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Bladder cancer can be suppressed and in some cases eliminated by the frankincense herb Boswellia carteri, according to a study in the US.
It found that an enriched extract of the oil not only suppresses tumour growth but also activates multiple biological pathways to induce cancer-cell death.
Study leader Dr Hsueh-Kung Lin, from the University of Oklahoma, reports in the online journal BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine that the oil may represent a cheap alternative to traditional therapies.
The aromatic oil, which was one of the gifts carried by the three wise men in the Christmas nativity story, is reportedly able to target only the cancer cells.
Copyright Press Association 2009
BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine