double-blind, placebo-controlled study that evaluated the efficacy of the latex (sap) in Petty Spurge called Ingenol Mebutate.
A gel made from 0.025% and 0.05% Ingenol Mebutate was applied topically once daily for three days in 200 patients with actinic keratoses (dry, scaly patches of skin that have been damaged by the sun). The results found that both concentrations of Ingenol Mebutate were highly effective, with 75% and 100% clearing respectively, versus 0% clearing in placebo. Ingenol Mebutate gel was then subsequently approved in 2013 as a prescription drug.
Furthermore, while traditionally, the sap from Petty Spurge is used externally as a remedy for non-melanoma skin cancers, a patent application by Peplin Research Pty. Ltd was granted in 2008, in which the company claimed that the compounds derived by three different species of Euphorbia (including Petty Spurge) “are useful in effective treatment of cancers, particularly malignant melanomas and squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs).” ²
However, it is important to note that while pharmaceutical products derived from Petty Spurge may be available for the treatment of skin issues, our hypothesis is that the natural sap taken straight from the plant would be more effective and safer to use.
We encourage further work be done on evaluating the anti-cancer effectiveness of the sap within the Petty Spurge plant.
¹ https://www.sciencelearn.org.nz/resources/1329-new-zealand-skin-cancer-statistics