6 Ways to Use Citrus Essential Oil for Cancer Prevention

Interest in essential oils and their healing ability is at an all-time high. The more we learn about the amazing benefits of essential oils, the more it seems we want to learn. Nature has provided us with a potent array of natural anti-cancer compounds in common citrus fruits. Lime, lemon, orange, grapefruit, and tangerine all possess plenty of healing plant nutrients − and the essential oils derived from the rinds of these fruits are no exception.

Citrus essential oil has been used for centuries for relief from colds and flu. These oils have also been used for cleansing, purification, digestion, skin complaints, disinfecting and so much more.

Ancient healers might not have known it, but modern science confirms that citrus essential oil contains an interesting array of natural phytochemicals (plant-based chemicals) that have anti-cancer properties. Scientists have been studying the phytochemicals found in citrus essential oils for decades.

It’s All About Limonene

At first it was thought that the anti-cancer activity of citrus essential oil was mainly due to the high levels of antioxidants they contained. Closer inspection found that it had mainly to do with one special phytochemical found in citrus known as limonene. There are now over 200 research studies on limonene discussing its anti-cancer benefits.

The limonene content in citrus essential oil depends a little upon the growing conditions of the fruit trees and many other factors, but generally speaking, citrus oils contain significant quantities of limonene.

Limonene Content in Citrus Essential Oils

Lemon essential oil: 59-73% limonene
Lime essential oil: 50-60% limonene
Orange essential oil: 85-96% limonene
Tangerine essential oil: 85-93% limonene
Grapefruit essential oil: 88-95% limonene

Other phytochemicals found in citrus essential oils include perillyl alcohol, alpha-pinene, beta-pinene, myrcene, and a few other minor constituents. All of these phytochemicals have research indicating they also have potent anti-cancer activity. But by far the most studied phytochemical is limonene.

Extraction and Potency of Citrus Essential Oil

Citrus essential oils are mechanically cold pressed using the rind of the fruit. Because a good amount of essential oil can be extracted that way, citrus oils are not overly expensive, especially when compared to some other essential oils.

It takes about 1,000 lemons to yield one pound (454 grams) of lemon essential oil. By contrast, it takes around 10,000 pounds (4,536 kilos) of rose petals to yield one pound (454 grams) of rose essential oil. As you can see, citrus yields much more oil by weight than do rose petals, and they are priced accordingly. Rose essential oil is one of the most expensive oils to purchase.

It takes about 75 lemons to make one 15ml bottle of lemon essential oil, so citrus essential oils are extremely condensed and potent.

6 Great Ways To Use Citrus Essential Oil

1. Put a drop or two of lemon, lime, orange, or tangerine essential oil into your favorite juice or sparkling water for an extra wallop of anti-cancer potential and to encourage the elimination of wastes and toxins. The limonene content stimulates white blood cell production, improves the body’s ability to combat infection, and helps to detoxify the liver. Please use only glass containers as essential oils eat plastic and make sure your oils are labeled as therapeutic grade and safe for internal use.

2. Cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy often suffer from mouth ulcers. To speed up the healing process, rub a drop of your favorite citrus essential oil into the affected spot as frequently as you can remember to do it.

3. Feeling stressed or depressed? Just open the cover of your favorite citrus essential oil and breathe it in. Orange in particular helps to balance the emotions, either relaxing or stimulating as needed. Lemon refreshes and brings clarity of thought.

4. Using a purpose built cool mist diffuser, you can diffuse citrus essential oils for mood improvement and clarity of thought. A combination of orange withpine essential oil and cinnamon is wonderfully uplifting.

5. Substitute lemon essential oil for lemon juice or zest to flavor your favorite recipes.

6. Add shelf life to organic fruits and vegetables by filling a bowl or small bucket with cold water, adding 2-3 drops of lemon or orange essential oil and drenching your produce in the water. Rinse and refrigerate them afterwards.

As a breast cancer coach, I teach my clients how to use certain essential oils for health improvement. For instance, to improve breast health I recommend massaging the breasts daily using a combination of a favorite citrus essential oil with either frankincense, lavender, or sandalwood (just to name a few). A few drops of each is usually sufficient.

Citrus essential oils stimulate lymphatic circulation, improve immunity, and the anti-cancer properties of these oils are well documented.

The Research on Limonene’s Anti-Cancer Benefits

There is plenty of scientific research on citrus essential oils, and especially on limonene. One 1984 study found that rats fed limonene had a 72% reduction in mammary tumors as well as regression of existing mammary tumors − with no toxicity.

A 1994 study (also on rodents), found that limonene helped not only to prevent mammary carcinomas but also had anti-tumor effects.

How much limonene was necessary for the animals to experience tumor regression and prevention? One interesting 1992 study found that a diet containing 7.5% limonene was sufficient for mammary tumors to completely regress.

