Breast cancer is the most common malignancy in women. The success of conventional treatments is lacking, as the mortality of this disease remains high. Maintaining breast health is a multi-factorial endeavor. While diet and lifestyle have the greatest impact on breast health, there are additional daily habits that can promote healthy breast tissue. Today I will cover the proven benefits of the topical use of frankincense oil to promote healthy breast tissue and prevent the development of breast cancer.
Frankincense-a resin that comes from the trunk of the boswellia tree- has so many unbelievable uses and benefits ( I love applying a dab of frankincense to the roof of my mouth to combat oncoming migraines), but I was first introduced to its use for breast cancer during a conversation with a woman who owned a little boutique that I happened to walk into. We began talking about our own healing journeys and she told me how when she was diagnosed with breast cancer, she decided to address the situation through diet and lifestyle changes. In addition to focusing on fresh fruit and veggies and daily exercise, she began to apply frankincense oil to her breasts twice a day. Within about six months months of implementing these changes, her tumors were greatly reduced, and within the next year she was cancer free!
Frankincense oil has been demonstrated to modulate critical biological activities including anti-rheumatism, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, anti-fungal and anticancer activities. There are several studies confirming the potential healing benefits of applying Frankincense oil to fight various cancers, including breast cancer. One study concluded that a combination of Frankincense, pine needle, and geranium oil caused MCF-7 cells to undergo significant morphological changes, such as detaching from tissue and shrinkage. the colony forming capacity of these malignant cells were strongly reduced in the presence of these oils. Recent studies have found that frankincense essential oil can effectively inhibit the growth of breast cancer cells and induce apoptosis of these cells by regulating AMPK/mTOR pathway.
Before and after thermography images have shown drastic reduction in areas of inflammation and fibrocystic breast tissue after as little as three months of daily application of frankincense. In one study boswellia sacra essential oil-mediated cell viability and death were studied in established human breast cancer cell lines (T47D, MCF7, MDA-MB-231) and an immortalized normal human breast cell line (MCF10-2A). All three human breast cancer cell lines were sensitive to essential oil treatment with reduced cell viability and elevated cell death. Frankincense oil was found to cause the breakdown of multi-cellular tumor spheroids (T47D cells), and regulating molecules involved in apoptosis, signal transduction, and cell cycle progression.
When combined with myrrh oil, the benefits of frankincense are further enhanced. A 2019 study concluded that the combination of frankincense and myrrh are effective in the treatment of inflammation and cancer. This combination as been used in traditional Chinese medicine for centuries to treat a number of chronic diseases. A number of changes takes place in the active constituents of both frankincense and myrrh when combined, and even new chemical components are formed. These interactions cause synergistic anti-inflammation, anti-cancer, analgesic, antibacterial and blood-activation to form.
A component of myrrh, β-elemene (70) has been used as an anticancer drug in the treatment of various cancers, including glioblastoma, and the anti-proliferation effect of β-elemene on glioblastoma is realized by activating p38MAPK. The combination of frankincense and myrrh has synergistic anticancer affect, which is better at killing breast cancer cells than either of the two on their own. It was found that the anti-breast cancer process of frankincense and myrrh involved 10 active ingredients such as diayangambin and guggulsterone , as well as 43 protein targets such as ATR and TP53, and 25 signaling pathways such as cAMP signaling pathway and PI3K-Akt signaling pathway.
How to use
Introducing frankincense oil into your daily self-care routine is quick and easy! Simply dilute a few drops into your preferred carrier oil (I love mixing my oils into plain jojoba oil) and massage over neck, decollete and breasts in the morning and evening. Add a few drops of myrrh for enhanced benefits! Breast tissue is abundant in lymph vessels and needs manual stimulation for optimal lymphatic flow and removal of debris-laden fluid. I’ll be going over specific breast massage techniques in a later post!
Some Studies To Check Out
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5783593/
THESE STATEMENTS HAVE NOT BEEN APPROVED OR REGULATED BY THE FDA. ALWAYS CONSULT WITH YOUR DOCTOR.*
Bod Electrik 