Scientists Discovered That This Essential Oil Potently Kills Lung And Breast Cancer Cells

Thyme (Thymus vulgaris) essential oil, often referred as “oil of thyme”, contains 20-54% thymol. Thymol is part of a naturally occurring class of compounds, called “biocides”. Biocides are substances known for their ability to destroy harmful organisms. When combined with other biocides, such as carvacrol, thymus has strong antimicrobial effect. Researchers tested its antibacterial effect in vitro toxicology on three human cancers. The results showed that thyme can kill lung, oral and ovarian cancer cells.

Thyme is native to the Mediterranean, and it was first referred as “thyme” in Greece. Greeks still use it to prepare their delicious meals, mixed with some olive oil.

Thyme oil can kill up to 97% of the lung cancer cells. A recent study showed that the combination of thyme and olive oil increases the power of hydroxytyrosol, the most potent anti-cancer compound found in olive oil. Is this the reason why Greeks have half of the rate of cancer, compared to USA and the rest of Europe?

Thyme essential oil is also used in Ayurvedic and traditional medicine because of its strong antioxidant, anti-bacterial, and anti-fungal (destroys yeast like Candida) properties.

Oncologists at Celar Bayar University in Turkey conducted a study to discover the possible effect of wild thyme (Thymus serpyllum) on breast cancer cells. They tested the effect of wild thyme on cell death and the epigenetic events in breast cancer.

Epigenetics explains the changes in the gene expression caused by mechanisms that do not involve alterations in DNA sequence. The journal Nutrition and Cancer published the report of this study, outlining the fact that wild thyme destroys breast cancer cells.

The group of oncologists concluded that wild thyme “may be a promising candidate in the development of novel therapeutic drugs for breast cancer treatment.”