A new study shows that an ingredient commonly found in cough medicine can effectively treat advanced stages of prostate cancer.According to the study published in the European medical journal of Anticancer Research, noscapine reduces the tumor growth rate and limits the spread of the cancerous tissue by 60 percent.

The study also revealed that the consumption of the non-addictive derivative of opium is not associated with the side effects including impotence, incontinence, fatigue, anemia, brittle bones, hair loss, reduced appetite, nausea and diarrhea -- reported following the commonly prescribed hormone and chemotherapy.

Previous studies had considered noscapine as an effective treatment in tackling various diseases including breast, ovarian, colon, lung and brain cancer.The compound was also reported to be effective in treating various forms of lymphoma, chronic lymphocytic leukemia and melanoma.