Summary of how oils can help
Please check the Procedures tab for other's
experiences using oils. Also check the Science &
Research tab for summaries of important research. The
article below from Johns Hopkins gives great insights into a
broad range of considerations in battling cancer. If you have
contributions for this or other health concerns that you
would like to share please go to
the SUBMIT button on our home page. Thank you.
Also see Prostate Problems
Also see Chemotherapy
Also see this very interesting article about
frankincense from
Oman
Cancer Update from Johns Hopkins: After
years of telling people chemotherapy is the only way to try to
eliminate cancer, Johns Hopkins is finally starting to tell you
there is an alternative way.
1. Every person has cancer cells in the body. These cancer
cells do not show up in the standard tests until they have
multiplied to a few billion. When doctors tell cancer patients
that there are no more cancer cells in their bodies after
treatment, it just means the tests are unable to detect the
cancer cells because they have not reached the detectable size.
2. Cancer cells occur between 6 to more than 10 times in a
person's lifetime.
3. When the person's immune system is strong the cancer cells
will be destroyed and prevented from multiplying and forming
tumors.
4. When a person has cancer it indicates the person has
multiple nutritional deficiencies. These could be due to
genetic, environmental, food and lifestyle factors.
5. To overcome the multiple nutritional deficiencies,
changing diet and including supplements will strengthen the
immune system.
6. Chemotherapy involves poisoning the rapidly-growing cancer
cells and also destroys rapidly-growing healthy cells in the
bone marrow, gastro-intestinal tract etc, and can cause organ
damage, like liver, kidneys, heart, lungs etc.
7. Radiation while destroying cancer cells also burns, scars
and damages healthy cells, tissues and organs.
8. Initial treatment with chemotherapy and radiation will
often reduce tumor size. However prolonged use of chemotherapy
and radiation do not result in more tumor destruction.
9. When the body has too much toxic burden from chemotherapy
and radiation the immune system is either compromised or
destroyed, hence the person can succumb to various kinds of
infections and complications.
10. Chemotherapy and radiation can cause cancer cells to
mutate and become resistant and difficult to destroy. Surgery
can also cause cancer cells to spread to other sites.
11. An effective way to battle cancer is to starve the cancer
cells by not feeding it with the foods it needs to multiply.
WHAT CANCER CELLS FEED ON:
a. Sugar is a
cancer-feeder. By cutting off sugar it cuts off one important
food supply to the cancer cells. Sugar substitutes like
NutraSweet, Equal, Spoonful, etc are made with Aspartame and it
is harmful. A better natural substitute would be Manuka honey or
molasses but only in very small amounts. Table salt has a
chemical added to make it white in colour. Better alternative is
Bragg's aminos or sea salt.
b. Milk causes the body
to produce mucus, especially in the gastro-intestinal tract.
Cancer feeds on mucus. By cutting off milk and substituting with
unsweetened soy milk, cancer cells are being starved.
c. Cancer cells thrive
in an acid environment. A meat-based diet is acidic and it is
best to eat fish, and a little chicken rather than beef or
pork.. Meat also contains livestock antibiotics, growth
hormones and parasites, which are all harmful, especially to
people with cancer.
d. A diet made of 80% fresh
vegetables and juice, whole grains, seeds, nuts and a little
fruits help put the body into an alkaline environment.
About 20% can be from cooked food including beans. Fresh
vegetable juices provide live enzymes that are easily absorbed
and reach down to cellular levels within 15 minutes to nourish
and enhance growth of healthy cells. To obtain live enzymes for
building healthy cells try and drink fresh vegetable juice (most
vegetables including bean sprouts) and eat some raw vegetables 2
or 3 times a day. Enzymes are destroyed at temperatures of 104
degrees F (40 degrees C).
e. Avoid coffee, tea,
and chocolate, which have high caffeine. Green tea is a
better alternative and has cancer-fighting properties.
Water-best to drink purified water, or filtered, to avoid known
toxins and heavy metals in tap water. Distilled water is acidic,
avoid it.
12.. Meat protein is difficult to digest and requires a lot
of digestive enzymes. Undigested meat remaining in the
intestines becomes putrefied and leads to more toxic buildup.
13. Cancer cell walls have a tough protein covering. By
refraining from or eating less meat it frees more enzymes to
attack the protein walls of cancer cells and allows the body's
killer cells to destroy the cancer cells.
