Firebirds Fight Their Way to Season’s Second Win; Defeat Mercy 83-66

December 14, 2013

Video | Recap | Box Score

Freshman Reggie Sidbury scored 18 points on 6-of-9 shooting from the field.

FINAL	1	2	T
Mercy (0-8, 0-2 ECC)	33	33	66
Dist. Columbia (2-6, 1-2 ECC)	39	44	83
Washington, D.C.

MERCY	DIST. COLUMBIA
Pts: Keshinro, Olajide - 15	Pts: Lenjo Kilo - 31
Reb: Smith, LeBrandon - 8	Reb: Lenjo Kilo - 16
Ast: Stitchell, Nate - 5	Ast: Prince Ritson - 5

TEAM STATISTICS	MERCY	DIST. COLUMBIA
Field Goal %	40.9% (27-66 )	50.0% (31-62 )
Rebounds	27	52
Assists	13	11
Turnovers	6	15
Pts off Turnovers	22	5
2nd Chance Pts	9	19
Pts in the Paint	26	34
Fastbreak Pts	0	0
Bench Pts	23	7

full stats

WASHINGTON, DC – With a roster still void of two of its most explosive offensive threats, the University of the District of Columbia men's basketball team battled through to earn its second win of the season, 83-66 over East Coast Conference foe, Mercy on Saturday afternoon in the nation's capital.

Once again, junior transfer forward Lenjo Kilo (Biology – Silver Spring, MD/Seton Hill) carried the Firebirds (2-6, 1-2 ECC) with game-highs of 31 points, 16 rebounds and four blocked shots. This was his second straight game with over 30 points and over 15 rebounds, and his four blocks was a season-high. Freshman guard Reggie Sidbury (Social Work – Landover, MD/Charles Herbert Flowers HS) added 18 points on 6-of-9 shooting from the field and sophomore shooting guardOmar Abbas (Electrical Engineering – Alexandria, Egypt/Egyptian American HS) pitched in 12 points. Meanwhile, junior transfer guard Prince Ritson (Psychology – Greenbelt, MD/Bowie St.) had a great all-around effort with 11 points, a season-high nine rebounds, and a game-high five assists, and sophomore transfer forward Clenso Brannon III (Graphic Design – Washington, DC/College of Southern Maryland) contributed a season-high 13 boards as well.

Mercy (0-8, 0-2 ECC) was led by their two interior players, Olajide Keshinro and LeBrandon Smith, who scored 15 and 13 points, respectively, and combined for 15 rebounds.

Nate Stitchell (five points, five assists) capped an 8-0 Mavericks run to start the game in the opening three minutes of play as Mercy controlled the lead for much of the first half. UDC still trailed 22-14 after a jumper by Smith at the 10:29 mark, but the Firebirds came storming back with a 10-2 run to force the game's first tie. Ritson's free-throw to complete a conventional three-point play knotted the score at 24-all just past the 8-minute mark. Twelve seconds later, Kilo's jumper gave UDC its first lead of the game, 26-25, and the Firebirds would never trail again the rest of the way. They ended the half on a 9-3 run and took a 39-33 edge into intermission.

In the second half, the two teams traded baskets early on, with Mercy keeping it a five-point game after a pair of free-throws by Stitchell at the 17:31 mark. But a jumper by Sidbury sparked an 18-4 Firebirds surge, culminating in an and-one layup and three-point play by Abbas to give UDC a commanding, 62-43 lead with a little over 12 minutes left to play.

The Mavericks, in search of their first win of the season, did not go away though, as Keshinro's emphatic dunk at the 10:35 mark got a fired-up Mercy squad on a roll. The visitors cut a 19-point deficit to eight (64-56) with a lightning-fast 11-0 rally. Consecutive jumpers by freshman guardKevin Campbell (Biology – Washington, DC/Woodrow Wilson HS) and a three-point play by Kilo pushed the Firebird lead back up to 13 with 6:40 remaining, but the Mavericks answered with a 7-1 run to creep within seven (70-63) with 4:36 showing on the clock.

