Also known as the "Royal Tree" in India, Santalum album has deep cultural and spiritual significance, with statues of gods and even temple parts made from its wood. Ancient Egyptians used it during embalming and it has been known for its fragrance in everything from incense to cosmetics. Modern research is now revealing the science behind sandalwood's historical uses.
In particular, the essential oil extracted from sandalwood has become a focal point for scientists looking at its potential as a powerful natural remedy. Researchers have found that this ancient, fragrant tree offers more than just a sensory pleasure – it holds powerful potential in the fight against cancer.
Potential in cancer prevention and treatment
While there are other highly regarded species of sandalwood, such as the Australian sandalwood (Santalum spicatum) and Hawaiian sandalwood (Santalum freycinetian, Santalum haleakalae and other species or "iliahi"), the oil from Indian sandalwood (Santalum album) is scientifically considered to be of the highest quality.
What makes sandalwood essential oil particularly unique is its primary chemical compounds – alpha- and beta-santalol – molecules that have been identified as responsible for sandalwood's distinct fragrance. While beta-santalol provides the oil's rich, warm, musky scent, alpha-santalol is the star when it comes to evidence-based health benefits – and has been the focus of research for its anticancer properties.
This natural oil is showing promise in an area known as chemoprevention to stop cancer from developing or progressing. First, there are blocking agents, which stop harmful carcinogens from causing damage to healthy cells. Then, there are suppressive agents, which help slow down or stop the growth of abnormal or cancerous cells. Scientists believe that sandalwood may act in both capacities, potentially stopping cancer cell lines in their tracks.
One study conducted on Swiss albino mice found that sandalwood essential oil might help the body get rid of cancer-causing substances. Mice that were given sandalwood oil showed a significant increase in the activity of detoxifying enzymes that help neutralize and remove toxic compounds, suggesting that sandalwood may act as a natural barrier that blocks carcinogens before they can do any damage.
Skin cancer
Researchers applied sandalwood essential oil to the skin of mice and found that it dramatically reduced the formation of tumors. In these experiments, sandalwood essential oil was applied to animals that were exposed to cancer-causing chemicals. The results were striking: tumor incidence dropped by 67 percent and the number of tumors that formed decreased by a whopping 96 percent. Not only that, sandalwood essential oil also reduced a key enzyme activity linked to cancer development by 70 percent.
One of the ways sandalwood essential oil fights cancer is through a process known as autophagy – a natural mechanism where cells break down and recycle damaged parts. Autophagy is sometimes referred to as a type of cell death, and when it goes wrong, it can contribute to cancer development.
In one study, when skin cells were treated with a tiny concentration of sandalwood essential oil, they showed less activity in a protein linked to cancer growth called activator protein-1. The oil also helped prevent ultraviolet-induced cell damage and blocked an enzyme that is often a marker for skin cancer.
Bladder cancer
In lab tests on J82 bladder cancer cells, researchers observed that sandalwood oil induced cancer cell death by causing DNA damage and stopping the cancer cells from growing. It did this by up-regulating certain genes involved in the growth arrest and DNA repair, like GADD45A and caspase 9, which are crucial for encouraging the death of cancer cells.
In addition to affecting genes, sandalwood oil influenced several important proteins and transcription factors that play a role in cancer cell growth. By blocking these proteins, the oil helped stop the spread of cancer cells and triggered processes that led to cell death. Essentially, sandalwood essential oil was able to disrupt cancer's ability to survive and thrive in the body.
Leukemia and lung cancer
Other components of sandalwood also hold potential anticancer properties. Researchers isolated lignans – a group of compounds found in the heartwood of sandalwood and tested their effects on leukemia and lung cancer cell lines.
Two specific lignans were found to be particularly powerful against leukemia (HL-60) and lung cancer (A549) cells – causing the death of these cancer cells by triggering apoptosis, a natural process where damaged cells are systematically eliminated. These findings are promising because they suggest that even non-oil components of sandalwood have potential anticancer effects.
Watch this video showing all you need to know about sandalwood.
This video is from the Daily Videos channel on Brighteon.com.
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