The diagnosis of Dr. Samuela did not give encouraging results for Mona Pengkei due to a tumor that arose due to lymph node abnormalities. The news was much more tragic, and it was the mother of one child. On her doctor’s prescription, she immediately took the medicine she needed for healing in the pharmacy. Unfortunately, the dream of a complete cure began to fade over time. A year later, from taking this medicine her doctor prescribed, the disease did not disappear. This was reason enough for Mona to start an alternative treatment system.
However, there has not been much progress with alternative treatment either. The pain did not subside. “I was anxious and nervous because I was married and gave birth to a small child,” she said. Her dissatisfaction and restlessness culminated because one vein ruptured during the tumor’s growth, and blood began to flow from the wound. She was in great pain for the next 3 weeks.
The hope of salvation was still present. When her husband left home searching for the powdered medicine Sarang Semut recommended to him by his colleagues, hope returned. The product packaging said: Mirmecodia Sarang Semut, among others, cures tumors and cancer. On that day in mid-2005, she started drinking this herbal essence.
Sarang semut ant plant
Sarang semut literally means “anthill” in Indonesia. Despite their name, the Sarang semut was not made by ants themselves. Sarang semut is a plant species attached to a tree and grows on high parts of the tree. This plant is divided into two groups: Mirmecodia and Hinophitium, which have a dozen subspecies. Ants and fungi inhabit the interior of this plant. Ants, fungi, and plants are connected symbiosis, where ants and fungi feed, and their bodies create waste that feeds the plant. Ants guard the plant, and the plant body gives them protection for the anthill.
The ant-plant grows on mangroves and other trees along the coast at 2400m. You can find Mipmecodia anthill in places where cattle are grazed, but you can rarely find it in lowland tropical forests. More often, you can find it in agricultural areas at an altitude of 600 meters.
In addition to mangoes, you can find this plant on species such as pine, beech, and very rarely on trees with smooth bark, such as eucalyptus. In the wild, Sarang semut is inhabited by various species of ants, most often three species Iridomirmek ant. Most samples’ identification determined that the most common species inhabiting Sarang semut Ochetellus sp.
This plant has long been used by primitive tribes inhabiting East Indonesia as well natural remedy for various diseases. The tree of this plant is thinly cut, dried, and crumbled. Mona’s husband brought this preparation to his wife to remove cancer. She drank a glass of ant drink three times a day. A month later, the boil’s tumor disappeared, the wound healed, and the pain stopped.
Cases of cancer treatment
Mona was interested in what was really happening to her. In September 2005, she went to see her doctor, who initially suggested that she have surgery on the tumor. I was amazed at how I recovered, ”she recalls. “Then the doctor asked me if I was taking any other medications?” “People came to him with the same symptoms, but he never saw someone’s condition improve so quickly.”
Brain tumor Linda Hedriyani (age 20) – Linda was diagnosed with a brain tumor at 17 due to very severe headaches. He went through session after session of chemotherapy with little or no success. When almost all hope was gone, she opted for the ant-plant extract she had heard about from a production worker held by her family. After 3 weeks of therapy, she began to feel significant progress. The pain due to the spread of the tumor disappeared. She was able to perform all activities normally.
Lung cancer Hamir Hamid- “With a lung cancer diagnosis established by a CT scan of the chest, I was hospitalized in Fatmavati Hospital. My son-in-law recommended an ant-plant to me as an alternative treatment. After a few months, I had another CT scan. My doctors were confused and had a hard time believing what they saw. The tumor is gone! ”
Sarang semut ant-plant, its mechanisms against cancer activity, safety, toxicity, and dosage
Mona Pengkei and the other patients listed, and their cures are not coincidental. Researchers from neighboring countries have proven many patients’ claims through scientific research. In vitro tests have shown that the ant-plant is very effective against cancer cells. Let us mention some of these researchers, Kui Kim Tran from the National University of Ho Chi Minh, with colleagues Yasuhiro Tezuka, Yuko Harimai, and Ayrun Hari Banskota from the Toyama University of Pharmacy.
Ant plant
The plant weighing 2-3 kilograms was extracted with nitrogen solvents such as water, methanol, and a mixture of methanol and water. Then, 3 types of highly metastatic lines of cancer cells were developed (they can easily spread to other parts of the body), such as cervical cancer, lung cancer, and colon cancer.
The ant-plant extract was then given to each group of cancer cells. The result was amazing: Sarang semut showed antiproliferative activities. In medicine, proliferation means accelerated and very active growth of cancer cells. Cancer is associated with the uncontrolled development of cancer cells and their growth. “The anti-proliferative effect means that this drug inhibited the process of cancer cell proliferation,” said Dr. Willy Japaries Mars, a scientist at Alumni University in Indonesia.
