Frankincense and Myrrh Clinical Research Studies
As a natural treatment frankincense and myrrh has an effective therapeutic advantage because of its multi-target characteristics. Below we review and summarize about 60 clinical research studies on frankincense and myrrh and their effectiveness for various usages.
Anti Cancer | Pain Relief | Neuropathy | Arthritis | Depression | Oral Care | Wound Healing | Deodorant | Skin Care
Summary of Research Studies and Concluding Thoughts.
There are many convincing frankincense and myrrh research studies completed for anti-cancer, nerve pain relief, arthritis relief and there are also studies supporting topical treatments for many daily uses like oral care, under arm hygiene, rash relief and accelerated wound healing. The common property of all these 60 research studies on these various uses seems to be frankincense and myrrh's ability to calm inflammation.
The enzyme 5-lipoxygenase plays a key role in the effect of frankincense. It has been known for more than 40 years that this enzyme promotes the formation of leukotrienes, an important group of inflammatory mediators in the human body. It has been commonly used to reduce swelling and alleviate the pain of inflammatory diseases or tumors, and to invigorate the circulation of blood in China and as an antiarthritic in Ayuredic medicine in India for thousands of years (1).
Myrrh, as a traditional natural medicine, is an aromatic gum resin, which is the plant stem resinous exudate of Commiphora myrrha. It has many medicinal powers and has been used widely in clinic for treatment of pain and inflammatory diseases, such as stomach complaints, skin infections, ache, dysmenorrhea, chest ailments, and so on, in India, China, Rome, and Greece (2). Pharmacological studies also have showed that myrrh possesses multiple activities, including anti-inflammatory, cytotoxic, anesthetic, and antimicrobial effects (3).
In the past, most of the studies on frankincense and myrrh focused on independant research, but recent studies demonstrate their combination has a synergistic effect when compared to using them separately. After the combination of frankincense and myrrh forms a blend, a series of changes take place in their chemical composition, such as the emergence of new chemical components. At the same time, the pharmacological effects of the combination seem magically powerful, such as synergistic anti-inflammation, synergistic anticancer, synergistic analgesic, synergistic antibacterial, synergistic blood-activation, and so on.
Frankincense and myrrh essential oils can be taken orally or topically. Cancer studies support ingested treatments. However, for antibacterial and many healing purposes, they should be used topically. They are easily absorbed through the skin, but should be diluted with a carrier oil to penetrate and "carry" the essential oils deep through the skin.
Patents
Drug Companies are not able to patent simple frankincense and myrrh because they are freely available in nature. However they have been extracting and researching compounds from frankincense and myrrh called terpenoids and sesquiterpenes, both of which have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects. It's very possible one day a patent will be created on an extraction process for compounds in frankincense and myrrh much like Bayer derived Aspirin by creating a chemical reaction with willow bark or morphine was derived from drying the seed pod of opium poppies.
Above we are referencing clinical research on independent ingredients of frankincense and myrrh essential oils to help understand the effectiveness for their many uses. These studies were not conducted on Wise Men Healing Balm. Wise Men Healing Balm has not been evaluated by the FDA. It is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.