Cancer Patient"s Mood, Physical Symptoms and Quality of Life Improve with Aromatherapy

Palliative Care

Wilcock A, Manderson C, Weller R, et al. Does aromatherapy massage benefit patients with cancer attending a specialist palliative care day centre? Palliative Medicine. 18(4):287-90, 2004.

In this randomized controlled trial, 46 cancer patients were randomized to conventional day care alone or day care plus weekly aromatherapy massage using a standardized blend of oils for four weeks. Due to a large number of withdrawals, only 11 of 23 patients in the aromatherapy group and 18 of 23 in the control group completed all four weeks. Mood, physical symptoms and quality of life improved in both groups. There was no statistically significant difference between groups in any of the outcome measures. Despite a lack of measurable benefit, all patients were satisfied with the aromatherapy and wished to continue

Cancer Patient"s Mood, Physical Symptoms and Quality of Life Improve with Aromatherapy

Lemons are 10,000 times Stronger than Chemotherapy

10,000 times more powerful than chemotherapy

Lemon (citrus) kills cancer. It is 10,000 times stronger than chemotherapy.

Why do we not know about that? Because there are laboratories interested in making a synthetic version that will bring them huge profits.  the lemon tree is known for its varieties of lemons and limes. You can eat the fruit in different ways: you can eat the pulp, juice press, prepare drinks, sorbets, pastries, etc… It is credited with many virtues, but the most interesting is the effect it produces on cysts and tumors. This plant is a proven remedy against cancers of all types. Some say it is very useful in all variants of cancer. It is considered also as an anti microbial spectrum against bacterial infections and fungi, effective against internal parasites and worms, it regulates blood pressure which is too high and an antidepressant, combats stress and nervous disorders.

The source of this information comes from one of the largest drug manufacturers in the world that validates in more than 20 laboratory tests since 1970 that the extracts revealed that:

It destroys the malignant cells in 12 cancers, including colon, breast, prostate, lung and pancreas.

The compounds of this tree showed 10,000 times better than the product Adriamycin, a drug normally used chemotherapeutic in the world, slowing the growth of cancer cells.

This type of therapy with lemon extract only destroys malignant cancer cells and it does not affect healthy cells.

Institute of Health Sciences, 819 N. L.L.C. Cause Street, Baltimore, MD1201

Lemons are 10,000 times Stronger than Chemotherapy

Melalueca an anti cancer treatment

Tea tree oil (TTO) is the essential oil steam distilled from Melaleuca alternifolia of the Myrtaceae family, a plant native from Australia. Traditionally, the oil was used by aboriginal Australian for insect bites and skin infections and rediscovered in 1920s for its topical antiseptic effects. To date, the essential oil is part of several products for skin and wound care and its safety/toxicity associated with topical uses has been rigorously examined. TTO consists largely of monoterpenes; about half are oxygenated and the rest are hydrocarbons. Out of the over 100 components of the oil, the more represented are terpinen-4-ol, -terpinene, -terpinene, 1,8-cineole, and -cymene. Currently, the composition of TTO must adhere to an international standard for “Oil ofMelaleuca terpinen-4-ol type” which sets the upper and lower limits for 14 components of the oil although it does not indicate the species of Melaleuca that must be the source of the oil (International Organization for Standardization, ISO 4730: 1996). Terpinen-4-ol, the most abundant component of the oil, is thought to be the main active constituent responsible for the several in vitro and in vivo activities reported for TTO. TTO is known for its antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, and anti-inflammatory properties, while only recently the phytocomplex and some of its components have been screened for anticancer activities.

Studies evaluating cytotoxicity of TTO on cultured cells were initially performed to determine its potential toxic effects. TTO toxicity was tested on a wide panel of human cell cultures including cervical cancer (HeLa), acute lymphoblastic leukemia (MOLT-4), erythromyeloblastoid leukemia (K562), B cell derived from bone marrow of a patient with acute myeloid leukaemia (CTVR-1), fibroblast, and epithelial cells. In these studies TTO showed an IC50 on cell growth ranging from 20 to 2700 μg/mL.

