FROM FOLKLORE TO LAB: Nagaland University study reveals breakthrough

Researchers validate medicinal properties of endangered Meghalaya plant with anticancer potential

Nagaland University researchers, in collaboration with Assam Down Town University, have conducted the first-ever scientific investigation on Goniothalamus simonsii Hook. f. Thoms., an endangered and endemic medicinal plant native to Meghalaya’s forests.

The study, published in Chemistry and Biodiversity in October 2025, provides the first scientific validation for the traditional use of the plant, long employed by local communities to treat gastrointestinal complications, throat irritation, typhoid fever, and malaria. Researchers found that G. simonsii contains bioactive phytochemicals with strong antioxidant, antimicrobial, and anticancer properties.

Using advanced analytical tools and com