At that point, Kilo took matters into his own hands, making three consecutive two-point baskets and later converting 1-of-2 at the free-throw line to help the Firebirds extend their lead back to 12, 77-65. In the final 4:36, UDC out-scored Mercy 13-3 as they went on to win comfortably by a 17-point margin.

The Firebirds, who snapped a four-game losing streak with today's win, dominated the rebounding battle, 52-27 this afternoon. They are 2-1 this season when they out-rebound their opponent. This also helped them out-score the Mavericks 34-26 in the paint and 19-9 in second-chance points as a result of 15 offensive rebounds.

UDC also did a much better job than Mercy at the free-throw line, making 17-of-23 (74-percent) compared to just 8-of-19 (42-percent), and it out-shot Mercy 50-percent to 41-percent from the field as well.

The Firebirds will look for their first back-to-back wins of the season when they host ECC foe NYIT on Wednesday, December 18^th at 5 p.m.

December 14, 2013

Video | Live stats | Recap | Box Score

No. 20 District of Columbia Dominates in 98-45 Victory Over Mercy

Sophomore Tajruba Baldwin-Kollore registered 11 points and three steals in her first start of the 2013-14 season.

FINAL	1	2	T
Mercy (1-5, 0-2)	27	18	45
Dist. Columbia (7-1, 3-0)	46	52	98
Washington, D.C.

MERCY	DIST. COLUMBIA
Pts: Nardulli, Maria - 9	Pts: Denikka Brent - 17
Reb: Augustine, Tanayzha - 8	Reb: Milena Bubnjevic - 13
Ast: Ortiz, Shayne - 2	Ast: 2 Players (#02, #14 - 3)

TEAM STATISTICS	MERCY	DIST. COLUMBIA
Field Goal %	32.0% (16-50 )	50.0% (34-68 )
Rebounds	22	49
Assists	5	14
Turnovers	34	25
Pts off Turnovers	9	52
2nd Chance Pts	9	25
Pts in the Paint	18	36
Fastbreak Pts	0	0
Bench Pts	7	53

full stats

WASHINGTON, DC – Coming off its first loss of the season Wednesday night, No. 20 University of the District of Columbia bounced back in a big way Saturday afternoon, dominating Mercy, 98-45 at UDC Gym to stay unbeaten and atop the standings in the East Coast Conference.

The Firebirds (7-1, 3-0 ECC) had all 13 players on its roster enter the scoring column, including five in double-figures. Junior guard/forward Denikka Brent (Mechanical Engineering – Chesapeake, VA/Booker T. Washington HS) led UDC with a game-high 17 points and six rebounds while senior center Milena Bubnjevic (Criminal Justice – Leskovac, Serbia/Longwood) registered season-highs of 11 points and 13 rebounds. The 6-foot-2 Bubnjevic, who made her first start of the season today, showed off some range as she connected on 3-of-5 from behind-the-arc.

Also impressive from long range was junior transfer guard ShaKena Williams (Accounting – Washington, DC/Frederick CC), who knocked down 3-of-5 from downtown as well, en-route to a 10-point scoring performance in just 13 minutes off the bench. She currently ranks No. 8 in the ECC in three-point field goal percentage (41.9). Meanwhile, sophomore forward Tatyana Calhoun(Environmental Science – Disputanta, VA/Sussex Central) posted 12 points and nine rebounds and sophomore guard Tajruba Baldwin-Kollore added 11 points and three steals in her first start of the season.

Normally the Firebirds are led by the leading scorer in the conference – junior transfer guard,Telisha Turner (Criminal Justice – Wilmington, DE/Harcum) - who came in averaging over 20 points per-game. But despite the fact that their top-scorer registered just two points in 18 minutes today, the Firebirds put forth their highest team scoring total since Feb. 12, 2011 (a 98-48 win at Salem International). Credit the superior depth on this UDC squad as its eight reserve players combined for 53 points.

Mercy (1-5, 0-2 ECC) shot a mere 32-percent from the floor (27-percent from three-point range) and committed 34 turnovers on the day. The Mavericks were led by guard Maria Narduli (nine points, two steals) and Tanayzha Augustine (six points, eight rebounds).

