An orally active aqueuous extract derived from the plant Scutellaria barbata with potential antineoplastic activity. Sparing normal cells, apoptosis inducer BZL101 specifically facilitates translocation of the protein apoptosis-inducing factor (AIF) from the mitochondrial membrane into the nucleus in tumor cells, thereby causing tumor cell-specific chromatin condensation and DNA degradation followed by the induction of caspase-independent apoptosis. AIF is both a mitochondrial intermembrane flavoprotein with oxidoreductase activity and a caspase-independent deatheffector that, similar to cytochrome c, is released from mitochondria earlyin the apoptotic process.