Though boswellia is virtually unknown by mainstream doctors, it has been shown to be helpful for brain tumor patients, especially those taking corticosteroids to control peritumoral edema. Boswellia is designated by the European Union as an orphan drug for that purpose. This means it can be prescribed by doctors for this application without having gone through the rigorous trials required of most drugs.
Many topics about frankincense are subjects of great debate, with no clear-cut answers likely to appear soon. There is evidence that boswellic acids can cross the blood-brain barrier, based on animal studies.1 If true in humans, then boswellia might be effective against brain cancer.
Boswellia may be directly toxic to brain tumor cancer cells. Studies show its extracts were cytotoxic (cell-killing) to glioma cells and stopped proliferation in a dose-dependent manner during rat studies.2
Several experimental results suggest that Boswellia sacra may be an effective therapy for treating invasive breast cancer. Boswellia sacra is a close relative of Bowellia serrata and both are a source of frankincense, although the two resins are probably not identical.
One study published in the journal BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine showed that B. sacra oil induced cell death in specific breast cancer lines by disrupting the cells' growth, limiting their cell-signaling pathways and their cell cycle regulation.
Frankincense extracts and essential oil have been studied for their effects on human pancreatic cancer — a cancer with a 5-year survival rate of less than 5 percent. Researchers found the pancreatic cancer cells to be sensitive to the higher-molecular weight frankincense compounds, which suppressed cell viability and increased the rate of cell death.
Used as a natural medicine for thousands of years
Boswellia’s properties have been used in traditional Chinese medicine and in Ayurveda for millennia. But once conventional medicine decided to focus almost exclusively on man-made drugs, the medical benefits of frankincense were largely forgotten — till scientists discovered that an ethanolic extract from it could help reduce arthritis and inflammation.
The boswellia tree actually looks more like a gnarled old shrub than what you'd likely call a tree. It grows in North Africa and the Middle East, and thrives especially well in regions with warm winters and rainy summers -- the perfect growing conditions for this plant.
Frankincense has enjoyed widespread use in the preparation of perfumes and cosmetics, and you may know it best as an incense that's still important in certain religious ceremonies. Its use in religious rituals may explain why it was one of the gifts of the Magi to Jesus. In fact, frankincense is an old French word meaning "pure incense". In ancient times it was shipped all over Europe and the Far East.
Evidence indicates that boswellia has been harvested in the Middle East going as far back as 7,000 B.C. Traditionally, the bark was cut and allowed to "bleed out" its impurities for a number of days before the cutters returned to extract the pure sap, which could vary in color from yellow to bright green, brown, or even black.
Is boswellia a potent cancer fighter or not?
Recent scientific research indicates that Omali frankincense contains an agent that may stop cancer in its tracks. Immunologist Mahmoud Suhail believes that frankincense may reset the damaged DNA code that can lead to cancer.
Dr. H.K. Lin, Associate Professor in the Department of Urology at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, has been studying the effects of frankincense oil against bladder cancer. He compared frankincense to sandalwood, balsam fir, palo santo, and tsuga oil. Frankincense was the only one of the five that showed an ability to distinguish cancer cells from normal ones, and specifically killed cancer cells.
Applied to a lab sample of human bladder cancer cells, frankincense oil caused them to revert to normal healthy cells. Frankincense oil appears to distinguish between cancerous and normal bladder cells, and to suppress cancer cell viability, although the evidence is somewhat limited.
A 2003 study on human genome sequencing showed that the MAPK (mitogen-activated protein kinase) gene was specifically activated by Frankincense, inducing "non-classical programmed cell death" in bladder tumor cells.
Another study, published in 2009, showed that frankincense oil suppressed cell viability in bladder cancer (J82) cells. Frankincense was apparently responsible for cell cycle arrest, cell growth suppression, and apoptosis (natural cell death) in J82 cancer cells.
But since this cell death didn't result in DNA fragmentation — a hallmark of apoptosis — the conclusion at present is that boswellia seems to stop proliferation, but does not cause outright cell death. It is also considered a potent inhibitor of angiogenesis and cell invasiveness.
Even more recently, a 2011 study showed that Boswellia sacra oil suppressed important malignant features of tumor cells — invasion and multicellular tumor growth, for example. Some scientists think this may affect the potential for metastasis.
It all sounds promising, but here's the glitch…
Are lab experiments sufficient for human trials? No. You simply cannot compare what a substance does to a lab culture of bladder cells to what it does to the whole bladder, for example.
It takes time and money to carry out this type of research. And conventional medicine lacks the incentive to take the study of a natural substance to the next step. It can't be patented and they can't charge thousands of dollars for it, as they can for chemotherapy drugs.
But wait… there are other uses for boswellia
Boswellia is an anti-inflammatory, and has a long history of use in India to treat arthritis.Research shows boswellia, in combination with another inflammatory herb, curcumin (a turmeric extract), helps relieve the pain of arthritis. The boswellia-curcumin combination has none of the dangerous side effects of anti-inflammatory drugs.
According to ArthritisMD.com, boswellic acid prevents leukotrienes from forming. (They help move inflammation-producing cells around.)
Got asthma? This is another inflammatory condition, and it can kill. Treatment with boswellia helped asthma sufferers sustain fewer attacks and enjoy better measurable air movement through the lungs.
Frankincense could also be a treatment against ulcerative colitis and inflammatory bowel disease, in which the bowels are plagued with inflammation.
And there's more…
It may be beneficial for infections because it has antiseptic properties. And some propose its use as a diuretic for those who retain water, and for relieving female reproductive pain and cramping.
What you need to know before you try frankincense
Frankincense can be purchased over the counter. Recommended doses vary wildly, however, and are dependent on your individual biochemistry and the type and stage of cancer you're fighting. Therefore, boswellia should be used under the guidance of a physician experienced in its use for cancer.
If you're looking for it in a joint supplement, one study showed symptomatic improvement from six grams per day (in three divided doses of two grams each).3
Will frankincense oil work for everyone? We have no way of knowing at this time. To find out will likely take many years of research — to look at genetic variations, many different cancer types and stages, different species of frankincense and different preparation of the oils.
Though boswellia extract is considered safe to use and isn't known to have serious side effects, here's the lowdown on precautions:
- Although it's rare, some people get a rash, nausea, and/or diarrhea.
- There are no known drug interactions — but research in this area is skimpy.
- Do not use frankincense if you are pregnant or breastfeeding… its safety during pregnancy has not been established.
- Some sources say it can be ingested, and others say not to. But it is being sold in supplement form, and reports of adverse side effects are rare.
In sum, not only is frankincense becoming popular for cancer, but now it's also known as an inflammation fighter4 — helpful for diseases like arthritis.
Unfortunately, boswellia suffers the same dilemma as many other herbal remedies. There aren't enough studies yet to confirm its benefits, and much of the evidence is anecdotal.
So where does that leave you? You would need to consult with a doctor who has clinical experience with boswellia, do your own additional research… and then proceed with caution.