UDC shot 34-of-68 (50-percent) from the field, 8-of-19 (42-percent) from long-range and 22-of-26 (85-percent) from the free-throw line. The Firebirds also dominated on the glass with a 49-22 rebounding advantage which allowed them to double-up Mercy, 36-18 in points in the paint and turn 23 offensive rebounds into 25 second-chance points.

Augustine's layup 45 seconds into the game marked the first points of the game, but that was the first and only lead of the day for the Mavericks. Baldwin-Kollore's jumper just past the 17-minute mark capped an 8-0 Firebirds surge, and UDC never trailed again.

Both teams struggled to find their offense for much of the first half, as UDC only led 17-11 more than halfway through the opening period. Then, in a span of less than a minute, Calhoun and Baldwin-Kollore teamed up to lead the Firebirds on a 9-0 march which put UDC in front, 26-11. They maintained a double-digit lead for the rest of the half, closing on a 13-4 run to take a sizable, 19-point advantage (46-27) at halftime.

Mercy opened the second half on a 6-1 run, and pulled within 14 (47-33) at the 17:23 mark, but that was as close as the Mavericks would get the rest of the way. For 7:17, the Firebirds held Mercy scoreless as they marched on a 27-0 run to put the game way out of reach. The lead swelled to as much as 58 points after a three-pointer by senior reserve guard Snezana Blagojevic (Business Management – Kragujevac, Serbia/Shepherd) at the 1:47 mark, but Mercy closed on a 5-0 run to make the final score, 98-45.

Next up, the Firebirds host ECC foe NYIT on Wednesday, December 18^th at 3 p.m.

Bowie State Women's Basketball Post Game Story vs. Washington Adventist (12/11/13)

BOWIE, Md. - All 14 players of the Bowie State women’s basketball team roster scored in a 91-56 rout of Washington Adventist University on Wednesday evening in the A.C. Jordan Arena. The win improves the Lady Bulldogs record to 5-1 on the year.

Junior Denver Clyde (Glen Burnie, Md.) recorded a double-double of 17 points 10 rebounds and graduate students Ashley Davis (Odenton, Md.) and Brooke Miles (Upper Marlboro, Md.) added 14 and 12 points respectively for Bowie State. Graduate student Uchechi Ahaiwe (Riverdale, MD.) chipped in a personal season-best 10 to round out the Lady Bulldogs double figure scorers.

Washington Adventist (4-8) who had only seven active players, were led by Courtney Cayard (Washington, D.C.), Rashawnda Carter (Washington, D.C.) and Ebonie Ellison (Middletown, Conn.) with 18, 14 and 13 points respectively. Ellison grabbed a team-high nine rebounds for the Lady Shock.

The Lady Bulldogs jumped out to a quick 7-2 lead and stretched the lead to a first half high nine points (17-8) by the 9:49 mark of the first half. However, Bowie State went cold and the Lady Shock used a 9-2 run to pull within two (19-17) with 5:32 left in the first half.

A 3-pointer by Ellison followed by a steal and a 3-pointer by Courtney Cayard gave Washington Adventist their first and only lead of the game at 29-26 with 2:28 remaining in the first period.

Bowie State countered with an 8-0 run to close the first half and sent the Lady Bulldogs into intermission with a 34-29 advantage.

The Lady Bulldogs opened the second half with a 16-4 run, putting the game out of reach in a hurry. Bowie State’s lead increased to 20 points (55-35) at the 12:35 mark of the second half and ballooned to 30 points (81-51) with 3:17 left to play.

“We simply just wore them down … Shot 50 percent from the field (including 3-pointers), almost double them in rebounds and finally got double digit assists as a team, so overall I’m pleased”, said third year head coach Renard Smith.

The Lady Bulldogs’ bench produced 48 points compared to 18 for the Lady Shock and BSU dominated on the glass 52-28. As a team, Bowie State was credited with a season high 18 assists with junior Ashley Castle responsible for a third of them.

Bowie State made 36-of-72 field goals which included 10-of-20 beyond the arc, but made 56 percent of their free throws (9-of-16).

