Firstly, Dr Bill extracted the alkaloids from the eggplant. He identified these alkaloids as solasodine. However, he showed that solasodine had no anticancer properties. So, he modified his extraction procedure to obtain the alkaloids in their native, natural state.
Dr Bill discovered that the alkaloids were not present as free alkaloids, but they were attached to certain sugars rendering them as glycoalkaloids. These purified glycoalkaloids were the substances in the eggplant that showed tremendous anticancer properties.
More studies showed that if they were not purified to a certain standard their efficacy as anticancer agents dropped drastically. Further investigational work was required to determine why this was the case. He then discovered that certain free sugars also present in the eggplant were affecting the anticancer properties of the glycoalkaloids. When these sugars were eliminated by further extraction the anticancer properties of the glycoalkaloids were optimal.
The “free” sugars were inhibiting the anticancer effects of BEC.
This means if you were to eat eggplant containing BEC you will also be ingesting the “free” sugars which nullify the anticancer properties of BEC.