That’s all very well and good for animals, but does limonene work for humans?

A 2015 study on human pancreatic cancer cells in vitro (in test tubes) found that limonene inhibited the growth of the cancer cells. It also inhibited cellular proliferation (rapid reproduction of a cell). Limonene also promoted apoptosis (programmed cell death cancer cells). Researchers noted that limonene had “cancer specific toxicity.”

A small 2013 study on 43 women with newly-diagnosed breast cancer (all of whom chose surgery) had some interesting results. The women took two grams of limonene per day for two to six weeks prior to surgery. The results indicated that limonene concentrated in breast tissue and reduced cyclin D1 expression in tumors. Cyclin D1 is a protein involved in the life cycle of cells. By reducing its expression, it is thought that this may lead to cell-cycle arrest and reduction in tumor cell growth.

An interesting 2015 study on 40 early-stage breast cancer patients indicated that limonene had a general systemic effect on them. The patients experienced several results, but most notably a decrease in the circulation of adrenal steroid hormones.

Since estrogen is a steroid hormone and tends to have a proliferative effect, reducing circulation of estrogen via natural means could be significant for breast cancer patients. The women also experienced an increase in bile acids, important for aiding absorption of dietary fats, elimination of liver wastes, and reduction in cholesterol levels.

Studies on limonene and citrus essential oils are being released all the time. It is always exciting to discover what other roles citrus essential oil can have in cancer prevention and treatment, so stay tuned!

3 Things You Should Know BEFORE Using Citrus Essential Oils

1. Quality is important! You want to know where your essential oils come from and whether or not the fruit has been sprayed with pesticides. Pesticide residue concentrates in the rind of citrus fruit which, as mentioned above, is where the essential oil comes from. It is best to avoid essential oils from companies that do not tell you how the fruit for their oils is grown. Organic, or at least spray-free, is best.

2. Using citrus essential oil on your skin can make the skin photosensitive − meaning that if the skin treated with citrus oils is then exposed to the UV rays from sunlight, sun lamps, or tanning beds, it can burn more easily or react with a rash. To avoid this, simply shield the skin treated with citrus essential oils from any possible UV rays for at least 6 hours after application.

3. Because grapefruit is known to react with many medications, it is advised to avoid the use of grapefruit essential oil until you’ve checked with your health care practitioner.

General note: When using essential oils to enhance your health, it is always a good idea to do your research and/or work closely with a qualified practitioner.

By Marnie Clark

https://thetruthaboutcancer.com/citrus-essential-oil-cancer-prevention/

Purple Potatoes Proven to Kill Colon Cancer Cells – Study

Research is showing more and more powerfully and clearly how natural, whole foods and the nutrients they provide are able to prevent, combat and kill cancer cells. Surely the mainstream is going to sit up and take notice soon.

As I posted last week in my Seven Most Alkaline Cancer-Fighting Foods – this isn’t just a case of drawing a dotted line conclusion that healthy foods have good stuff in them so they will be good for your body and thus fight cancer…

No.

This is hard, scientifically proven, researched fact.

In that article I showed you (with the studies) that turmeric, leafy greens, beans, healthy oils, garlic, broccoli, cauliflower and bell pepper all had strong cancer fighting & prevention properties.

And now we can add purple potato to the list.

Purple Potato Proven to Kill Colon Cancer Cells: Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry

In the December 2015 issue of the Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry, researchers from Penn State University found that cooked, purple-fleshed potatoes suppressed the growth of colon cancer cells both in vitro and in vivo.

The exciting thing is, this has opened a great big, gigantic door to finding dozens, if not HUNDREDS of other vegetables that can do the same for other cancers.

Since slow-cycling and therapy-resistant cancer stem cells (CSCs) were first hypothesised in 2012, researchers have been trying to find ways to counteract them.

The lead researcher from this study, Prof. Jairam KP Vanamala, explains it like this: “You might want to compare cancer stem cells to roots of the weeds. You may cut the weed, but as long as the roots are still there, the weeds will keep growing back and, likewise, if the cancer stem cells are still present, the cancer can still grow and spread.”

This is a great summary of CSCs…

The research study found that treating colon CSCs with cooked purple potato (PP) extracts both reduced the motility, whilst increasing apoptosis of CSCs. Further experiments showed comparable results in vivo, when mice with colon cancer were fed PP (20 % w/w; the equivalent of a human eating 1 large PP a day).

The researchers showed that PPs contain a range of natural chemicals that work together to provide the CSC fighting properties, including chlorogenic acid, anthocyanins, and resistant starch.

“Our earlier work and other research studies suggest that potatoes, including purple potatoes, contain resistant starch, which serves as a food for the gut bacteria, that the bacteria can covert to beneficial short-chain fatty acids such as butyric acid. The butyric acid regulates immune function in the gut, suppresses chronic inflammation and may also help to cause cancer cells to self-destruct.”