Washington Adventist made 15-of-49 total field goals (31 percent) and 22-of-31 (71 percent) tries from the charity stripe.

The Lady Bulldogs will head into first semester final exams before returning to action on Friday, December 20th against Glenville (W.Va.) State College on opening day of the Sheetz / Herb Sims Classic hosted by Bluefield (W.Va.) State College.

Bowie State 91 - Washington Adventist 56 (WOMEN'S Bb FINAL)

Official Basketball Box Score
Washington Adventist vs Bowie State
12/11/13 5:00 pm at Bowie, MD - A.C. Jordan Arena


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
VISITORS: Washington Adventist 4-8
                          TOT-FG  3-PT         REBOUNDS
## Player Name            FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF  TP  A TO BLK S MIN
1  Ellison, Ebonie..... f  3-9    1-3    6-6    5  4  9   4  13  1  6  0  1  29
3  Derrickson, Nicole.. g  0-6    0-1    6-6    0  4  4   1   6  3  1  0  2  27
10 Thomas, Asya........ g  1-5    0-0    2-6    0  1  1   3   4  2  3  0  1  37
12 Powell, Karis.......    0-1    0-0    0-0    1  0  1   0   0  0  0  0  0  15
14 Carter, Rashawnda... g  4-9    0-0    6-8    0  5  5   4  14  1  5  0  1  37
21 Cayard, Courtney....    7-15   3-4    1-2    0  4  4   2  18  0  2  0  1  28
22 Watson, Re'gene..... f  0-4    0-0    1-3    0  2  2   1   1  0  0  1  2  27
   TEAM................                         1  1  2             1
   Totals..............   15-49   4-8   22-31   7 21 28  15  56  7 18  1  8 200

TOTAL FG% 1st Half:  7-24 29.2%   2nd Half:  8-25 32.0%   Game: 30.6%  DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half:  3-5  60.0%   2nd Half:  1-3  33.3%   Game: 50.0%   REBS
F Throw % 1st Half: 12-15 80.0%   2nd Half: 10-16 62.5%   Game: 71.0%    4


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
HOME TEAM: Bowie State 5-1
                          TOT-FG  3-PT         REBOUNDS
## Player Name            FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF  TP  A TO BLK S MIN
1  PHIPPS,Kiera........ g  1-4    1-3    0-0    2  1  3   3   3  1  2  0  0  21
2  SMITH,ReVen.........    3-7    0-0    0-0    0  0  0   3   6  0  0  0  0  11
3  CASTLE,Ashley....... g  2-4    0-1    0-1    0  3  3   0   4  6  4  0  2  25
5  BURLEY,Alisha.......    2-5    2-5    1-2    0  4  4   1   7  2  1  0  0  15
10 FLORES,Alessandra...    1-5    1-2    0-0    0  0  0   3   3  2  2  0  0  14
14 DAVIS,Ashley........ g  7-11   0-1    0-0    1  2  3   2  14  2  0  0  2  15
22 MILES,Brooke........ g  4-7    4-6    0-0    3  2  5   3  12  2  2  0  1  18
23 McINTOSH,Jasmine....    2-5    0-0    0-1    5  1  6   1   4  2  0  0  0  17
24 CLYDE,Denver........    5-9    2-2    5-5    2  8 10   0  17  0  2  1  1  15
32 JACKSON,Alauna......    3-4    0-0    1-2    1  3  4   1   7  0  0  0  1  12
33 GOODMAN,Moriah......    1-1    0-0    0-0    0  3  3   3   2  1  1  0  1  13
34 BONAPARTE,Briana....    1-2    0-0    0-0    1  0  1   1   2  0  0  0  0  12
55 AHAIWE,Uchechi...... f  4-8    0-0    2-5    4  2  6   2  10  0  2  1  0  12
   TEAM................                         1  3  4
   Totals..............   36-72  10-20   9-16  20 32 52  23  91 18 16  2  8 200

TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 12-34 35.3%   2nd Half: 24-38 63.2%   Game: 50.0%  DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half:  3-11 27.3%   2nd Half:  7-9  77.8%   Game: 50.0%   REBS
F Throw % 1st Half:  7-11 63.6%   2nd Half:  2-5  40.0%   Game: 56.3%    2


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Officials: Diana DePaul(R), Starr Jefferson(U1), Karleena Tobin(U2)
Technical fouls: Washington Adventist-None. Bowie State-None.
Attendance: 443
Score by Periods                1st  2nd   Total
Washington Adventist..........   29   27  -   56
Bowie State...................   34   57  -   91
NEXT WASHINGTON ADVENTIST GAME: Saturday (12/14) vs. Fairmont State - 7 pm
NEXT BOWIE STATE GAME: Thursday (1/2) at Livingstone - 5:30 pm

Points in the paint-WAUWBB13 14,BSU-W 34. Points off turnovers-WAUWBB13 20,BSU-W 21.
2nd chance points-WAUWBB13 2,BSU-W 20. Fast break points-WAUWBB13 2,BSU-W 0.
Bench points-WAUWBB13 18,BSU-W 48. Score tied-4 times. Lead changed-2 times.
Last FG-WAUWBB13 2nd-01:54, BSU-W 2nd-00:12.
Largest lead-WAUWBB13 by 3 1st-02:28, BSU-W by 35 2nd-00:12.
Play-by-Play

US Sports Strength and Conditioning Receives 2013 Best of Alexandria Award

Alexandria Award Program Honors the Achievement
ALEXANDRIA December 3, 2013 -- US Sports Strength and Conditioning has been selected for the 2013 Best of Alexandria Award in the Sports Motivational Training category by the Alexandria Award Program.
Each year, the Alexandria Award Program identifies companies that we believe have achieved exceptional marketing success in their local community and business category. These are local companies that enhance the positive image of small business through service to their customers and our community. These exceptional companies help make the Alexandria area a great place to live, work and play.
Various sources of information were gathered and analyzed to choose the winners in each category. The 2013 Alexandria Award Program focuses on quality, not quantity. Winners are determined based on the information gathered both internally by the Alexandria Award Program and data provided by third parties.

About Alexandria Award Program

The Alexandria Award Program is an annual awards program honoring the achievements and accomplishments of local businesses throughout the Alexandria area. Recognition is given to those companies that have shown the ability to use their best practices and implemented programs to generate competitive advantages and long-term value.
The Alexandria Award Program was established to recognize the best of local businesses in our community. Our organization works exclusively with local business owners, trade groups, professional associations and other business advertising and marketing groups. Our mission is to recognize the small business community's contributions to the U.S. economy.
SOURCE: Alexandria Award Program

CONTACT:
Alexandria Award Program
Email: PublicRelations@awardredemption.org
URL: http://www.awardredemption.org

A big Thank YOU to our Athletes and Fitness Warriors. There is no US Sports Strength and Conditioning without your dedicated efforts. Now let's get bigger, stronger, faster, leaner, meaner, and experience even more success in 2014!

This week in BSU Athletics

Wednesday, December 11, 2013

Women’s Basketball hosts Washington Adventist University – 5 pm  

Bowie, MD – Leonidas S. James Complex (A.C. Jordan Arena)     LIVE STATS     TICKETS

Fan* Appreciation Day (First 75 Fans that enter A.C. Jordan Arena will receive a FREE BSU Athletic Dept. Book Bag)

Men’s Basketball hosts University of D.C. – 7:30 pm  

Bowie, MD – Leonidas S. James Complex (A.C. Jordan Arena)     LIVE STATS     TICKETS

Fan* Appreciation Day (First 75 Fans that enter A.C. Jordan Arena will receive a FREE BSU Athletic Dept. Book Bag)

Reynolds and Harper Lead Bowie State at Villanova “Jack Pyrah” Invitational

HAVERFORD, Pa. - The Bowie State women and men’s Indoor Track & Field teams competed in the Villanova University Jack Pyrah Invitational on Saturdayand had some impressive performances. This was the second meet of the season for the Lady Bulldogs but the debut meet for the Bulldogs.