14. Some supplements build up the immune system (IP6,
Flor-ssence, Essiac, anti-oxidants, vitamins, minerals, EFAs
etc.) to enable the body's own killer cells to destroy cancer
cells. Other supplements like vitamin E are known to cause
apoptosis, or programmed cell death, the body's normal method of
disposing of damaged, unwanted, or unneeded cells.
15. Cancer is a disease of the mind, body, and spirit. A
proactive and positive spirit will help the cancer warrior be a
survivor. Anger, unforgiveness and bitterness put the body into
a stressful and acidic environment. Learn to have a loving and
forgiving spirit. Learn to relax and enjoy life.
16. Cancer cells cannot thrive in an oxygenated environment.
Exercising daily, and deep breathing help to get more oxygen
down to the cellular level. Oxygen therapy is another means
employed to destroy cancer cells.
Oils & Blends most
recommended
| Oils |
Blends |
Also consider |
clove
frankincense
grapefruit
lavender
lemon
sandalwood
thyme
wild orange |
AromaTouch
Balance |
basil
cypress
marjoram
oregano
peppermint
wintergreen |
Procedures (protocols) other folks
recommend
Anon - Can
someone please tell me what I should recommend to a
person that just found out she has breast cancer . I am
overwhelmed with what to suggest for her. What should
she be doing? So where would you start?
This person knows nothing about oils. Thanks so much.
Pat - Use the cancer protocol that
Tamalu (see below) has documented and the doTerra
LLW. Teach a member
of her family to do the
AromaTouch
Technique. And follow through with them, making sure
they are consistent. Just let her know that she is
fighting her cancer with oils that were put here by our
creator and He knew what He was doing.
CANCER PROTOCOL
Tamalu - The following information
began with Nicole Stevens, MS. The original research was
her dissertation on therapeutic-grade essential oils and their
response in the body to cancer.
We know that chemotherapy is highly
toxic and kills healthy cells along with the cancerous
cells. According to the research done by Nicole
Stevens, MS, it is not unusual for cancer therapies to kill
a large percentage of good cells along with the bad.
This is why we see the signs of hair loss, yellow eyes,
grayed hair, nausea, fatigue, etc, from patients on
chemotherapy. According to the research, in a cell
count of 100, anything under a healthy cell death rate of 25
is phenomenal. With therapeutic-grade essential oils the
cell death count is less than 25 cells. Nicole Stevens
tested repeatedly and has not yet found a toxicity level,
even at extremely high concentrations of essential oils.
Dr. Jaime Matta (Ponce School of
Medicine, Ponce, Puerto Rico) found Frankincense to be very
effective against even chemotherapy-resistant strains of
breast cancer. The National Institute of Health
research shows effectiveness against bladder cancer. Google
"frankincense" and "cancer" and as of today you will find 42
papers published. Watch for more publications of this
research.
There are also other oils which are
found to be anti-tumoral; some of them also encourage the
re-growth of healthy cells. Among them are sandalwood,
thyme, lavender, and clove. Understanding the
costliness of pure frankincense and sandalwood oils it is
exciting to learn that other, less expensive oils may be
combined with frankincense and sandalwood and actually
increase the effectiveness of a cancer treatment.
Combined with dōTERRA’s Lifelong Wellness Trio, (these are)
powerful tools for healing!
NOTE: Frankincense and
sandalwood both require much time and care to distill while
retaining the proper therapeutic constituents. For
this reason the doTerra products are relatively expensive.
On the other hand, be careful because other sources commonly
extract using solvents or shortened distillation to save
cost but loose the proper blend of constituents for maximum
effectiveness.
This protocol is beginning to be used on a larger scale, by
doctors in private practice and in US hospitals at this time.
I was taught to combine it with the Spinal Technique (similar to
AromaTouch Technique), daily if
possible, and lots of good water to drink.
1) One 00 capsule Frankincense, One 00 capsule
Sandalwood, One 00 capsule Lavender morning and evening for 3
days. Frankincense, Sandalwood and Lavender topically
morning and evening for those same 3 days.
2) One 00 capsule Frankincense, One 00 capsule
Sandalwood, One 00 capsule Wild Orange morning and evening for 3
days. Frankincense, Sandalwood and Wild Orange topically
morning and evening for those same 3 days.