The potential antitumoral activity of TTO was reported in a study by Calcabrini and colleagues (2004) in human melanoma M14 wild type cells and their drug-resistant counterparts, M14 adriamycin-resistant (ADR) cells. TTO, at the higher used concentrations (0.02 and 0.03%), as well as terpinen-4-ol, was able to inhibit the growth and induce caspase-dependent apoptotic cell death in both wild type and drug-resistant melanoma cells with the latter being more susceptible to the cytotoxic effect. The authors suggested that the greater sensitivity to the TTO treatment displayed by the drug-resistant cells could be ascribed to the different lipid composition of the plasma membrane since there is evidence indicating that multidrug resistance phenotype is also associated with changes in membrane lipid composition. This would suggest that, as claimed for the antimicrobial effect, the cytotoxicity of TTO might be due to the interaction of the lipophilic components of the oil with the phospholipid bilayer of cell membranes with consequent alteration of cell growth and activity. It is worth noting that an earlier study testing the cytotoxic effect of TTO on “normal” epithelial and fibroblast cells, having similar susceptibilities as basal keratinocytes to topical agents, did not report toxic effects at concentrations that were shown to affect melanoma cell survival, thus confirming a higher sensitivity of tumor cells as compared to normal cells.

Cytotoxic effect of TTO has been reported in murine mesothelioma (AE17) and melanoma (B16) cell lines though slightly different IC50 was reported, probably due to the different cell types. In this case, TTO and terpinen-4-ol induced time-dependent cancer cell cycle arrest and cell death by primary necrosis and low levels of apoptosis; differential dose-response between tumor and nontumor fibroblast cells was shown suggesting that TTO might elicit its effect by inhibiting rapidly dividing cells more readily than slower growing noncancerous cells. More recently, the ability of TTO and its major component, terpinen-4-ol, has been also reported to interfere with the migration and invasion processes of drug-sensitive and drug-resistant melanoma cells.

Two recent studies investigated the efficacy of topical TTO on aggressive, subcutaneous, chemoresistant tumors in fully immune-competent mice. The studies showed that topical treatment with 10% TTO, given once a day for 4 consecutive days, induced a significant, though temporary, regression of established subcutaneous AE17 tumors and slowed the growth of B16-F10 tumors. Use of DMSO as a penetration enhancer, at concentrations devoid of toxic effects, was necessary to induce the antitumor effect; no effects were evident when using neat TTO or solvents other than DMSO (i.e., isopropanol or acetone). Similar effects on tumor growth were obtained using a combination of the five major components of TTO (terpinen-4-ol, -terpinene, -terpinene, 1,8-cineole, and -cymene) at equivalent doses to those found in 10% TTO but not with the single components. The antitumor effect of topical TTO was accompanied by skin irritation that, unlike other topical chemotherapeutic agents, resolved quickly and completely.

A follow-up study investigated the mechanism of action underlying the antitumor activity of topical TTO reporting that topically applied 10% TTO induced a direct cytotoxicity on subcutaneous AE17 tumor cells, which was associated with nontumor specific activation of local immune response (i.e., neutrophils, dendritic, and T cells). In particular transmission electron microscopy analysis of AE17 tumor sections from mice treated topically with TTO revealed loss of cellular organization with increased intercellular spaces and accumulation of cell debris, nuclear shrinkage, chromatin condensation, mitochondria swelling and loss of cristae and membranes, significant alteration of endoplasmic reticulum, and less defined cellular membranes. These findings would suggest that, following in vivo TTO treatment, tumor cells undergo primary necrosis as previously suggested in vitro. Interestingly the topical treatment does not seem to affect the fibroblast adjacent to damaged tumor cells, nor lymphocytes within tumor sections and skeletal muscle fibers adjacent to tumor suggesting that normal cells might have higher tolerance to TTO cytotoxicity as compared to tumor cells.

