Frankincense and Mistletoe

Guest blogger Allison Brooks has contributed this seasonal article:

Frankincense and Mistletoe:

How these holiday favorites is making a comeback

As the holidays creep up among us, and our houses start to smell of cinnamon and sweet pumpkin pies, I bet no one had a second thought about the effect of those scents on the body and mind. Certain scents open different parts of the mind and body to produce positive effects, and if you don’t think this is true; think again. Even the most simple of scents has an effect on a person’s mood, attitude towards the situation, and so on. Smells and Scents have an effect on just about everything and everyone.

This is why we invest time and considerations in the perfumes we buy, the air fresheners we stock in our homes, and of course holiday scents. And the most notable, and probably most historic, holiday scent in Frankincense. The widely used aromatherapy plant has been used for generations to clear the mind and open the soul. It’s mostly known for its presence in the story of the Three-Wise Men and in Roman Catholic ceremonies, but never for clinical trials….right?

Well, now Frankincense is making a comeback by being used as an integrative therapy in cancer treatment. There have been many scientific studies proving the “reset” function frankincense has on the brain. Doctors have noted a frankincense aromatherapy treatment, actually separates the nucleus of the cancerous cell from the cytoplasm, making it unable to reproduce corrupt/cancerous DNA. This is a major development in cancer treatment since the frankincense does not negatively interact with healthy cells, unlike chemotherapy.

Another holiday favorite that is making its debut in the medical realm is Mistletoe. This common decoration and kissing tradition, is now way more than just that. Being studied for over 90 years now, mistletoe is showing impressive effects in the battle against cancer. So far, a 30-year long controlled study has shown that patients using Iscador treatments with conventional treatments have a 40% greater chance of survivability. Iscador, is the medical term for the derivative used from the mistletoe plant.

Today, many doctors recommended patients with a low-survivability rate cancer, such as non-hodgkin’s lymphoma or pleural mesothelioma, to practice aromatherapy sessions or use Iscador as complementary therapies. They also suggest taking classes to learn the helpful components of aromatic herbs and oils to help boost the immune system. The aromatherapy classes also give the patients a sense of control when life might seem out of their reach.

Who would have thought that over nine-thousand year ago a cleansing and curative plants would be the medical science of tomorrow?