To date many kinds of compounds have been obtained from plants kingdom as antineoplastic and anti-cancerous agents. However, there is no special type of compounds for cancer therapy. Various types of substances are effective for various types of cancers and tumors: for instance, alkaloids. lignans, terpenes and steroids etc. Curcumol obtained from Curcuma aromatica was tested and noticed to be effective against cancer of the uterine cervix clinically. Oridonin isolated from Rabdosia ssp. is now investigate for clinical trials in China. Moreover camptothecine isolated from Camptotheca acuminata is also antineoplastic alkaloid, but is very toxic. Chemical modification has been tried to decrease its toxicity This compound is now using as clinical agent. Harringtonin was investigated as an anticancerous drug in China. Taxol, a compound with a taxane ring isolated from the bark of Taxus brevifotia. has been demonstrated to have substantial anticancer activity in patients with solid tumors refractory standard chemotherapy. Supply of this drug has severely limited full exploration of its antineoplastic potential Some efforts are continued in National Cancer Institute(NCI) Washington for surveying various Taxus species for optimal taxol content, improvement in semi-synthesis from baccatin 111, improvement in method of extraction, and development of alternative renewable resources. Further, there are many compounds which have been reported as antineoplastic agents. On the other hand, we have screened on higher plants collected In Japan, China, Korea. Southeast Asia and South America for antineoplastic activity, which has been done using Sarcoma 180 ascites in mice, P388 Iymphocytic leukemia In mice, Chinese hamster lung V-79 cells, P388 cells and nasopharynx carcinoma(KB) cells in our laboratory, as primary screening. In this meeting, 1 will present on antitumor and cytotoxic substances of the higher plants(Rubis cordifolia, Ailanthus vilmoriniana, Aster tataricus, Taxus cuspidata var. nana, Cephalotaxus harringtonia var. drupacea, etc.) selected from above screening tests.

Many plant species are used in Malaysia in folk medicine for the treatment of cancer. This paper presents some of these species with details on other ethnopharmacological uses, the known bioactivities and some chemical constituents of each of the species given. It is normal practice in traditional medicine that one species of plant is used to treat various ailments. Thus the plant species listed are all used to treat cancer but have various other ethnophrmacological uses as well, some with few other uses and rest with many other uses. Information on bioactivities of each species resulting from tests on human and experimental animals are also given. Proven bioactivities give strength to ethnopharmacological claims on the efficacies of plant resources in the treatment of cancer and various other ailments but will but will not necessarily lead to the production of new pharmaceutical drugs. Many of the known chemical constituents of each species are given. This shows the richness and variety of chemicals containes in each of the species listed. The chemicals listed may or may not prove to be important in the pharmaceutical sciences but is an indication of what each species contatin in thrms of plant chemicals. It is a well known fact that many of the pharmaceutical prescriptions in present day use are of plant origin and semi-synthetic or fully synthetic chemicals produced using knowledge gained from studies of phytochemicals. Thus the paper presented will give useful information and also shows the richness of plant species that have high potentials for the development of anti-cancer resources from plants in Malaysia.

The opening process of cut calla flower was faster at 30 t than at lower temperatures as it could be expected from its tropical origin. Gibberellin enhanced the flower opening, however, it also speeded up senescent. Silver thiosulfate was effective in prolonging the vase life of the cut calla flower. Silver thiosulfate reduced ethylene generation by the flower and inhibited microbial growth in the flower stalk. Reduction in ethylene generation and inhibition of microbial growth is thought to be responsible for the extension of the vase life of cut calla flowers by silver thiosulfate.