3) One 00 capsule Frankincense, One 00 capsule
Sandalwood, One 00 capsule Lemon… (Repeat process)
4) One 00 capsule Frankincense, One 00 capsule
Sandalwood, One 00 capsule Thyme… (Repeat process)
5) One 00 capsule Frankincense, One 00 capsule
Sandalwood, One 00 capsule Clove… (Repeat process)
The oils may be rotated as often as necessary.
I am not a doctor, but I do work with doctors whom I trust,
and this is what they would do for their family. I have
shared this protocol with family members and friends with
tremendous success when the need has arisen.
Spinal Technique (AromaTouch Technique): Balance and
lavender for stress management; melaleuca and OnGuard
for immune support; AromaTouch and Deep Blue for
inflammatory response; wild orange and peppermint for
homeostasis (balancing). Go to the page on
AromaTouch
Technique for more information.
Pain Formulas
· White fir and frankincense applied topically.
* In a capsule for internal consumption:
* 12 drops wintergreen
* 8 drops vetiver
* 8 drops helichrysum
· For nerve-type pain, 1/3 00 capsule Vetiver, 1/3
Peppermint, 1/3 Deep Blue topically and internally.
Some may work better for you than others. The
secret with any treatment is finding what works best for
your biochemically unique system.
“You will not find concentrations like those in
dōTERRA oils anywhere else.”
Sunny - Hi,
Tamalu! You are truly an angel! I have a few
more questions, if you don't mind.
My friend, takes Armor Thyroid
medication. Do you think this will conflict with
the essential oil cancer protocol? I told her that
it probably would not but IF it did, to cut back on the
amount of essential oil drops. What would you add?
Also sandalwood comes out pretty
slow from the bottle. In fact, I find it
challenging to get it to drop out of the bottle.
Do you have any tricks to get it to flow more quickly?
The capsules I know can be
bought at any health food store. When you fill
them, don't they dissolve in a short time with the oils
in them? What I'm asking is how long those
capsules remain good after they are filled with
essential oils?
Tamalu - According to everything I
have seen and studied, there will be no conflict with
her meds. I agree, however, that if she is ever
uncomfortable or thinks that she sees a problem, she
should increase the amount of water she is drinking and
decrease (slightly) the amount of essential oils.
Sandalwood is pretty tricky, because it is so thick,
but if you remove the reducer from the bottle and insert
a hot needle into the vents in the reducer (move the
needle around until the vents are enlarged) you can
speed it up a LOT.
I know a gal who fills all her capsules a
month ahead, but I have heard of others who have had
their capsules dissolve. I generally fill them
just as I need them, but it would probably depend on the
capsules you're using, what they are made of and such.
Pat – The cancer protocol has
also been effective for other things including and not
limited to renal failure. This is a suggestion only and
not a diagnosis or a prescription to treat.
Tamera - do you
keep repeating the cancer protocol until the cancer is gone?
do you do the protocol with chemo and radiation?
Pat - Yes, yes and yes. And one year
after you are cancer free you repeat it for another 30 days
just to stay on top of those evil cells.
Tamera - Thanks I
am nervous to suggest oils to a family member because things
don't look good for her. I don't like talking about cost.
But if this could save her life I should let them make their
choice. I am new to oils but I have seen them bless my life
already thanks again.
Kathy - I felt that way in the beginning
- but now I have more confidence that these oils can beat
cancer and other things that may look terminal or critical.
I have no fear of someday getting cancer because I feel I
know first of all how to prevent it and if I get it I feel
confident I know how to beat it.
I was told the candida clease,
if done regularly, is like a pre cancer protocol. That
is, a great preventative protocol.
Sunny - My friend
has started the cancer protocol. We need a little
clarification. The protocol says to fill the 00
capsules up - one each for frankincense, sandalwood, and the
other alternating oils. I also heard that 3
frankincense and 2 sandalwood bottles would last a little
over a month. My friend has been using a bottle of
sandalwood every 3-4 days (26 drops a day). Did I
understand incorrectly about the number of bottles necessary
for a month of sandalwood? Or is it not
necessary to fill the entire capsule with sandalwood?
Pat - I have never been aware of
how many bottles the protocol takes, but when my friend was
using the protocol they would use 12 to 16 bottles of
sandalwood a month. So it does take a lot but if she stays
consistent she will notice the benefits. Yes, the capsules
are 00 in size and you should fill them.