Melalueca an anti cancer treatment

Cancer and Frankincense Essential Oil Testimony

Cancer and Frankincense Essential Oil Testimony

National Cancer Institute on Aromatherapy

Aromatherapy and Essential Oils (PDQ®)

History

Proponents of aromatherapy report that aromatic or essential oils have been used for thousands of years as stimulants or sedatives of the nervous system and as treatments for a wide range of other disorders.[1] They link it historically to the use of infused oils and unguents in the Bible and ancient Egypt,[1] remedies used throughout the Middle Ages and the Renaissance,[2] and the burning of aromatic plants in various religious rites. The current applications of aromatherapy did not come about until the early 20th century when the French chemist and perfumer Rene Gattefosse coined the term “aromatherapy” and published a book of that name in 1937.[2] Gattefosse proposed the use of aromatherapy to treat diseases in virtually every organ system, citing mostly anecdotal and case-based evidence.[2]

Although Gattefosse and his colleagues in France, Italy, and Germany studied the effects of aromatherapy for some 30 years, its use went out of fashion midcentury and was rediscovered by another Frenchman, a physician, Jean Valnet, in the latter part of the century. Valnet published his book The Practice of Aromatherapy in 1982,[3] at which time the practice became more well-known in Britain and the United States. Through the 1980s and 1990s, as patients in Western countries became increasingly interested in complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) treatments, aromatherapy developed a following that continues to this day. In addition to the growing use of essential oils by nursesand aromatherapy practitioners for specific medical issues, the popularity of aromatherapy has also been exploited by cosmetics companies that have created lines of essential oil-based (though often with a synthetic component) cosmetics and toiletries, claiming to improve mood and well-being in their users.

Despite the growing popularity of aromatherapy in the latter part of the 20th century (especially in the United Kingdom), little research on aromatherapy was available in the English-language medical literature until the early or mid-1990s. The research that began to appear in the 1990s was most often conducted by nurses, who tended to be the primary practitioners of aromatherapy in the United States and United Kingdom (although it is dispensed by medical doctors in France and Germany). Aromatherapists now publish their own journal, the International Journal of Essential Oil Therapeutics. Also, many studies regarding the effects of odor on the brain and other systems in animals and healthy humans have been published in the context of odor psychology and neurobiology (and in the absence of the specific term aromatherapy).

In addition to topical antimicrobial uses,[4] aromatherapy has also been proposed for use in wound care [5,6] and to treat a variety of localized symptoms and illnesses such as alopecia, eczema, and pruritus.[7-9] Aromatherapy has also been studied via inhalation for airway reactivity.[10]

Studies on aromatherapy have examined a variety of other conditions: sedation and arousal;[11,12] startle reflex and reaction time;[13,14] psychological states such as mood, anxiety, and general sense of well-being;[15-29] psychiatric disorders;[30] neurologic impairment;[23] chronic renal failure;[24] agitationin patients with dementia;[31-35] smoking withdrawal symptoms;[36,37] motion sickness;[38] postoperative nausea;[39,40] nausea and emesis in combination with fatigue, pain, and anxiety in patients in labor;[25,26,41] pain alone;[42-45] and pain in combination with other symptoms.[22,23,25,26]

Published articles have described the use of aromatherapy in specific hospital settings such as cancerwards, hospices, and other areas where patients are critically ill and require palliative care for pain, nausea, lymphedema,[46,47] generalized stress, anxiety,[48] and depression.[49] These observational studies provide examples of the clinical uses of aromatherapy (and other CAM modalities), though they are generally not evidence-based. Subjects have included hospitalized children with HIV,[50] homebound patients with terminal disease,[51] and hospitalized patients with leukemia.[52] Aromatherapy has also been used to reduce malodor of necrotic ulcers in cancer patients.[53]

Studies of aromatherapy use with mental health patients have also been conducted.[54] Most of the resulting articles describe successful incorporation of aromatherapy into the treatment of these patients, though outcomes are clearly subjective.

Theories about the mechanism of action of aromatherapy and essential oils differ, depending on the community studying them. Proponents of aromatherapy often cite the connection between olfaction and the limbic system in the brain as the basis for the effects of aromatherapy on mood and emotions; less is said about proposed mechanisms for its effects on other parts of the body. Most of the aromatherapy literature, however, lacks in-depth neurophysiological studies on the nature of olfaction and its link to the limbic system, and it generally does not cite research that shows these links. Proponents of aromatherapy also believe that the effects of the treatments are based on the special nature of the essential oils used and that essential oils produce effects on the body that are greater than the sum of the individual chemical components of the scents.

These assertions have been contested by the biochemistry and psychology communities, which take a different view of the possible mechanism of action of odors on the human brain (most do not differentiate the odors produced by essential oils from those of synthetic fragrances).[30] This neurobiological view, which focuses mostly on the emotional and psychological effects of fragrances (as opposed to the other symptomatic effects claimed by aromatherapists), takes into account what is known about olfactory transduction and the connection of the olfactory system to other central nervous system functions, including memory; however, it is primarily theoretical because of the lack of significant research addressing this topic.

References

1. Tisserand R: Essential oils as psychotherapeutic agents. In: Van Toller S, Dodd GH, eds.: Perfumery: The Psychology and Biology of Fragrance. New York, NY: Chapman and Hall, 1988, pp 167-80.


2. Gattefosse RM: Gattefosse’s Aromatherapy. Essex, England:CW Daniel, 1993.


3. Valnet J: The Practice of Aromatherapy: A Classic Compendium of Plant Medicines & Their Healing Properties. Rochester, NY: Healing Arts Press, 1990.


4. Hartman D, Coetzee JC: Two US practitioners’ experience of using essential oils for wound care. J Wound Care 11 (8): 317-20, 2002. [PUBMED Abstract]


5. Asquith S: The use of aromatherapy in wound care. J Wound Care 8 (6): 318-20, 1999. [PUBMED Abstract]


6. Edwards-Jones V, Buck R, Shawcross SG, et al.: The effect of essential oils on methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus using a dressing model. Burns 30 (8): 772-7, 2004. [PUBMED Abstract]


7. Hay IC, Jamieson M, Ormerod AD: Randomized trial of aromatherapy. Successful treatment for alopecia areata. Arch Dermatol 134 (11): 1349-52, 1998. [PUBMED Abstract]


8. Anderson C, Lis-Balchin M, Kirk-Smith M: Evaluation of massage with essential oils on childhood atopic eczema. Phytother Res 14 (6): 452-6, 2000. [PUBMED Abstract]


9. Ro YJ, Ha HC, Kim CG, et al.: The effects of aromatherapy on pruritus in patients undergoing hemodialysis. Dermatol Nurs 14 (4): 231-4, 237-8, 256; quiz 239, 2002. [PUBMED Abstract]


10. Cohen BM, Dressler WE: Acute aromatics inhalation modifies the airways. Effects of the common cold. Respiration 43 (4): 285-93, 1982. [PUBMED Abstract]


11. Diego MA, Jones NA, Field T, et al.: Aromatherapy positively affects mood, EEG patterns of alertness and math computations. Int J Neurosci 96 (3-4): 217-24, 1998. [PUBMED Abstract]


12. Motomura N, Sakurai A, Yotsuya Y: Reduction of mental stress with lavender odorant. Percept Mot Skills 93 (3): 713-8, 2001. [PUBMED Abstract]


13. Miltner W, Matjak M, Braun C, et al.: Emotional qualities of odors and their influence on the startle reflex in humans. Psychophysiology 31 (1): 107-10, 1994. [PUBMED Abstract]


14. Millot JL, Brand G, Morand N: Effects of ambient odors on reaction time in humans. Neurosci Lett 322 (2): 79-82, 2002. [PUBMED Abstract]


15. Stevenson C: Measuring the effects of aromatherapy. Nurs Times 88 (41): 62-3, 1992 Oct 7-13. [PUBMED Abstract]


16. Dunn C, Sleep J, Collett D: Sensing an improvement: an experimental study to evaluate the use of aromatherapy, massage and periods of rest in an intensive care unit. J Adv Nurs 21 (1): 34-40, 1995. [PUBMED Abstract]


17. Buckle J: Aromatherapy. Nurs Times 89 (20): 32-5, 1993 May 19-25. [PUBMED Abstract]


18. Hadfield N: The role of aromatherapy massage in reducing anxiety in patients with malignant brain tumours. Int J Palliat Nurs 7 (6): 279-85, 2001. [PUBMED Abstract]


19. Wilkinson S: Aromatherapy and massage in palliative care. Int J Palliat Nurs 1 (1): 21-30, 1995.


20. Wilkinson S, Aldridge J, Salmon I, et al.: An evaluation of aromatherapy massage in palliative care. Palliat Med 13 (5): 409-17, 1999. [PUBMED Abstract]


21. Corner J, Cawler N, Hildebrand S: An evaluation of the use of massage and essential oils on the wellbeing of cancer patients. Int J Palliat Nurs 1 (2): 67-73, 1995.


