Frankincense Superior to Chemotherapy in Killing Late-Stage Ovarian Cancer Cells

Like the Magi, carrying myrrh, frankincense, and gold, researchers from the University of Leicesterhave, for the first time, demonstrated the potential of treating ovarian cancer using the Christmas gift frankincense.

The origins of frankincense can be traced to the Arabian Peninsula. According to Herodotus (5th century BC):

Arabia is the only country which produces frankincense, myrrh, cassia, and cinnamon.. the trees bearing the frankincense are guarded by winged serpents of small size and various colors. (See this GreenMedInfo Summary)

Frankincense, along with gold and myrrh, is one of the most famous Christmas presents in history, and is a fragrant plant resin extracted from the Boswellia sacra tree found across Africa and Arabia. Using the compound AKBA (acetyl-11-keto-beta-boswellic acid) derived from the resin, the research has successfully shown its potential effectiveness in targeting ovarian cancer.

More specifically, they have been able to demonstrate the ability of AKBA to combat cancer cells in late-stage ovarian cancer.

Lead researcher Kamla Al-Salmani, PhD student from the University's Department of Cancer Studies and Molecular Medicine explained:

After a year of studying the AKBA compound with ovarian cancer cell lines in vitro, we have been able to show it is effective at killing the cancer cells.  Frankincense is taken by many people with no known side effects. This finding has enormous potential to be taken to a clinical trial in the future and developed into an additional treatment for ovarian cancer.

Frankincense has been used as a folk medicine for centuries due to its anti-inflammatory properties, making it a viable treatment for asthma, skin conditions and gastroenteritis among others. Previous studies have also successfully linked AKBA as a potential treatment for many other cancers, including colon, breast and prostate cancer; however this is the first study to demonstrate its potential in combating ovarian cancer.

The researchers have shown that this frankincense compound is effective at killing ovarian cancercells at realistic concentrations. What has been most surprising is that the cells we have tested which are resistant to chemotherapy have shown to be more sensitive to this compound, suggesting frankincense may indeed be able to help overcome drug resistance, and lead to an improved survival rate for patients with late-stage ovarian cancer.

SOURCE

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Myrtle Essential Oil: Normalizing the Function of Thyroid and Ovaries

Do you have myrtle essential oil in your medicine cabinet?  How about in your kitchen cupboard? This essential oil can help your family’s health in many ways.

Myrtle (Myrtus communis L., Myrtaceae) is a medicinal herb that is used in traditional medicine in many parts of the world. Its berries, leaves and fruits have been used extensively as a traditional folk medicine for the treatment of disorders such as diarrhea, peptic ulcer, hemorrhoids, inflammation, pulmonary and skin diseases. Clinical and experimental research studies suggest that the essential oil of myrtle possesses an even broader range of benefits, which include antioxidative, anticancer, anti-diabetic, antiviral, antibacterial, and antifungal properties. It also protects the liver (hepatoprotective) and the nervous system (neuroprotective). [1]

Myrtus communis [common myrtle], is a native shrub in the Middle East. It grows in all the countries that border the Mediterranean. Countries where myrtle is native include: Turkey, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, France, Spain, Greece, and Italy. It has been brought to southern Britain and southern France.

The oil can be extracted from the leaves, branches, and berries. The oil that is most commonly used medicinally is extracted from the leaves. This oil will be liquid at room temperature. The color will range from clear to greenish-yellow to yellow-very-light-orange. Its aroma is reminiscent of frankincense or bay. Some examples of myrtle oil have a slight hint of camphor or eucalyptus. The oil from the myrtle berries is used as a flavoring for drinks and alcoholic beverages throughout the Mediterranean Area.

The name “myrtle” is also used for several other unrelated plants commonly found in the United States. These unrelated plants are called crepe myrtle, wax myrtle, and creeping myrtle.

Uses of Myrtle Oil

Myrtle Oil Normalizes the functioning of the Thyroid and Ovaries

Dr. David Stewart describes the amazing way that the human body and this essential oil work together to promote thyroid health.

(Myrtus communis) is an adaptogen that can stimulate an increase or a decrease in thyroid activity depending on a person’s condition. Drugs are incapable of such intelligent discriminations and act only in preprogrammed directions, like robots, whether beneficial or not. [2]

Myrtle oil has been researched by Daniel Penoel, M.D. of France for normalizing hormonal imbalances of the thyroid and ovaries. It also has benefits for decongesting the respiratory system and the sinuses. [3]

Adaptogen: an adaptogen will increase the functioning of a gland when its functioning is low, or will lower an overactive  gland. The same oil will bring the functioning of the gland to a more normal state whether it is underfunctioning or overfunctioning. This is quite different than pharmaceutical drugs, which are more similar to a bulldozer or sledge hammer that forces the body to move in one direction or the other. Most pharmaceutical drugs do not possess the ability to help our bodies naturally achieve better balance.

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