Breast Cancer: Sacred Frankincense (Boswellia Sacra) Proven Effective Against Advanced Breast Cancer Cells

Exciting news about breast cancer was published last week. Research shows positive results that Boswellia sacra (Young Living's, "Sacred Frankincense") fights different lines of breast cancer cells, even advanced breast cancer cells.

The study calls for more extensive scientific research and clinical studies that to further evaluate the promising use of Boswellia sacra as a therapeutic agent for treating breast cancer.

Below is the abstract of the full study called, "Boswellia sacra essential oil induces tumor cell-specific apoptosis and suppresses tumor aggressiveness in cultured human breast cancer cells." Explanations of some of the scientific terms are in parentheses.

Boswellia sacra essential oil induces tumor cell-specific apoptosis and suppresses tumor aggressiveness in cultured human breast cancer cells.
Suhail MM, Wu W, Cao A, Mondalek FG, Fung KM, Shih PT, Fang YT, Woolley C, Young G, Lin HK.

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND:
Gum resins obtained from trees of the Burseraceae family (Boswellia sp.) are important ingredients in incense and perfumes. Extracts prepared from Boswellia sp. gum resins have been shown to possess anti-inflammatory and anti-neoplastic effects. Essential oil prepared by distillation of the gum resin traditionally used for aromatic therapy has also been shown to have tumor cell-specific anti-proliferative and pro-apoptotic activities.

The objective of this study was to optimize conditions for preparing Boswellea sacra essential oil with the highest biological activity in inducing tumor cell-specific cytotoxicity (destructive action on tumor cells) and suppressing aggressive tumor phenotypes in human breast cancer cells.

METHODS:
Boswellia sacra essential oil (Sacred Frankincense) was prepared from Omani Hougari grade resins through hydrodistillation at 78 or 100 °C for 12 hours.

(Hydrodistillation is a simple form of steam distillation which is often used to isolate non-watersoluble, high boiling natural products. The advantage of the hydrodistillation technique is that the desired material distills at a temperature below 100 °C.)

Chemical compositions were identified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (a method that combines the features of gas-liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry to identify different substances within a test sample considered a "gold standard" for forensic substance identification); and total boswellic acids contents were quantified by high-performance liquid chromatography.

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). Apoptosis was assayed by genomic DNA fragmentation (apoptosis is a when a sequence of events leads to the elimination/death of cells without releasing harmful substances into the surrounding area. Apoptosis is important in developing and maintaining health by eliminating old cells, unnecessary cells, and unhealthy cells. But sometimes cells die off too slowly, becoming immortal and causing cancer, or too quickly, as in neurological diseases).

Anti-invasive and anti-multicellular tumor properties were evaluated by cellular network and spheroid formation models, respectively. Western blot analysis was performed to study Boswellia sacra essential oil-regulated proteins involved in apoptosis, signaling pathways, and cell cycle regulation.

RESULTS:
More abundant high molecular weight compounds, including boswellic acids, were present in Boswellia sacra essential oil prepared at 100 °C hydrodistillation. All three human breast cancer cell lines were sensitive to essential oil treatment with reduced cell viability and elevated cell death, whereas the immortalized normal human breast cell line was more resistant to essential oil treatment.

Boswellia sacra essential oil hydrodistilled at 100 °C was more potent than the essential oil prepared at 78 °C in:

• inducing cancer cell death
• preventing the cellular network formation on Matrigel (MDA-MB-231 cells)
• causing the breakdown of multicellular tumor spheroids (T47D cells)
• regulating molecules involved in apoptosis, signal transduction, and cell cycle progression

CONCLUSIONS:

1. Similar to our previous observations in human bladder cancer cells, Boswellia sacra essential oil induces breast cancer cell-specific cytotoxicity.
2. Suppression of cellular network formation and disruption of spheroid development of breast cancer cells by Boswellia sacra essential oil suggest that the essential oil may be effective for treating advanced breast cancer.
3. Consistently, the essential oil represses signaling pathways and cell cycle regulators that have been proposed as therapeutic targets for breast cancer.
4. Future pre-clinical and clinical studies are urgently needed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of Boswellia sacra essential oil as a therapeutic agent for treating breast cancer.

Boswellia Sacra is understandably not inexpensive as it only grows in one tiny region of the world in the Middle East (Oman). Very limited quantities are produced each year.

Until recently, Boswellia Sacra was not available to Westerners, or to commoners. It was only through the tireless efforts of Gary Young that an exclusive agreement was made to bring this powerful frankincense to the public.

You can purchase a 15 ml bottle of Sacred Frankincense (Boswellia Sacra) from Young Living at a cost of $89.75 (wholesale). Information on ordering here.

At any price, Sacred Frankincense (Boswellia Sacra) is a great gift that you can now enjoy!