22. Louis M, Kowalski SD: Use of aromatherapy with hospice patients to decrease pain, anxiety, and depression and to promote an increased sense of well-being. Am J Hosp Palliat Care 19 (6): 381-6, 2002 Nov-Dec. [PUBMED Abstract]


23. Walsh E, Wilson C: Complementary therapies in long-stay neurology in-patient settings. Nurs Stand 13 (32): 32-5, 1999 Apr 28-May 4. [PUBMED Abstract]


24. Itai T, Amayasu H, Kuribayashi M, et al.: Psychological effects of aromatherapy on chronic hemodialysis patients. Psychiatry Clin Neurosci 54 (4): 393-7, 2000. [PUBMED Abstract]


25. Burns E, Blamey C: Complementary medicine. Using aromatherapy in childbirth. Nurs Times 90 (9): 54-60, 1994 Mar 2-8. [PUBMED Abstract]


26. Burns EE, Blamey C, Ersser SJ, et al.: An investigation into the use of aromatherapy in intrapartum midwifery practice. J Altern Complement Med 6 (2): 141-7, 2000. [PUBMED Abstract]


27. Kite SM, Maher EJ, Anderson K, et al.: Development of an aromatherapy service at a Cancer Centre. Palliat Med 12 (3): 171-80, 1998. [PUBMED Abstract]


28. Komori T, Fujiwara R, Tanida M, et al.: Effects of citrus fragrance on immune function and depressive states. Neuroimmunomodulation 2 (3): 174-80, 1995 May-Jun. [PUBMED Abstract]


29. Wiebe E: A randomized trial of aromatherapy to reduce anxiety before abortion. Eff Clin Pract 3 (4): 166-9, 2000 Jul-Aug. [PUBMED Abstract]


30. Perry N, Perry E: Aromatherapy in the management of psychiatric disorders: clinical and neuropharmacological perspectives. CNS Drugs 20 (4): 257-80, 2006. [PUBMED Abstract]


31. Ballard CG, O’Brien JT, Reichelt K, et al.: Aromatherapy as a safe and effective treatment for the management of agitation in severe dementia: the results of a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial with Melissa. J Clin Psychiatry 63 (7): 553-8, 2002. [PUBMED Abstract]


32. Smallwood J, Brown R, Coulter F, et al.: Aromatherapy and behaviour disturbances in dementia: a randomized controlled trial. Int J Geriatr Psychiatry 16 (10): 1010-3, 2001. [PUBMED Abstract]


33. Holmes C, Hopkins V, Hensford C, et al.: Lavender oil as a treatment for agitated behaviour in severe dementia: a placebo controlled study. Int J Geriatr Psychiatry 17 (4): 305-8, 2002. [PUBMED Abstract]


34. Gray SG, Clair AA: Influence of aromatherapy on medication administration to residential-care residents with dementia and behavioral challenges. Am J Alzheimers Dis Other Demen 17 (3): 169-74, 2002 May-Jun. [PUBMED Abstract]


35. Snow LA, Hovanec L, Brandt J: A controlled trial of aromatherapy for agitation in nursing home patients with dementia. J Altern Complement Med 10 (3): 431-7, 2004. [PUBMED Abstract]


36. Rose JE, Behm FM: Inhalation of vapor from black pepper extract reduces smoking withdrawal symptoms. Drug Alcohol Depend 34 (3): 225-9, 1994. [PUBMED Abstract]


37. Sayette MA, Parrott DJ: Effects of olfactory stimuli on urge reduction in smokers. Exp Clin Psychopharmacol 7 (2): 151-9, 1999. [PUBMED Abstract]


38. Post-White N, Nichols W: Randomized trial testing of QueaseEase™ essential oil for motion sickness. International Journal of Essential Oil Therapeutics 1 (4): 158-66, 2007.


39. Tate S: Peppermint oil: a treatment for postoperative nausea. J Adv Nurs 26 (3): 543-9, 1997. [PUBMED Abstract]


40. Hines S, Steels E, Chang A, et al.: Aromatherapy for treatment of postoperative nausea and vomiting. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 4: CD007598, 2012. [PUBMED Abstract]


41. Oyama H, Kaneda M, Katsumata N, et al.: Using the bedside wellness system during chemotherapy decreases fatigue and emesis in cancer patients. J Med Syst 24 (3): 173-82, 2000. [PUBMED Abstract]


42. Dale A, Cornwell S: The role of lavender oil in relieving perineal discomfort following childbirth: a blind randomized clinical trial. J Adv Nurs 19 (1): 89-96, 1994. [PUBMED Abstract]


43. Göbel H, Schmidt G, Soyka D: Effect of peppermint and eucalyptus oil preparations on neurophysiological and experimental algesimetric headache parameters. Cephalalgia 14 (3): 228-34; discussion 182, 1994. [PUBMED Abstract]


44. Marchand S, Arsenault P: Odors modulate pain perception: a gender-specific effect. Physiol Behav 76 (2): 251-6, 2002. [PUBMED Abstract]


45. Kim JT, Wajda M, Cuff G, et al.: Evaluation of aromatherapy in treating postoperative pain: pilot study. Pain Pract 6 (4): 273-7, 2006. [PUBMED Abstract]


46. Barclay J, Vestey J, Lambert A, et al.: Reducing the symptoms of lymphoedema: is there a role for aromatherapy? Eur J Oncol Nurs 10 (2): 140-9, 2006. [PUBMED Abstract]


47. Kohara H, Miyauchi T, Suehiro Y, et al.: Combined modality treatment of aromatherapy, footsoak, and reflexology relieves fatigue in patients with cancer. J Palliat Med 7 (6): 791-6, 2004. [PUBMED Abstract]


48. Buckle J: Clinical Aromatherapy: Essential Oils in Practice. 2nd ed. New York, NY: Churchill Livingston, 2003.


49. Wilkinson SM, Love SB, Westcombe AM, et al.: Effectiveness of aromatherapy massage in the management of anxiety and depression in patients with cancer: a multicenter randomized controlled trial. J Clin Oncol 25 (5): 532-9, 2007. [PUBMED Abstract]


50. Styles JL: The use of aromatherapy in hospitalized children with HIV disease. Complement Ther Nurs Midwifery 3 (1): 16-20, 1997. [PUBMED Abstract]


51. Rimmer L: The clinical use of aromatherapy in the reduction of stress. Home Healthc Nurse 16 (2): 123-6, 1998. [PUBMED Abstract]


52. Stringer J: Massage and aromatherapy on a leukaemia unit. Complement Ther Nurs Midwifery 6 (2): 72-6, 2000. [PUBMED Abstract]


53. Warnke PH, Sherry E, Russo PA, et al.: Antibacterial essential oils in malodorous cancer patients: clinical observations in 30 patients. Phytomedicine 13 (7): 463-7, 2006. [PUBMED Abstract]


54. Hicks G: Aromatherapy as an adjunct to care in a mental health day hospital. J Psychiatr Ment Health Nurs 5 (4): 317, 1998. [PUBMED Abstract]

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• Updated: December 30, 2014

http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/cam/aromatherapy/healthprofessional/page3

National Cancer Institute on Aromatherapy

Citrus Essential Oils Ehrlich asciteCarcinoma Cells

Influence of Some Citrus Essential Oils on Cell Viability, Glutathione-S-Transferase and Lipid Peroxidation in Ehrlich asciteCarcinoma Cells

Major aroma compoundsfound in essential oils of citrus; in particularlimonene, linalool, α-terpinolene, carvone, citronellaland camphene; exhibit potent antitumor andantioxidant activities. Furthermore, ingestion of these aroma compounds may help to prevent in vivooxidation damage such as lipid peroxidation, which isassociated with cancer, premature aging and diabetes.To confirm this conclusion investigation of cytotoxiceffects of highly pure compounds of citrus oils is suggested.

