Kangaroo Apple / Poroporo

Solanum laciniatum (Kangaroo Apple) is native to Australia and New Zealand where it holds cultural significance in both Aboriginal and Māori healing traditions. Its primary importance to oncology lies in solasodine — a steroidal alkaloid used industrially as a precursor for the synthesis of steroid hormones and corticosteroids. In its own right, solasodine glycosides (SBG — solasodine rhamnosyl glycosides) show striking selective cytotoxicity against cancer cells. BEC (a specific solasodine glycoside fraction developed in Australia) has been clinically trialled for skin cancers and shows approximately 78% cure rates for keratoacanthomas and basal cell carcinomas in published studies by Dr. Bill Cham. The mechanism is highly selective — solasodine glycosides bind specifically to a receptor overexpressed in cancer cells, delivering the toxic aglycone intracellularly with minimal effect on normal tissue. Related Solanum species (S. sodomaeum, S. nigrum) are being studied across multiple cancer types.