Cancer Cell Death

A Bladder Cancer study concluded it is possible for essential oils to trigger preprogrammed cell death routines and inhibit spreading of human cancer cells.

Frankincense selectively oxidizes cancer cells and sandalwood damages the DNA of bladder cancer cells to cause cell cycle arrest. This conclusion by a team of seven researchers lead by Dozmorov MG with the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation published on PubMed.com in 2014. The paper PMID: 25006348 details their investigation of the anti-proliferative and pro-apoptotic activities of frankincense and sandalwood essential oils in cultured human bladder cancer cells.

The paper cites that frankincense and sandalwood are called cancer preventive and therapeutic agents in Chinese medicine. Active ingredients are extracted and distilled by the team to ensure their biological activity. The chemical compositions of the essential oils were determined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.

RESULTS:

"Human bladder cancer J82 cells were more sensitive to the pro-apoptotic effects of frankincense essential oil than the immortalized normal bladder UROtsa cells. In contrast, sandalwood essential oil exhibited a similar potency in suppressing the viability of both J82 and UROtsa cells. Although frankincense and sandalwood essential oils activated common pathways such as inflammatory interleukins (IL-6 signaling), each essential oil had a unique molecular action on the bladder cancer cells. Heat shock proteins and histone core proteins were activated by frankincenseessential oil, whereas negative regulation of protein kinase activity and G protein-coupled receptors were activated by sandalwood essential oil treatment."

This paper concludes that the effects of frankincense and sandalwood essential oils involved different mechanisms leading to cancer cell death. "While frankincense essential oil elicited selective cancer cell death via NRF-2-mediated oxidative stress, sandalwood essential oil induced non-selective cell death via DNA damage and cell cycle arrest."

Frankincense and sandalwood distillations can not be patented, therefore there is no commercial lobby paying the FDA to study claims. Instead of regulating the industry they just pass a blanket ruling saying that no diseases or claims can be made about 'natural remedies'. Since there is no control on quality you must trust your supplier of Certified Therapeutic Grade Essential oils to be certain in the quality and purity of the oils you choose. Oils which are generally recognized as safe for human consumption by the FDA should be clearly marked on all bottles. We share the results of this study for the sake of conversation, not making any recommendations. But if you trust in the wisdom of nature, with or without a formal FDA investigation. Choose your wellness with confidence.