Vanamala also emphasized eating a wide range of vegetables:

“In addition to resistant starch, the same color compounds that give potatoes, as well as other fruits and vegetables, a rainbow of vibrant colors may be effective in suppressing cancer growth, he added.

“When you eat from the rainbow, instead of one compound, you have thousands of compounds, working on different pathways to suppress the growth of cancer stem cells,” said Vanamala. “Because cancer is such a complex disease, a silver bullet approach is just not possible for most cancers.”

From this research purple potatoes can be used in both primary and secondary prevention strategies for cancer, Vanamala suggested.

Primary prevention is aimed at stopping the initial attack of cancer, while secondary prevention refers to helping patients in remission remain cancer-free.

The team hopes to continue to push the awareness of research for cancer prevention as well as cure as so little research funding is currently going into this area.

I couldn’t agree more.

And to get you started, here’s a little Vegan Purple Potato Salad Recipe(from ILoveVegan.com) – featuring, indeed, all of the colors of the rainbow!

Stay energized
Ross

References

Research Paper from the Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry
Information on CSCs

http://liveenergized.com/alkaline-diet-scientific-proof/purple-potatoes-proven-kill-colon-cancer-cells-study/

The 12 Worst Cancer-Causing Ingredients In Everyday Products

The EWG’s annual Dirty Dozen breaks down which fruits and vegetables have the most pesticides and which have the fewest. This year, they’ve taken their list a step further and tackled the toxins that lurk outside grocery stores.

In response to years of research linking environmental toxins and cancer, the EWG just released their Cancer Prevention Dirty Dozen, which lists 12 carcinogens that lie in everyday products like packaging, cosmetics and furniture.

“Given that we live in a sea of chemicals, it makes sense to begin reducing exposures to ones we know are bad actors,” the report reads.

Here’s a list of EWG’s top offenders, what they can do to your body, where to find them, and how to avoid them.

1. Bisphenol A (BPA)

You’ve probably heard talk of the dangers of BPA before — it’s a chemical used in the plastic lining of food and beverage containers and it’s been linked to a slew of cancers. Though a few major companies are phasing BPA out of their packaging, it’s still in plastics marked “PC” and “recycling #7.” Avoid these, and opt for fresh foods over canned ones whenever possible.

2. Atrazine

Atrazine is of the most widely used herbicides in the US and a study by the NRDC found that it has made its way into more than 80% of our drinking water. Filter your tap water to avoid this endocrine disruptor and potential carcinogen.

3. Organophosphate Pesticides

Major food corporations like Monsanto use organophosphates to destroy the nervous system of pests, but they’re not so great for humans either. Buy organic to avoid produce that could be contaminated with residue from the pesticide.

4. Dibutyl Phthalate (DBP)

DBP is linked to cancer and infertility and it’s been banned in most personal care products like nail polishes and perfumes. You can still find it in some flexible plastics like shower curtains and raincoats, so it’s a good idea to look for natural alternatives to soft plastics.

5. Lead

Lead harms almost every system in the body, so be careful when removing that stubborn old paint from walls, as it could hold traces of the dangerous chemical.

6. Mercury

Mercury exposure is super dangerous during pregnancy, but it’s important for everyone to keep their levels in check. Monitor your intake of large fish like tuna and swordfish — they’re the ones that usually have the highest mercury buildup in their system.

7. PFCs

PFCs are used in grease and stain-repellent coatings. The EWG recommends avoiding pre-treated carpets and furniture that have been treated with repellents.

8. Phthalates

Phlalates are often added to perfumes to help them cling to the skin longer, but they’re really not something you want on your body. They’ve been shown to screw up hormone levels and disrupt brain function. Avoid products that have the word “fragrance” on the ingredient list — this is usually code for phthalates, which don’t have to be explicitly labeled.

9. Diethlyhexyl Phthalate (DEHP)

DEHPs are the most commonly used class of phthalates, and the same rules of avoidance apply for them.

10. PBDEs

This type of fire retardant was used to treat upholstered furniture, mattresses and pillows until it was pulled from the market for high toxicity levels. Invest in some new furniture and consider getting rid of those vintage pieces manufactured before 2005.

11. Triclosan

Triclosan has been linked to cancer and heart disease, but it’s still an ingredient in many antibacterial products. Soap alternatives like essential oils and DIY cleansers offer a safer approach to cleaning.

12. Nonylphenol

Nonylphenols are everywhere — from laundry and dish detergents to paints and personal care products. Follow the EWG’s Healthy Cleaning Guide to learn how to nix them from your everyday routine. 

Photo Credit: Getty Images

by Emma Loewe

http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-21179/the-12-worst-cancer-causing-ingredients-in-everyday-products.html