Kendall Reynolds, Brelyn Finley, Ayanna Tweedy and Faith Sykes had top five individual finishes for the Lady Bulldogs and Jonathan Harper along with Bryan Williams paced the Bulldogs.

Reynolds, BSU’s top jumper, placed first in the triple jump going 12.18m. Finley finished second overall in the shot put with a heave of 13.10m. Tweedy also competed in the shot earning a fourth place finish (11.24m). Sykes participated in the 800 meter run, crossing the finish line in fourth with a time of 2:28.64.

As a team, the Lady Bulldogs 4x400 meter relay team placed fifth with a time of 4:13.94.

On the men’s side, Jonathan Harper claimed first in the triple jump (6.55m) and third in the 60 meter dash (7.11). Bryan Williams placed second in two events (long and triple jumps) with jumps of 6.55m and 13.55m respectively.

Bowie State will break for final exams and Christmas before returning to action January 19th at Winston-Salem State University.

Second Half Burst Makes Difference in Bowie State’s 64-50 Win against Queens

BOWIE, Md. – Bowie State used a 16-0 run to start the second half to propel the Lady Bulldogs to 64-50 non-conference win over Queens (N.Y.) College inSaturday afternoon. Juniors Ashley Castle (Brooklyn, N.Y.) and Denver Clyde (Glen Burnie, Md.) tied for team-high scoring honors with 13 points each to lead the Lady Bulldogs.

The Bowie State bench outscored the Queens’ bench 41-13 and forced the Knights into 28 turnovers. The Lady Bulldogs made 21-of-60 field goals (35.0 percent) compared to 15-of-53 (28.3 percent) for the Knight.

Queens (5-3) out-rebounded Bowie State 48-34 with the Knights’ Madison Rowland grabbing a game-high 13 to go along with eight points, three steals and two assists.

It looked good early on for Queens, as they broke a 4-4 tie when Kasheema Besley got a steal and found Marie Byrnes for a three-pointer at the 14:37 mark.  Five minutes later, Besley hooked up with MacKenzie Rowland for two of her game-high 18 points to keep the Knights up by four.  The two teams went into the half tied at 31-all.

The second half opened with a 16-0 Lady Bulldogs run over the first 6:57 and the Knights never recovered.  Queens got as close as eight points, at 50-42, when Besley made a layup with 8:31 remaining, but Bowie State went on a 6-0 run to stretch the lead back up to double digits for the duration of the game.

Graduate student Uchechi Ahaiwe (Riverdale, Md.) played her best game of the year contributing six points, added personal season-highs of seven rebounds and three steals and tied her BSU career-high of two blocks. Ahaiwe’s seven rebounds tied for team-high honors with fellow graduate student Brooke Miles (Upper Marlboro, Md.).

The Lady Bulldogs close out the non-conference portion of their schedule on Wednesday (December 11th) hosting Washington Adventist University at 5 pmas part of a doubleheader with the men’s basketball team.

