Various herbs and spices with oil

The look for a cure for Cancer has been in full-swing for several years. Scientists across the planet are exploring every possible chemical and protocol which they can dream up to provide mankind relief from this terminal illness. Included in this research are many plants and plant extracts that have played important roles in traditional medicine systems throughout history.

Essential Oils As Cancer Treatments

In the past few decades, interest and research into the potential of essential oils as anticancer agents has increased tremendously. (For those new to essential oils, they’re only the volatile aromatic constituents of plants — for example, the compounds that make up the scent of a Rose or the pungency of fresh Basil. They are complicated chemicals, very compatible with human anatomy, with a host of research-supported health benefits.)

Two Essential Oils Researched for Anticancer Activity

Sorting throughout the available research published in peer-reviewed scientific studies, one finds two specific essential oils most often associated with anticancer activity: Frankincense and Lemongrass.

To describe, Lemongrass is distilled in the bud leaves of Cymbopogon citratus; the title Frankincense really refers to the resin of Olibanum trees located mostly in Ethiopia, Somalia and India — the essential oil is distilled from the resin — or ‘sap’ — of those trees. Both Lemongrass and Frankincense have a lengthy history of medicinal use.

Frankincense has been among the most highly valued medicinal products throughout man’s history — Lemongrass just happens to be quite prolific, but its effectiveness is no less valuable due to its availability.

Modern Research Proves Ancient Medicine’s Potential

Frankincense essential oil was noted by top medical aromatherapists to be effective immune system regulating aromatic. An overview of the research on Frankincense oil is very amazing, and lives up to this announcement. Frankincense oil seems to be able to differentiate between cancerous and healthy cells within an organ or tissue, and also cause the passing of the cancerous cells while leaving the healthy ones unharmed.

Research is focusing on the chemical components of the essential oil unique to frankincense: the Boswellic acids. These natural chemicals have been thoroughly researched for their anti-inflammatory activity, with a substantial body of positive outcomes.

Boswellic acids may be used to decrease pain and inflammation in arthritic joints, and has been shown to enhance the feel and appearance of skin which might be prematurely aged due to sun overexposure. It is the same Boswellic acids which have been shown to cause natural cell death in cancerous cells — it’s one of the qualities of cancer which natural cell death doesn’t occur, and the cancerous cells then in essence grow unabated through the body.

Cancer Cell Specificity

The conclusion of a study was that Frankincense oil seems to distinguish cancerous from normal bladder cells, and suppress cancer cell viability. This is a really profound result, when considering what contemporary chemotherapy does — reduces the viability of cells in and surrounding a tumor, with the expectation that healthy cells live through the procedure in significant enough numbers that the patient recovers.

Similar results are released for a great many sorts of cancer: melanoma, leukemia, liver, colon and prostate, and anecdotal reports have supported its use in treating breast cancer also.

Lemongrass: Tropical Healer

A study analyzed both in-vitro (essentially “in the test tube”) and in-vivo (from the body) anticancer activity of Lemongrass essential oil. The oil was really evaluated for efficacy against 12 cancer cell lines in-vitro, and two in-vivo. The results were no less than astounding.

Lemongrass was capable of inhibiting proliferation of all of the cell lines, though with significant variation in the concentrations needed for this effect. The lowest concentrations of Lemongrass were needed to inhibit growth of colon cancer and neuroblastoma cells in-vitro (a sort of cancer of the nerve cells occurring in children and babies ).

Researchers found similar results focusing on a main constituent of Lemongrass essential oil: Citral. This natural ingredient provides the ‘lemony’ aroma to a lot of essential oils, including naturally Lemon, Melissa, and Lemon Verbena. Citral was noted to also reveal cancer cell specificity (liver cancer cells were assessed in this case), causing just the cancer cells to die off. It seems that lemongrass essential oil, like Frankincense, also induces natural cell death in cancer cells, sparing normal healthy cells in the procedure.

These research (and many others available through medical research databases) are really promising — many noting in some manner that the minimal toxicity, availability and cancer-cell specificity of these natural compounds warrant additional investigation. Because of the current climate regarding financing of alternative treatments, it is going to take either a government wishing to save on medical care expenses, or a huge grass roots effort, to further the study to a point where particular therapeutic protocols have been developed.

In the meantime, there are many respected, well-educated caregivers that might be happy to provide advice for those wanting to find out more on how Frankincense or Lemongrass may be utilized as preventative measures. Please notice, this content isn’t intended to provide medical information, but only to report recent updates in medical research. It is not a substitute for sound professional medical advice from your physician or other qualified health care provider.