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Eugenol Being Researched For Estrogen Receptor Antagonist Capabilities

I am always on the lookout for good information about essential oils.  Anyone who knows me realizes at some point that I am in love with essential oils and use them daily on myself (see my page on Essential Oils For Overall Health and Specific Health Problems) and in the home.  I love that they are completely natural, very potent and have zero side effects.

Eugenol Has Anti-Cancer Properties

Today I found a study abstract on the pubmed.gov website about eugenol, which is the active component in the buds and leaves of clove (Syzygium aromaticum) oil.  I use clove oil frequently for its anti-cancer properties, but it’s also good for so many other things, chief among them being sore and inflamed gums or teeth because it is a natural analgesic.  Anyway, the abstract I found (here’s the link) mentioned that eugenol was “reported to have activity on inhibition of cell proliferation and apoptosis induction in human MCF-7 breast cancer cells.” 

Apoptosis means the process of programmed cell death, it’s a natural process that all cells go through.  So what the study is referring to is that eugenol inhibits cell proliferation (always a good thing to ward against cancer cells multiplying rapidly) and induces programmed cell death in certain breast cancer cells known as MCF-7.

Eugenol As An Estrogen Receptor Antagonist

The study abstract also mentions that eugenol is being investigated for its activity as an estrogen receptor antagonist.  That’s pretty exciting, many in the breast cancer community are always looking for natural things to block the activity of estrogen if we had estrogen receptor positive cancer cells.

In recent years, eugenol has attracted the attention of many researchers because of its anti-inflammatory and chemopreventive effects, as well as its superior antioxidant activities, which is what attracted me to clove oil in the first place.  It also has potent anti-fungal properties. 

While I was doing the research for this article I found a vastly informative article titled “Eugenol—From the Remote Maluku Islands to the International Market Place: A Review of a Remarkable and Versatile Molecule” published in the journal Molecules in June 2012, authored by Guy P. Kamatou, Ilze Vermaak and Alvaro M. Viljoen of the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Science, Tshwane University of Technology, Pretoria, South Africa.  If you would like to view a copy of that article, just Google the title and you can download it.  It goes into great detail about eugenol and its multitudinous uses.

Returning to the subject of eugenol and its possible estrogen receptor antagonist capabilities – I know I would much rather massage a good therapeutic grade clove essential oil into my body than take something like Faslodex with its possible side effects of injection site pain, nausea, bone pain, arthralgia, headache, back pain, fatigue, extremity pain, hot flashes, vomiting, anorexia, asthenia, musculoskeletal pain, cough, dyspnea, and constipation…. yuck.

I will keep an eye on the research for eugenol and clove oil as it relates to estrogen receptor antagonism and let you know when anything else surfaces.  In the meantime, it certainly can’t hurt to use clove essential oil for breast health – I use it frequently.  Make sure your essential oil is therapeutic grade (it must say that on the label) and if you need to know some good brands, contact me.

If you would like my help with getting through breast cancer in an inspiring and ultra-healthy way, please sign up for my free e-newsletters and e-book on the right, or “like” me on Facebook (MarnieClark.com).  It is my honor and my goal to help you through this so that you emerge from breast cancer feeling better than before, thriving!