Green Tea Shows Promise for Uterine Fibroids

NASHVILLE, Tenn.Researchers at Meharry Medical College discovered an extract of green tea could be used as a treatment for uterine fibroids, a disease that affects 40 percent of reproductive age women. An article published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecologystated an extract of green tea has the ability to kill human leiomyoma cells in tissue cultures and can eradicate fibroid lesions in animal models.

The symptoms of uterine fibroids are often debilitating and include excessive vaginal bleeding, anemia, fatigue and lack of energy. Researchers conducted extensive research on the treatment of fibroid tumors and are dedicated to finding a cure for this disease which disproportionately affects African-American women who are four times more likely to be affected than women from other ethnic groups. Researchers are in the process of recruiting participants for human trials that will begin soon.

The research will be conducted under the umbrella of the Meharry Clinical and Translational Research Center (MeTRC). In 2009, Meharry was awarded a $21.4 million grant from the National Center for Research Resources (NCRR) to establish MeTRC which will help accelerate the process of turning laboratory discoveries into actual cures and treatments used by patients.