Scientists discover the mechanism by which the Chinese herb chang shan treats malaria
Submitted by lok-kwan on Mon, 05/13/2013 - 5:32pm
"The new structure shows that, like a wrench in the works, halofuginone jams the gears of a molecular machine that carries out "aminoacylation," a crucial biological process that allows organisms to synthesize the proteins they need to live. Chang Shan, also known as Dichroa febrifuga Lour, probably helps with malarial fevers because traces of a halofuginone-like chemical in the herb interfere with this same process in malaria parasites, killing them in an infected person's bloodstream." (Science Daily Dec. 23, 2012)