Samara - Just to ease your mind my dad
uses doTerra lavender for his diabetic sores on his legs and
to help him sleep. He has only had wonderful results. I
just found out tonight that my mom started putting lavender
and frankincense on some cancer type spots on his ears and
they have been going away and/or falling off. He had a
large spot melanoma on his face last year and had to have it
surgically removed, so to be able to treat these spots
without them getting out of hand is so exciting and
comforting for his family.
Editor's note - From tables published by
researcher Nicole
Stevens (see the Science & Research tab on this page) and
using the criteria mentioned the following seems
to be the most interesting essential oils for further
study. Shown are those oils found to inhibit a
cancer cell line by at least 50%, while not affecting
the healthy cells by more than 25%. (Bold
inhibited the cancer cell line by at least 75% and
bold/blue by at least 90%)
· Cervical Cancer:
Douglas fir,
frankincense, fir,
galbanum,
geranium,
hyssop, nutmeg,
patchouli,
ravensara, sage, sandalwood,
tarragon, tangerine, tea tree (melalueca),
thyme, thyme (linalool),
tsuga, valerian, white
fir
· Prostate Cancer: Canadian Red
Cedar, dill, myrtle, thyme
· Breast Cancer:
myrtle, sandalwood,
tsuga
· Skin Cancer: grapefruit,
hyssop, tarragon, thyme, thyme (linalool)
The following oils inhibited two or more cancer cell
lines: hyssop, myrtle, sandalwood, tarragon, thyme, thyme
(linalool), tsuga
Especially for Kids protocols
folks recommend for children
Everyday Example by Robert James
Diet and Nutrition great
complements to essential oils
Asparagus & Cancer printed in
Cancer News Journal, December 1979. The article presents
cases theorizing the discovery of Richard R. Vensal,
D.D.S. that asparagus might cure cancer.
Here are a few examples:
Case No. 1, A man with an almost hopeless case of
Hodgkin's disease (cancer of the lymph glands) who was
completely incapacitated. Within 1 year of starting the
asparagus therapy, his doctors were unable to detect any
signs of cancer, and he was back on a schedule of
strenuous exercise.
Case No. 2, a successful businessman 68 years old who
suffered from cancer of the bladder for 16 years. After
years of medical treatments, including radiation without
improvement, he went on asparagus. Within 3 months,
examinations revealed that his bladder tumor had
disappeared and that his kidneys were normal.
Case No. 3, a man who had lung cancer. On March 5th
1971, he was put on the operating table where they found
lung cancer so widely spread that it was inoperable. The
surgeon sewed him up and declared his case hopeless. On
April 5th he heard about the asparagus therapy and
immediately started taking it. By August, x-ray
pictures revealed that all signs of the cancer had
disappeared. He is back at his regular business routine.
Case No. 4, a woman who was troubled for a number of
years with skin cancer. She finally developed different
skin cancers which were diagnosed by asking specialist
as advanced.. Within 3 months after starting on
asparagus, her skin specialist said that her skin looked
fine and no more skin lesions. This woman reported that
the asparagus therapy also cure her kidney disease,
which started in 1949. She had over 10 operations for
kidney stones, and was receiving government disability
payments for an inoperable, terminal, kidney condition.
She attributes the cure of this kidney trouble entirely
to the asparagus.
I was not surprised at this result, as `The elements
of materia medica', edited in 1854 by a Professor at the
University of Pennsylvania, stated that asparagus was
used as a popular remedy for kidney stones. He even
referred to experiments, in 1739, on the power of
asparagus in dissolving stones. We would have other case
histories but the medical establishment has interfered
with our obtaining some of the records. I am therefore
appealing to readers to spread this good news and help
us to gather a large number of case histories that will
overwhelm the medical skeptics about this unbelievably
simple and natural remedy.
For the treatment, asparagus should be cooked before
using, and therefore canned asparagus is theoretically
just as effective, although you want to ensure there are
no pesticides or preservatives used. I have corresponded
with the two leading canners of asparagus, Giant and
Stokely, and I am satisfied that these brands contain no
pesticides or preservatives. I prefer organic,
fresh asparagus, wild organic asparagus is even better,
but if you have to use canned, it is the next best
thing.