Umbelliferae medicinal crops have low germination under natural condition. Special objective of this study is to investigate morphological characteristics of seeds and effects of environmental factors such as light and temperature on their germination and seedling growth in Umbelliferae plants, using them as oriental medicine materials. Fruits of Umbelliferae are bi-partite type and form 2 seeds. Their oil canals and funiculus or carpaphore has apparently specific shape. Seed shape of Buplerum falcatum, Ligusticum acutilobum and Foeniculum vulgare are oblong, Ledeboutiella seseloides, Angelica dahurica, Angelica gigas elliptic, and Ostericum koreanum ovate. Color of seed coats varied from yellow to dark brown. Seed size was 3.2 to 6.9 mm in length, 1.7 to 4.9 mm in width. One thousand-seed weight of Buplerum falcatum was lowest(at 1,660 mg) and Ledebouriella seseloides and Angelica gigas were relatively highest(at 3,970 mg) having larger size than any others. Optimum temperatures for seed germination and seedling growth ranged from 20 to 25℃ and especially temperature at 25℃ improved seed germinations of Ledebouriella seseloides, Angelica dahurica and Ligusticum acutilobum regardless of light condition.

Autotoxicity restricts reseeding of new alfalfa(Medicago sativa L.) after alfalfa until autotoxic chemical(s) breaks down or is dispersed into external environments, often requiring up to a year or more. One solution for reducing autotoxicity would be to select germplasms or cultivars with tolerance to the autotoxic chemical(5) and use genetically breeding program. Bioassay of seed germination and early seedling growth was conducted to evaluate autotoxic responses of 3 varieties of alfalfa to the water-soluble extracts(at 4 and 8g/L) from alfalfa ‘Cody’leaf by using agar and filter paper medium in a petri-dish assay. Root length at 5 days after seeding was more sensitive to the extract than was hypocotyl length or seed germination, and was a better parameter of autotoxic effects of alfalfa leaf extracts. Use of an agar medium gave better sensitivity of root length than did use of filter paper. Evaluating tolerance with percent of control was more important indicator than was mean of root length because of significant variation among varieties in root length of control treatment. Bioassay ranked varieties in the following order of tolerance on the basis of relative root length; “Cody” >“ Pioneer 5373” >“ Alfagraze”. Seedling growth from old “Cody” seed was more sensitive to the autotoxic chemical(5) than was that from newly produced seed.

Many mushrooms of toadstool were collected all over the Korea from March 1976 to September 1999. They were identified and classified into anti-cancer mushrooms of toadstool. According to the result they were composed of 12 families, 19 genera and 32 species. Among them,26 species of mushroom of toadstool is experimented about how their anticancer function works in China. But untill now, there has not been any other studies for medcinal function in Korea.

As indicated by Chinese letters “沙赫” (sha-ji) is the ripe fruit of Seabuckthron(Hippophae rhamnoides Linneus) family Flaeagnaceae is one of ancient natural medicine used by the Tibetan and Mongolian nationallites with ancient methods to treat desease. It is an effectiv Traditional Tibetan medicine. Bud only now are they beginning to be understood in the world of modern medicine. Hippophae was written in the book of Traditional Tibetan Medicine - “Somalaza” (8th century), “Sibuyidian” (1840) and “Jingzhubencao” (Qing Dynasty). The “Sibuyidien” was trnslated in to the Russian and published at 1903 in the Russian. Then the Russian bigan to study on Hippophae and they have achieved great successes. The Chinese scientists began to study on the chemical constituent and medical action with modern technique at 1952. With more than 40 years painstaking eport they have conceived and used a wide variety of experimental screening systems, achieved successes. Finally they with one's own tests has keen verified that the crude drug being various kind of bioactive substance could inhibits tumor, increase immunity, wipe out free radical, prevent disease of cardiovascular system, have anti-radiation, anti-inflammeutory effects. At 1977 the Hippophae rhamnoides was written in Chinase Pharmacopoeia.

Lampteromyces japonicus is the most popular source of mushroom poisoning in Japan. We isolated poisonous substance, illudin S, 40 years ago, which shower strong anti-tumoric activity. Its analogs are now the most hopeful anti-cancer agent. Clitocybe acromelalgia gives unique poisoning which exhibits symptoms similar to acromelalgia and erythromelalgia. We intended to isolate the toxin causing these poisoning but neuroexciatory compounds, acromelic acids A and B, were isolated. They are now known as the most potent glutamate agonists and good reagents for the study of the glutamate receptor of a neurocell.