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Lemongrass essential oil has been reported in two journals to cause normal cell death in cancer cells. One of the hallmarks of cancer cells is they do not undergo apaptosis as normal, meaning they just continue to grow unabated. Lemongrass itself has been used in traditional medicine systems for hundreds, if not thousands of years. It is no wonder the essential oil of this plant has such therapeutic properties. Interestingly, essential oil of lemongrass returns many cancer cells to their normal cycle of cell death, thereby eliminating the cancer. Lemongrass essential oil may very well be an effective alternative treatment, as it has a low cost, low toxicity, and is readily available around the world.
Several essential oils have been investigated for their anti-cancer effects, most notably Frankincense, Lemongrass, and the common constituent "linalool", which adds a sweetness to many essential oil varieties. In one study, human cancer cell lines were examined for their susceptability to lemongrass essential oil as a chemotherapeutic agent. In-vivo analysis was also performed using tumor models in mice -- which further enhances the investigation by not only providing an in-vitro (test tube) analysis. A previous study examined the cause of cancer cell death, particularly of human leukemia HL-60 cells. The cause of death was determined to be the formation of reactive oxygen species (free radicals) and a loss of mitochondrial membrane stability -- leading to a loss of abiltiy of the cells to make their own energy and to defend themselves against oxidative radicals formed during natural metabolic processes.
Under examination, it was found that HL-60 Leukemia cancer cells treated with lemongrass essential oil lost their surface projections, indicating a loss of normal cell function. Surface projections in these cells normally implies the cells can interact with their environment, taking in nutrients and making adjustments per their environmental conditions. The cancer cell death was attributed to the main constituent of Lemongrass oil, isointermedeol, a sesquiterpene naturally present in the oil. The IC50 of the oil itself was 30 micro grams per ml, whereas for the isointermedeol, the IC50 dropped to 20 grams per ml. -- it is important to recognize, however, that this is not a huge difference in efficacy, and in many cases the complete oil is the better choice of treatment.
Lemongrass oil overall was effective against twelve types of cancer cells in-vitro, with a rage of effective doses from 4.2 to 79 micrograms per ml depending on the cell line, and two types -- solid and ascitic Ehrlich and Sarcoma-180 were also found affected by the the essential oil. Colon and Neuroblastoma cancers were the most susceptable to Lemongrass treatment. The absolute mechanism of induction of cell death is not yet known, though it is considered that essential oils disrupt un-natural cell processes in a manner of ways. In yet another study, Citral, a component of many lemon-scented oils, including Lemongrass, was found to induce apoptosis (natural cell death of cancer cells) in a liver cancer cell line at very low concentrations. This indicates it may not be the lemongrass per se, but can work with other essential oils such as Melissa, Lemon, and Lemon Verbena.
Here, it is important to recognize that reductionist science will have a hard time in isolating just which components of natural essential oils will impart an anti-cancer effect, and if in some cases the whole oil will be more effective than a single compound itself. It is crucial to recognize the importance of true, authentic essential oils, such as those from Ananda Aromatherapy and other manufacturer's dedicated to the craft, as the foundation of these natural healing compounds. Single chemicals can simply be manufactured in the laboratory, but it is the plant-based complete medicine that can create a harmony within the organ systems and psychology that may in-fact have the greatest healing effect.
As the body of evidence continues to grow, essential oils are finally moving out of the 'aromatherapy' realm and into the medical realm. At last count, over four hundred results were returned when searching Pub Med for Essential Oils and Cancer. Almost ten thousand results are available from the U.S. National Library of Medicine in all areas of essential oil use. Embracing essential oils as medicine in the U.S. is a practice that has the potential to save many lives, and is especially warranted now in these times of escalating health care costs and dwindling returns.
Want more information? See the Aromatherapy Research Updates regularly posted at the Ananda Apothecary, www.anandaapthecary.com
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