Nutrition of asparagus is best preserved by steam
cooking. This is best done in a double boiler or
asparagus cooker. When steaming a bunch you can
accommodate for the differences in cooking time by
arranging the spears upright and placing them in about
two to three inches of water. You can also add a
small amount of quality sea salt. Cover and cook for
about five to ten minutes, depending on the size of the
spears. Place the cooked asparagus in a blender
with 1-2 drops of quality frankincense essential oil
(CPTG) and liquefy to make a puree. It can be
stored in the refrigerator for up to a week..
Give the patient 4 full tablespoons twice daily,
morning and evening. Patients usually show some
improvement in from 2-4 weeks. It can be diluted with
water and used as a cold or hot drink. This suggested
dosage is based on present experience, but certainly
larger amounts can do no harm and may be needed in some
cases. I am convinced of the old saying that `what cures
can prevent'. Based on this theory, I have been using
asparagus puree as a beverage with our meals. We take 2
tablespoons diluted in water to suit our taste with
breakfast and with dinner. I take mine hot and my wife
prefers hers cold.
For years we have made it a practice to have blood
surveys taken as part of our regular checkups. The last
blood survey, taken by a medical doctor who specializes
in the nutritional approach to health, showed
substantial improvements in all categories over the last
one, and we can attribute these improvements to nothing
but the asparagus drink. I have made an extensive study
of all aspects of cancer, and all of the proposed cures.
As a result, I am convinced that asparagus fits in
better with the latest theories about cancer.
Asparagus contains a good supply of protein called
histones, which are believed to be active in controlling
cell growth. For that reason, I believe asparagus can be
said to contain a substance that I call cell growth
normalizer. That accounts for its action on cancer and
in acting as a general body tonic.
In any event, regardless of theory, asparagus used as
we suggest, is a harmless substance. The FDA cannot
prevent you from using it and it may do you much good.
It has been reported by the US National Cancer
Institute, that asparagus is the highest tested food
containing glutathione, which is considered one of the
body's most potent anticarcinogens and antioxidants.
A note about the “asparagus cancer cure”… There
are no peer-reviewed medical studies proving that eating
asparagus alone "prevents" or "cures" cancer. That's not
to say asparagus offers no cancer-fighting benefits
whatsoever — there's a good chance it does, given that
it contains vitamin D, folic acid, and the antioxidant
glutathione, all thought to play some role in lowering
risk factors for certain cancers. By all means, eat your
asparagus!
Science and Research what the
research is saying
Frankincense and bladder
cancer Research Article abstract.
Co-authored by Dr. HK Lin. This
synopsis is taken from www.BioMedCentral.com
Frankincense oil derived from
Boswellia carteri induces tumor cell specific
cytotoxicity
Published: 18 March 2009
Mark Barton Frank1, Qing Yang2
, Jeanette Osban1 , Joseph T Azzarello2,3
, Marcia R Saban3 , Ricardo Saban3
, Richard A Ashley2 , Jan C Welter4
, Kar-Ming Fung5 and Hsueh-Kung Lin2,3,6
1 Arthritis and
Immunology Research Program, Oklahoma Medical Research
Foundation Microarray Research Facility, Oklahoma City,
OK 73104, USA
2 Department of
Urology, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center,
Oklahoma City, OK 73104, USA
3 Department of
Physiology, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences
Center, Oklahoma City, OK 73104, USA
4 Department of
Comparative Medicine, University of Oklahoma Health
Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK 73104, USA
5 Department of
Pathology, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences
Center, Oklahoma City, OK 73104, USA
6 Oklahoma City
Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Oklahoma City, OK
73104, USA
Abstract
Background
Originating from Africa, India, and the Middle East,
frankincense oil has been important both socially and
economically as an ingredient in incense and perfumes
for thousands of years. Frankincense oil is prepared
from aromatic hardened gum resins obtained by tapping
Boswellia trees. One of the main components of
frankincense oil is boswellic acid, a component known to
have anti-neoplastic properties. The goal of this study
was to evaluate frankincense oil for its anti-tumor
activity and signaling pathways in bladder cancer cells.
Methods
Frankincense oil-induced cell viability was
investigated in human bladder cancer J82 cells and
immortalized normal bladder urothelial UROtsa cells.
Temporal regulation of frankincense oil-activated gene
expression in bladder cancer cells was identified by
microarray and bioinformatics analysis.
