Did You Know…thyme and chamomile essential oils can kill breast cancer cells?
Recent studies suggest that essential oils are promising cancer remedies. Chinese researchers tested the antibacterial potency of 10 of the most popular essential oils, as well as their effect on 3 human cancer cell lines:
MCF-7 breast cancer cell line
A-549 lung cancer cell line
PC-3 prostate cancer cell line
Thyme and chamomile emerged as clear candidates for viable cancer cures.
The Healing Properties of Essential Oils
Researchers studied mint, ginger, lemon, grapefruit, jasmine, lavender, chamomile, thyme, rose, and cinnamon essential oils to see how they would impact human cancer cell lines in vitro, which means the human cancer cells were tested and analyzed outside the body.
Overall, the higher the doses of essential oil, the more cancer cells were destroyed.
At a concentration of 0.2%, all essential oils that were tested demonstrated a strong cytotoxicity (cell-killing ability) on prostate cancer cells. Likewise, all the essential oils except for mint triggered apoptosis (cancer cell death) in lung cancer cells. In breast cancer cells, however, only 4 of the 6 essential oils tested stood out as anti-cancer agents.
Beat Breast Cancer with Chamomile and Thyme
In order of efficacy, the following essential oils exhibited a strong cytotoxicity on the MCF-7 breast cancer cell line:
Thyme
Jasmine
Cinnamon
Chamomile
Chamomile destroyed 93% of breast cancer cells; thyme killed 97%!
A study published in Industrial Crops and Products also confirmed the powerful antibacterial and antioxidant properties of thyme and chamomile essential oils. Out of 11 essential oils tested, Roman chamomile exerted the strongest antioxidant effect, and thyme and winter savory essential oils showed the greatest inhibition against the 25 microorganisms tested. Thyme is made up of two remarkably potent biocides, thymol and carvacrol, which help to wipe out harmful microorganisms.
Oncologists at Celal Bayar University in Turkey studied the impact of Wild Thyme (T. serpyllum) on breast cancer cells and concluded: “T. serpyllum may be a promising candidate in the development of novel therapeutic drugs for breast cancer treatment.”
Chamomile and Thyme Essential oils are highly potent plant extracts, most of which are not safe to ingest. Experts advise that you either add the oil to an aromatherapy diffuser and inhale deeply, or mix with a carrier oil, such as sweet almond oil, and apply topically. Chamomile in herb form as a tea is safe to drink, and a wonderful way to benefit from the herb. Thyme essential oil can be inhaled, applied topically when diluted, or used as a mouthwash. You can also enjoy thyme tea, or add the popular spice to your culinary masterpieces. |
