Why do people die from cancer?

One of my friends mentioned that his uncle has a tumor in the liver. I asked him whether it is a cancer; he said “No, it is a malignancy”

Have you ever heard this type of sentence? This conversation persuaded me to write this article. Malignancy is the scientific term used for caner.Most of us knows that a cancer is a rapidly dividing group of cells. But what is the difference between a cancer cell and a normal cell? In a human body normal cells can divide certain number of times and after some time these cells die due to ageing. But the cancer cells are immortal. Cell division is rapid as well as unlimited. So these rapidly dividing malignant cells compete with the normal cells for nutrients and oxygen. Ultimately normal cells die off due to nutrition depletion. Some times these cancer cells obstruct certain passages e.g.: Gastro intestinal tract, blood vessel, bilary tract, urinary tract. This will ultimately lead to death of the person. A brain tumor directly interferes the vital functions of the brain and can lead to death.

MEDICINAL PLANTS IN LANDSCAPING

In Sri Lanka 80% of the parcels of land are smallholdings. Most of the gardens confined to home gardens. Some of the plants commonly used in landscape designs although attractive may not of any other value to the owner. Some of the medicinal plants are attractive as well as valuable. If these plants are used as landscape elements they will serve many purposes.Landowners usually try to include several plant species in their gardens. Flowering plants, fruit trees, spices, herbs, grasses and medicinal plants play prominent roles among them. Medicinal plants like any other plants act as primary food producers and purify the atmosphere. By including medicinal plants in the garden it will also help precise identification of the plants. It will lead to conservation of rare medicinal plants. It will also provide an additional income to the owner. Medicinal plants provide first aid material. It will help to maintain an eco- balance, provide shade and help soil conservation. Therefore concept of using medicinal plants as a landscape material is very important as it will not only provide pleasure and beauty but will help conservation of many rare species threatened with extinction. (Marasinghe 2000)A large number of medicinal plants can be used as landscape elements depending on the growth habit, from, texture, color and the size. These plants can replace others that are traditionally used in landscaping. Therefore a study was conducted to identify the potential of the medicinal plants for landscaping home gardens, parks and roadways. The overall objective of the study was to review the potential of some of the medicinal plants that can be used to replace plants that are commonly used in landscaping, to achieve various effects depending on their morphological characters.

Due to the large number of medicinal plants available in Sri Lanka, a selected number of plant species that seem to be more promising were considered.