Results
Within a range of concentration, frankincense oil
suppressed cell viability in bladder transitional
carcinoma J82 cells but not in UROtsa cells.
Comprehensive gene expression analysis confirmed that
frankincense oil activates genes that are responsible
for cell cycle arrest, cell growth suppression, and
apoptosis in J82 cells. However, frankincense
oil-induced cell death in J82 cells did not result in
DNA fragmentation, a hallmark of apoptosis.
Conclusion
Frankincense oil appears to distinguish cancerous
from normal bladder cells and suppress cancer cell
viability. Microarray and bioinformatics analysis
proposed multiple pathways that can be activated by
frankincense oil to induce bladder cancer cell death.
Frankincense oil might represent an alternative
intravesical agent for bladder cancer treatment.
The following is a synopsis of
information presented by Nicole Stevens
of Brigham Young University and UNLV Cancer Research
Institute. Her presentation was based on research
she had done and was titled, “Natural Synergy,
Essential Oils in Cancer Research”
Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the
United States. Lung cancer is the most common,
followed by breast cancer in women and prostate in men.
One out of every two men and one out of every three
women will develop cancer in their lifetime. This leads
to about 1500 deaths each day in the United States
costing more that $143 billion annually for medical
treatment and early mortality.
Simply stated cancer comes from mutation of cells and
the body’s inability to repair DNA mutations.
These mutations come from intracellular problems (DNA
copying errors, DNA division errors, and free radicals)
as well as extracellular sources (radiation, chemicals,
and the environment).
Cancer proves to be difficult to treat for a number
of reasons. Detection is difficult because there
is often considerable time between inception and
diagnosis complicated by the fact that there are many
different types of mutations making them difficult to
identify. Treatments after detection have their
problems. Chemotherapy targets the rapidly
proliferating cells typical of cancer cells but may also
include good cells such as those in the GI tract, hair ,
bone marrow, etc. Meanwhile some cancer may not be the
rapidly proliferating type. Radiation is also used
but may only kill some of the cancer cells and even
further mutate others. Beyond this each treatment
may have the undesirable side effect of compromising the
immune system.
Cancer research must look for new treatments.
Plants have a long medicinal history. Hyssop,
spikenard, myrrh and frankincense are all mentioned in
the Bible and others have long histories with tribal and
other cultural uses. There has been good success so far
with plant research as many anti-cancer drugs currently
on the market were developed from plants including
Taxol, Colchicine, and Vincristine. .
With only about 1% of the higher plants being
exhaustively studied there is a very high probability
that new drugs remain to be found.
Plant extractions (essential oils) contain many
physiologically active chemical constituents (i.e.
terpenoids, phenols, and coumarins) making them of
interest for research. They have the proven
capability (individually or in combinations) to have
beneficial properties:
· Protective: coping with environmental stress
· Destructive: killing or inhibiting growth of invaders
· Stimulatory: promoting cell growth
Ms. Stevens’ initial research screened 69 essential
oils and 5 blends, testing them against cervical,
breast, skin and prostate cancer cell lines as well as
non-cancerous 3T3 (mouse) fibroblast cells. Her
criterion was to recommend for further study as
potential anticancer drugs any oilils showing 50% or
more cancer cell inhibition and 25% or less inhibition
of non-cancerous cell. Also of note were any
correlations between which oils are active against which
cancer cell lines.
These results noted were:
�� 58% of the 74 oils showed general cancer inhibition
of 50% or greater
· 34% of the 74 oils showed
cancer-specific inhibition
· Seven of these were active
against two or more cancer cell lines
Ms. Stevens noted these conclusions:
· Essential oils have potential as anticancer drugs
· Screening processes (such as the one used in this study)
that are fast, inexpensive and useful provide good leads
about which compounds should be further investigated
· Further research should be done on promising essential
oils—this may lead to new cancer drugs
· Areas of interest
* Stimulating apoptosis
* DNA repair
* Proliferative
senescence
* Immune protection and stimulation
* Preventing metastasis
Editor's note - From the tables published by Ms.
