View source for Aromatherapy for Cancer treatment

There are essential oils which contain constituents that are anti-carcinogenic. They inhibit one or more stages of a cancer’s progression. This does not mean essential oils cure cancer. Just like it takes several factors for potentially carcinogenic essential oil constituents to cause cancer, it also takes a lot of work for these essential oils to help with preventing cancer. Sometimes the presence of anti-carcinogenic essential oil constituents can negate the carcinogenic potential of an essential oil. Some have anti-tumoral properties.<br>See also : 
*[[Aromatherapy]]
*'''<span class="plainlinks">[http://wikiwel.com/wikihealing//index.php?title=Category:Essential_oil&action=edit&redlink=1 Essential Oils]</span>

==Constituents which are considered to be anti-carcinogenic:==

*benzaldehyde
*carvone
*a-caryophyllene
*b-caryophyllene
*citral (geraniol + neral)
*b-elemene
*farnesol
*geraniol
*(+)-limonene
*linalool
*methyl jasmonate
*nerolidol

==Essential oils which contain one or more anti-carcinogenic constituents==

*Basil (lemon) Oximum x citriodorum
*Basil (linalool CT) Ocimum basilicum
*Bergamot (wild) Monarda fistulosa var. menthaefolia, Monarda menthaefolia
*Cananga Cananga odorata, Canangium odoratum f. macrophylla
*Citronella Cymbopogon nardus, Cymbopoon winterianus
*Clementine Citrus clementina, Citrus reticulata var. clementina
*Copaiba Copaifera officinalis, Copaigera langsdorfii
*Coriander Seed Coriandrum sativum
*Dill Seed (European) Anethum graveolens
*Elemi Canarium luzonicum, Canarium vulgare
*Fir Needle (Himalayan) Abies spectabilis, Abies webbiana
*Fir Needle (Japanese) Abies sachalinensis
*Fir Needle (Siberian) Abies sibirica
*Fir Needle (Silver) Abies alba
*Geranium Pelargonium roseum x asperum
*Ghandi Root Homalomena aromatica
*Grapefruit Citrus x paradisi
*Ho Leaf (linalool CT) Cinnamonum camphora var. glavescens
*Hop Humulus lupulus
*Hemp Cannabis sativa
*Lemon Citrus x limon, Citrus limonum
*Lemongrass Cymbopogon flecuosus, Adropogon flexuosus, Cymbopogon citratus, Andropogon citratus
*Lime Citrus x aurantifolia, Citrus x latifolia
*Mandarin Citrus reticulata, Citrus nobilis
*May Chang Litsea cubeba, Litsea citrata
*Melissa Melissa officinalis
*Myrtle (lemon) Backhousia citriodora
*Myrtle (honey) Melaleuca teretifolia
*Neroli Citrus x aurantium
*Orange (Sweet) Citrus sinensis, Citrus aurantium var. sinensis
*Palmarosa Cymbopogon martinii var. martinii, Andropogon martinii var. martinii, Cymbopogon martinii var. motia
*Palo Santo Bursera graveolens
*Pepper (Black) Piper nigrum
*Pine (Black) Pinus nigra
*Rosalina Melaleuca ericifolia
*Rosewood Aniba rosaeodora, Aniba amazonica, Aniba parviflora
*Tangerine Citrus reticulata, Citrus nobilis, Citrus tangerine
*Verbena (lemon) Lippia alba, Lippia gerinata
*Ylang-Ylang Cananga odorata
==Aromatherapy For Cancer Treatment==
* [[Frankincense]] Essential Oil Targets Cancer Cells : A study in the journal BioMed Central journal of Complementary and Alternative Medicine, March 2009, titled: "Frankincense oil derived from Boswellia carteri induces tumor cell specific cytotoxicity" concludes with: "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." ...while a bit technical, this is very, very promising -- essentially saying that this easily obtained, inexpensive, NON-TOXIC natural compound can eradicate cancer cells without harming normal, healthy cells in the same organ. Frankincense has a long, long history of medicinal use, and searching for 'frankincense cancer' produces 30 results just for this material. If choosing an essential oil of Frankincense, the 'carteri' species has been the subject of most research, with cold-process Carbon Dioxide distilled oils considered the most therapeutic (seek CO2 or SCO2 distilled oils or extracts, as offered by Ananda here).
* [[Lemongrass]] Essential Oil Induces Cancer Cell Death : Lemongrass, after Frankincense, may next most commonly researched essential oil for anti-cancer activity. In the May 2009 journal of Chemico-Biological Interactions, researchers tested Lemongrass essential oil against 12 human cancer cell lines. Colon cancer and neuron cancer cell lines were found most susceptible to the essential oil. The study concluded: "Our results indicate that the oil has a promising anticancer activity and causes loss in tumor cell viability by activating the apoptotic process as identified by electron microscopy." This indicates that Lemongrass may induce natural cell death of cancer cells (apoptotic process), a process that is inherently dysfunctional in cancer cells.
* Sweet [[Linalool]] for Liver Cancer: Linalool is a very common essential oil constituent. Essential oils are naturally made up of many individual chemical constituents, and linalool is a sweet, relaxing aromatic found in many floral and sweeter spice essential oils. Linalool itself, separated from the essential oil of Coriander (Cilantro seeds) was the subject of research published in the June 2009 issue of the journal of Chemico-Biological interactions. Linalool was found to completely eradicate the HepG2 liver cancer cell line in VERY low concentrations. Linalool has a great many other effects, having been shown to lower anxiety and even significantly improve sleep. And now it even has anti-cancer effects! So even if one is noted directly targeting cancer, but using aromatherapy in a more 'casual' application, there may be important protective effects occurring at the same time.Skin cancer is a major concern for many folks, and a series of studies have shown Sandalwood to be effective at preventing tumor development. Alpha-santalol, a component also shown to have anti-anxiety and sleep enhancing action, may be the constituent to which most of these effects may be attributed. This is fortunate, as Sandalwood from India is becoming more rare and expensive, though Sandalwood from Australia and other South Pacific islands is still readily available. A study published in the European Journal of Cancer Prevention, a formula used for containing just 5% Sandalwood essential oil used before exposure to toxins significantly reduced the formation of skin cancer tumors. A study published in January 2008 in the Journal of Anitcancer Research showed a significant reduction in tumor development in skin exposed to UVB radiation -- Sandalwood would make an excellent addition to a pre-sun body or face care formula.
* The Powerful Protection of Spice Oils : Components of Thyme and Oregano essential oils have been shown to actually protect human DNA strands from breaking when exposed to extreme oxidative stress. DNA damage is a leading cause of cancer development, as this can lead to an abnormal cell life cycle, essentially turning off the process of natural cell death. Carvacrol and Thymol were singled out in a study by Slovakian researchers in 2007, though they also note that other components of these oils may have chemoprotective effects as well. Other spice essential oils that have demonstrated cancer preventative effects include Ginger, Tumeric, Basil, Garlic and Sage.
* Essential Oils Offer Immune System Support : Beyond the direct effects on tumor cells, essential oils have been shown to positively effect the immune system on a chemical level. They can enhance the activity of white blood cells, making them more efficient and removing foreign material and microbes from the body. This would likely result in more effective cancer outcomes. Further, there's the psychological component of any disease, and many essential oils have demonstrated anti-stress activity in scientific investigations.

[[Category:treatments]]
[[Category:Aromatherapy]]
[[Category:Alternative Cancer Treatments]]
[[Category:Essential oil]]