Sarang semut in the media
So far, it has been proven that the extract with methanol, water, and methanol, and water successfully inhibits the growth of certain types of cancer and tumor cells in in vitro activity and that the level of inhibition is quite high. One of the mechanisms that have been discovered is the induction of apoptosis, which is indicated by changes in morphology and DNA fragmentation.
The ant-plant extract with ethanol is also a proven active compound containing histone deacetylases that have effective anticancer activity. HDAC inhibitors have been shown to inhibit tumor cell growth, induce differentiation, and cause apoptotic cell death in breast, lung, ovarian, prostate, and colon cancer cells. HDAC inhibitors cause transcriptional activation of several genes whose expression inhibits tumor cancer.
Scientific research
According to Professor Dr. Sumali Viriovidagdo, a professor in the Department of Pharmacy at the University of Indonesia, epiphytic plants such as Sarang semut have really great potential as a medicine. If plants live in symbiosis with other organisms, they are usually rich in secondary metabolites. All creatures have primary metabolites: carbohydrates, proteins, fats, and fatty acids. Secondary metabolites are alkaloids, terpenoids, steroids, and glycosides, and they are not always present in all plants.
Animal research
Another scientific study was conducted by Muhammad Ahkam Suborat, which ensured the safety of consuming Sarang Semut plant extract. In March 2006, he tested the safety level of Sarang semut extract consumption. The water extract of this plant was used on 3 groups of rats. Each group of rats consisted of 10 animals, 5 males and 5 females, 3 months old, and 16 grams.
After fasting for eight hours, 3 groups of rats received Sarang semut plant extract with a subsequent dose of 7.5 microliters per group, 75 microliters, and 750 microliters. The extract was administered orally. When converted to human values for a 50 kg human, the equivalent dose of 7.5 microliters for rats would be 30 tablespoons per human.
The result? Up to 5 days, Sarang semut plant extract in all doses did not affect the kidneys’ performance, liver, heart, spleen, reproductive organs, and lungs. That is, all organs continued to function normally. On day 12, organ function in groups 1 and 2 showed no change from the control group. However, in group 3, there was degeneration of the lysis of the kidneys’ epithelial tubules.
research results
Research has shown that consuming one tablespoon of this extract 3 times a day is still very safe. Ahkama’s chronic toxicity tests have also threatened safety issues. Rodents were re-included in these tests. They were divided into two groups, each consisting of 5 males and 5 females. Group A received 1500 microliters and group B 3000 microliters of water extract from the Sarang semut.
Although the dose was increased by about 400 times, since 3 weeks have passed, not a single rat has died. All examined rats remained healthy during this time. The toxicology test was finally completed. No lethal dose of LD50 was found. Obviously, this extract was not poisonous enough to kill at a concentration up to 400 times higher than usual. That is good news, but we will have to wait for research with 1000 times higher concentrations. “However, such a high dose is not practical because it requires a person to consume up to one kilogram of extract during the day,” said the main researcher of this experiment.
Ahkam concluded that although the LD50 level is high in the ant-plant, the safety of this plant’s users and its extract is ensured. For example, in chemotherapy, the lethal dose is only 10 times higher than allowed, while in the case of a dead plant, this dose can reach a level up to 400 times higher.
Other research on the ant plant
Scientific research conducted by various scientific teams is just one step in discovering the ant-plant potential. An in vitro test is not enough because in vitro tests cannot guarantee success in vivo. Many factors such as hormones and other body metabolic actions can affect its mechanism of action.
It has been noticed that the herbal extract of the ant-plant from Papua has gained enormous popularity in public. This plant has advantages in treating many diseases, from mild ones such as bleeding, ulcers, hemorrhoids to severe diseases such as tumors and cancer, tuberculosis, and coronary heart disease. Also, this plant can improve and facilitate breast milk production and restore the health of women after childbirth, increase endurance, and be used as an aphrodisiac.
Finally, it should be emphasized that there are only three species of this plant that have medicinal properties, although there are tens of them. People should be careful in choosing a plant, and it is best for an expert who understands plants’ choice to do so.
How to use the extract?
There are two ant-plant products: dry powder and capsule extract. The powdered product should be boiled in water. It takes a lot of time to prepare this essence, and the relatively small effect of this method makes this way of consumption quite unpopular. Consumption of an encapsulated product is a much more popular form.
Generally, children under the age of 10 are given half the adults’ dose.
This product is taken in the form of 500 capsules as a treatment for any disease, 2 capsules at once, three times a day, and for healthy people, two capsules once a day are recommended.