Stevens and the criteria mentioned the following seems
to be the most interesting essential oils for further
study. Shown are those oils found to inhibit a
cancer cell line by at least 50%, while not affecting
the healthy cells by more than 25%. (Bold
inhibited the cancer cell line by at least 75% and
bold/blue by at least 90%)
· Cervical Cancer:
Douglas fir,
frankincense, fir,
galbanum,
geranium,
hyssop, nutmeg,
patchouli,
ravensara, sage, sandalwood,
tarragon, tangerine, tea tree (melalueca),
thyme, thyme (linalool),
tsuga, valerian, white
fir
· Prostate Cancer: Canadian Red
Cedar, dill, myrtle, thyme
· Breast Cancer:
myrtle, sandalwood,
tsuga
· Skin Cancer: grapefruit,
hyssop, tarragon, thyme, thyme (linalool)
The following oils inhibited two or more cancer cell
lines: hyssop, myrtle, sandalwood, tarragon, thyme, thyme
(linalool), tsuga
The following sources were noted:
• American Cancer Society. 2004. Cancer Facts and
Figures.
• Baladrin, M.F., A.D. Kinghorn, and N.R. Farnsworth.
1993. Plant-derived natural products in drug discovery
and development. In: Human Medicinal Agents from Plants
(ACS symposium 1992). A.D. Kinghorn and M.F.Balandrin, eds. American Chemical Society: 2-12.
• Balick, M.J., and P.A. Cox. 1996. Plants, People
and Culture: The Science of Ethnobotany. Scientific
American Library, New York.
• Beuchat, L.R. 1994. Antimicrobial properties of
spices and their essential oils. Nat. Antimicrob. Syst.
Food Preserv. 167-79.
• Cragg, G.M., D.J. Newman and K.M. Snader. 1997.
Natural products in drug discovery and development.
Journal of Natural Products 60: 52-60.
• Deans, S.G., and G. Ritchie. 1987. Antibacterial
properties of plant essential oils. International
Journal of Food Microbiology 5: 165-180.
• Hostettmann, K., A. Marston, and J.L. Wolfender.
1995. Strategy in the search for new biologically active
plant constituents. In: Phytochemistry of Plants Used in
Traditional Medicine. Clarendon Press, Oxford: 17-45.
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Research Report on Frankincense
and Breast Cancer co-authored by Jaime Matta PhD.
41st ACS Junior Technical Meeting & 26th Puerto Rico
Interdisciplinary Scientific Meeting (PRISM), University
of Puerto Rico at Cayey
Santos Colón, Karla Marie,
UNIV. CATOLICA; Ruiz Abigail, Pharmacology, Physiology
and Toxicology Ponce School of Medicine; Matta
Jaime Ph.D., Pharmacology,
Physiology and Toxicology Ponce School of Medicine
The Induction of Apoptosis in
(MCF-7) Human Breast Cancer Cell Line by Frankincense
Essential Oil
Breast cancer (BC) is the most common type of cancer
among women in the United States and in Puerto Rico. It
is the leading cause of cancer deaths among young women.
Despite significant advances in BC diagnosis and
treatment, resistance to chemotherapeutic drugs is one
of the most important challenges in the treatment of
this disease. The MCF-7 cell line is a model for an
aggressive human BC that is highly resistant to
chemotherapy. Frankincense essential oil (FEO) is an
essential oil distilled from Boswellia carteri and B.
serrata. It contains at least 70 compounds including
limonene, sabinene, monoterpenes and pentacyclic
triterpenes. The compounds present in FEO can
synergistically suppress the proliferation and apoptosis
of different tumor types. Boswellic acids present in FEO
have been identified as a pharmacologically active
compounds which inhibit leukotriene biosynthesis, 5-
lipoxygenase and exert antiproliferative activity.
Prevention, inhibition, and regression of various cancer
types have been induced by chemicals component of FEO.
Previous studies in our laboratory showed that FEO at
doses ranging from 80 to 180 μg/ml decreases up to 94%
the cell viability of MCF-7 cells. The purpose of this
study was to determine if apoptosis (programmed cell
death) is one of the mechanisms associated with this
decrease in cell viability induced by FEO. Previous
studies established IC50 of around 100μg/ml a dose in
which grow of a drug resistant cell line is inhibited.
The MCF-7 cells were treated with the established IC50
for 24 hours. Apoptotic and necrotic cells were
respectively detected with annexin V and propidium
iodide. This study will determine if FEO has
chemotherapeutical properties in vitro against MCF-7 BC
cells.
