BACKGROUND
Medicinal plants from the Sinai desert are widely used in traditional Bedouin medicine to treat a range of conditions including, cancers, and may thus be useful sources of novel anti-tumor compounds. Information on plants used in this way was obtained through collaboration with Bedouin
Oleanders are common, hardy shrubs that grow throughout the southern United States. They contain cardiotonic steroids formed from cardenolides and bufadienolides, making the plant poisonous to both animals and humans. Aliquots of both commercially available oleander and fresh oleander extracts were