Affluent Savvy
Affluent Savvy
Photo: cottonbro studio
Substances that occur in frankincense have a number of possible health benefits. These include controlling bleeding, speeding up the wound-healing process, improving oral health, fighting inflammatory conditions such as arthritis, and improving uterine health.
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Read More »Three compounds, connected by their mention in the story of Jesus’ birth, may provide benefits beyond their gift of seasonal joy. Here, we investigate their healing powers. Share on Pinterest We will never know whether the three wise men knew how healthful their gifts were. When writing for a medical website, creating uplifting seasonal content can be challenging. There are many opportunities to write about medical dangers. For instance, we could write about the physical impact of overeating or overdrinking. We could cover the increased risk of poisoning the dog with chocolate or the spike in heart attacks during the festive period. This Spotlight, however, is a little less somber. The title was begging to be written and, thankfully, there is much to say about gold, frankincense, and myrrh’s contribution to medical science. First, a brief introduction to our triumvirate of seasonal compounds. Gold, unarguably the most famous of the three, is a dense, soft, transition metal. Frankincense and myrrh are both aromatic resins extracted from trees. In brief, I will outline some of the potential health benefits that these three compounds might offer. Although the evidence is sketchy in places, each compound’s tale is interesting in its own right. Gold One of the first things that spring to mind when considering gold is its high price. Its monetary worth means that any health claims about gold should be approached with caution — it would be of great financial benefit to any company that could convince us that gold might save our lives. Share on Pinterest There’s more to gold than its high price. Because of its high status, gold has been used as a medicine for thousands of years. The earliest documented use occurred in China around 2,500 years before it was presented to the baby Jesus. In medieval times, and still today, certain outlets promoted the consumption of gold to alleviate depressive symptoms and migraines, while improving concentration and alertness. In the 19th century, gold was considered nervine — an agent that calms the nerves — and it was used to treat diverse conditions ranging from alcoholism to epilepsy. Many of the claims made about gold are baseless, but not all. Ingesting gold in its standard elemental form has no effect: It is inert and impervious to the body’s digestive juices — in other words, it passes straight through and out the other side. Some gold salts, though, can be processed by the body and have anti-inflammatory properties. Some arthritis drugs include gold salts, such as sodium aurothiomalate and auranofin. Gold versus cancer The isotope gold-198 is used in the treatment of some cancers . Gold is excellent at absorbing X-rays, and loading tumors with gold can increase radiation therapy’s efficiency. This means that less powerful treatment is needed, minimizing damage to healthy tissue. One study used an intriguing approach; the researchers combined a green tea compound with radioactive gold nanoparticles and used them to attack prostate cancer. The tea compound, called epigallocatechin-gallate, is easily absorbed into tumors, and when radioactive gold is attached to the compound, it gets a free ride to the heart of the tumor, where it can destroy the cells without damaging other tissues. According to the authors, their technique “may provide significant advances in oncology for use as an effective treatment for prostate and other solid tumors.” Frankincense Frankincense is produced from trees of the genus Boswellia. It has an impressive pedigree and has been traded on the Arabian Peninsula for around 6,000 years. The aromatic resin is used in incense and perfumes; it produces a sweet, earthy, and woody aroma. Today, with a popular focus on well-being and alternative therapies, essential oils and aromatherapy have given frankincense a rebirth in the West. Modern peddlers assign it a fair few health claims, including the reduction of acne, anxiety, colds, ulcers, coughs, and even indigestion. Although these claims lack evidence, not all of frankincense’s health benefits can be pooh-poohed out of hand. In 2008, BMJ published a review of seven randomized clinical trials, all of which investigated the benefits of ingesting frankincense. The author notes that “all the included trials had flaws: The most common limitations were small sample size and incomplete reporting of data.” Anti-inflammatory benefits? However, there were some potential benefits seen in asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s disease, knee osteoarthritis, and collagenous colitis, which is a type of inflammatory bowel disease. Unfortunately, because there were so few studies to assess, there was little replication — they were nearly all looking at different conditions. Share on Pinterest Frankincense is derived from the sap of Boswellia trees. The only exception was osteoarthritis. The author also mentions the possibility of publication bias, saying that “complementary medicine journals rarely publish negative results.” On a more positive note, the adverse effects of frankincense appeared to be minor or nonexistent. Historically, frankincense has been used as an anti-inflammatory, and all of the conditions that are covered in the studies above involve inflammation. The main active ingredients of frankincense are alpha- and beta-boswellic acid and some other pentacyclic triterpenic acids. Studies have shown that these compounds reduce inflammation, so there may well be some benefits for certain people with inflammatory conditions. Still, as the author of the review writes, “The evidence evaluated here may be encouraging, but it is not convincing.” Is it safe? Frankincense is widely available as a food additive and supplement and, because there is no evidence of drug interactions or serious side effects, it could become the basis of useful treatments in the future. But as the author of the review dryly notes, “absence of evidence is not the same as evidence of absence.” The author is also quick to inform the reader that many of the medical and cosmetic claims made by companies who sell these products “are not supported by the available evidence.” The final words of the review say it all: “In conclusion, it might be tempting to buy ‘instant youth’ in the form of a [frankincense] product for Christmas, but sadly the evidence for this claim is nonexistent.”
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