Citrus Essential Oils Ehrlich asciteCarcinoma Cells

Bergamot potential application as chemotherapeutic for breast cancer

Bergamot essential oil (BEO) is a well-known plant extract, obtained by cold pressing of the epicarp and, partly, of the mesocarp of the fresh fruit of bergamot (Citrus bergamia, Risso et Poiteau). The fruit belongs to the genus Citrus of the Rutaceae family and grows, almost exclusively, in a restricted area along the coast of Southern Italy.

BEO comprises a volatile fraction (93–96% of total) containing monoterpene and sesquiterpene hydrocarbons and oxygenated derivatives and a nonvolatile fraction (4–7% of total) characterized by coumarins and furocoumarins . The most abundant components of the essential oil are the monoterpene hydrocarbon d-limonene and the monoterpene ester, linalyl acetate, with d-limonene accounting for about 40% of the whole oil .

Bergamot essential oil has been used by folk medicine as antiseptic and antihelminthic and to facilitate wound healing and these uses are now supported by experimental data reporting the antifungal  and antimicrobial activities of the phytocomplex as well as its ability to increase oxidative metabolism in human polymorphonuclear leukocytes . Recently, analgesic , anxiolytic , and neuroprotective  effects have been ascribed to bergamot essential oil and these are consistent with the use of the oil in aromatherapy for the relief of pain and symptoms associated with stress-induced anxiety and depression. Furthermore it has been shown in rodents that BEO affects synaptic transmission by modulating the release of specific amino acid neurotransmitters and it produces a dose-related sequence of sedative and stimulatory behavioral effects in freely moving, normal rats.

Despite the number of studies on the effects of bergamot essential oil under pathological or normal conditions, data regarding its potential activity on tumor cells have only recently been gained. Accordingly, a recent study reported that exposure of human SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells to 0.02 and 0.03% bergamot essential oils significantly reduced cell viability inducing both necrotic and apoptotic cell death; cytotoxicity induced by the phytocomplex was accompanied by cytoskeletal alteration, mitochondrial dysfunction, caspase-3 activation, DNA fragmentation, plasma membrane damage, and cleavage of prosurvival proteins. The mixed features of necrotic and apoptotic cell death induced by bergamot essential oil might be related to its complex phytochemical composition, suggesting that different components might activate different pathways to execute cell death. A follow-up study engaged to identify the components responsible for cell death induced by the phytocomplex showed that, at comparable concentrations with those found in cytotoxic concentrations of the oil, none of the tested constituents (d-limonene, linalyl acetate, linalool, -terpinene, -pinene, and bergapten) reduced SH-SY5Y cell viability, while only the combination of limonene and linalyl acetate was able to induce cell death. Accordingly, the bergapten-free fraction of bergamot essential oil was shown to be more effective than the complete phytocomplex suggesting that bergapten is not the main component responsible for the observed cytotoxicity.

Interestingly, it was recently shown that bergamot essential oil and its main component limonene activate autophagy in SH-SY5Y human neuroblastoma and MCF7 human breast cancer cell lines. This effect was concentration-dependent, unrelated to the effects elicited by the essential oil on cell survival, and occurred with a mTOR-independent mechanism. In view of the role of autophagy in limiting cancer development while facilitating advanced tumor progression, the finding that an essential oil is able to activate this pathway can be extremely relevant for its potential application as chemotherapeutic and therefore it stimulates further studies.

As for other essential oils, the hydrophobic nature of bergamot essential oil requires the use of solvents endowed with toxic effects (i.e., DMSO, ethanol) that can limit the therapeutic use of the phytocomplex. Celia and colleagues (2013) recently showed that this limitation could be overcome by loading the essential oil in pegylated liposomes; in addition, the liposomal formulation of bergamot essential oil showed enhanced cytotoxic effect in neuroblastoma cells as compared to the free phytocomplex. Similarly, encapsulation of other essential oils in nanocarriers (i.e., polymeric nanoparticulate formations and lipid carriers, such as liposomes) might represent a good strategy for improving water solubility and stability of essential oils while lowering their effective dose and limiting potential side effects.

Bergamot potential application as chemotherapeutic for breast cancer