In the current economic crisis, the use of plant medicine for cancer prevention should be investigated. Coix lachryma Linn and Asparagus cochinchinenesis Linn are among eleven of species of medicinal plants that are noted as plant medicine for cancer in Indonesia, although their mechanism of action are still unknown. The eleven plants were screened using in vitro methods, Sulforhodamin B against breast cancer cells (MCF-7) and skin (KB). The research included a maceration process using ethanol as solvent and an anti-cancer testing process in vitro using Sulforhodamin B indicated by the value of percentage viability. Extracts were classed as being 'active anticancer' if they showed IC50 values below 100 ppm.. Coix lachryma Linn. and Asparagus cochinchinenesis Linn. show breast and skin anticancer activity with IC50 values 6.51 ppm and 11.3 ppm of MCF-7 cells. The ethanol plant extracts were further extracted using various solvents with increasing polarity: n-hexane, methylene chloride, and ethyl acetate. The methylene chloride extract of Coix lachryma Linn. had IC50 = 2.75 ppm against MCF-7 cells. Against KB cells, methylene chloride extracts of Coix lachryma Linn. gave IC50 = 5.16 ppm. For Asparagus cochinchinenesis Linn., an ethyl acetate extract had IC50 = 3.70 ppm against KB cancer cells and IC50 = 9.80 ppm against MCF-7 cancer cells. These data indicated that both plants can be used as anticancer drugs on breast and skin cancers.