This weed you hate could cure cancer

This Weed Everybody Hates Could Cure Cancer Here’s an ironic twist on a plant you probably know all too well. It’s been called everything from the “biggest headache for lawns” to the “weed from hell.” Yet it’s also a powerful medicinal herb, a delicious food, and a likely cure for cancer. Some common names for it include “swine snout,” “blowball,” “lion’s tooth,” and “priest’s crown.” But you probably know this big, deep-rooted plant by its most common name: dandelion. Just take a look at all the things it can do for you. . . Continued below… Did you know you can actually starve cancer cells to death? Yes! You can literally kill them off by the thousands-- just by making an easy dietary swap. It sounds too good (and simple) to be true, but before you write this off as garbage... at least see how one brave doctor is leading the charge with this easy diet and helping his patients FLUSH cancer completely out of their own bodies. The best part is, you won't feel any sort of hunger at all... so don't wait another second. Start beating cancer TODAY and click here to see for yourself just how easy it can be.   More than just a lawn nuisance From a gardening perspective, dandelions are a sign that a lawn needs attention. They’re usually the first plant to show up each spring, and they’re known for sucking up water and nutrients intended for your grass. This abundance of nutrients in dandelions hasn’t gone unnoticed by food enthusiasts. Potassium-rich dandelion greens make a nice base for salads. Dandelion is also used as a spice and thickener in soups, a flavoring in wine, and a tincture in tea. Dandelion root can even be roasted and used as a coffee substitute. Along with being called a weed, dandelion plants are herbs. Both the root and above-ground parts are used to make medicines. Dandelion herbal mixtures are also used to cure upset stomachs, gas, gallstones, joint pain, loss of appetite, muscular aches, eczema, and bruises. Some people even use it to treat infections, particularly viral infections. But lately, a lot of attention has been focused on dandelion and its apparent ability to kill cancer cells. Maybe it does to cancer cells what it does to your grass I’d say this is pretty big news on the cancer front. Because not only have scientists found reason to believe dandelion works effectively to thwart cancer … they’re actively, enthusiastically embracing it—and funding research, no less. There’s reason to be excited. Dandelion looks to be a promising treatment for leukemia, breast cancer, prostate cancer, and even some drug-resistant forms of cancer. The herb works by suppressing the growth of these types of cancer and thus halting the invasive behavior. Meanwhile, dandelion appears to have no effect on healthy cells. The connection was first made in Ontario at Windsor Regional Hospital. Oncologist Caroline Hamm was treating John DiCarlo, an elderly man, for a highly aggressive form of leukemia known as myelomonocytic leukemia. Chemotherapy didn’t work and the patient was sent home with instructions to get his affairs in order. Lucky for him, the cancer center where he was treated suggested he might try drinking dandelion tea. Not only did the man return to the clinic four months later in remission, he’s now been cancer-free for three years. Better still, Mr. DiCarlo happened to mention the dandelion tea idea to another patient in the waiting room at the cancer center. That patient also began self-administering dandelion tea and also showed improved test results. Dr. Hamm passed the impressive results of both patients on to University of Windsor biochemist Siyaram Pandey, who soon secured funding to research the effect of dandelions on cancer. Pandey’s team collected commercially available leukemia blood cells and then formulated a root extract made out of dandelion roots they pulled from the ground. Using a culture dish, the team applied the extract to the leukemia cells and were astounded by the results. Not only did the leukemia cells go through apoptosis (natural cell death) within 24 hours, but none of the healthy cells were killed. They’ve since published these results in theJournal of Ethnopharmacy. Cancer cells: Meet modern phytomedicine The exact mechanism behind these astounding results is yet to be uncovered, but scientists believe dandelion extract essentially “reminds” cancer cells to commit suicide. Because really, cell suicide, or apoptosis, constantly takes place in our bodies—it’s how the body cleanses itself of aged, damaged or diseased cells. At least, that’s how it’s supposed to work, but cancer cells somehow become resistant to this type of cell death. That is, until dandelion extract enters the picture. Pandey’s results aren’t the only promising findings behind dandelions and cancer. In 2008, the International Journal of Oncology published a clinical study on dandelion tea’s ability to prompt a decrease in breast cancer cells. Similar results took place on prostate cancer cells. Another report in 2011, published by the same journal, showed that dietary supplements containing dandelion had a positive effect on prostate cancer cells and appeared to suppress their growth. Also in 2011, dandelion root extract was clinically proven to prompt apoptosis in melanomas shown to be resistant to chemotherapy. And other studies have shown dandelion extract is effective against both pancreatic cancer cells and colon cancer cells. Pandey and his team were recently given another $157,000 in grant money, on top of the $60K they initially received. The grant is intended for further research into the cancer-fighting potential of dandelion root extract and cancer. Probably a great tea to add to your weekly regimen There aren’t any known reactions between dandelions and other herbs, or dandelions and specific foods. But you should be aware that practitioners warn against taking the substance with antibiotics and lithium. Also, if you’re allergic to ragweed, you might be allergic to dandelion -- so take with caution. Currently, you can get dandelion extract in both tea form and as a dietary supplement from health food stores. Please note that Dr. Pandey’s research used the root.