Assessment of endocrine disruption potential of essential oils of culinary herbs and spices involving glucocorticoid, androgen and vitamin D receptors
Food & Function 9(3), DOI: 10.1039/C7FO02058A
Iveta BartonkovaIveta moulin at email.cz, Zdenek Dvorak
Department of Cell Biology and Genetics, Faculty of Science, Palacky University, Slechtitelu 27, 783 71 Olomouc, Czech Republic
The risk of 40 diseases at least double with poor Vitamin D Receptor as of July 2019
A Vitamin D Receptor table shows what increases VDR activation
Compensate for poor VDR by increasing one or more:
Increasing | Increases |
1) Vitamin D supplement Sun, Ultraviolet -B | Vitamin D in the blood and thus in the cells |
2) Magnesium | Vitamin D in the blood AND in the cells |
3) Omega-3 | Vitamin D in the cells |
4) Resveratrol | Vitamin D Receptor |
5) Intense exercise | Vitamin D Receptor |
6) Get prescription for VDR activator paricalcitol, maxacalcitol? | Vitamin D Receptor |
7) Quercetin (flavonoid) | Vitamin D Receptor |
8) Zinc is in the VDR | Vitamin D Receptor |
9) Boron | Vitamin D Receptor ?, etc |
10) Essential oils e.g. ginger, curcumin | Vitamin D Receptor |
11) Progesterone | Vitamin D Receptor |
12) Infrequent high concentration Vitamin D Increases the concentration gradient | Vitamin D in the cells |
13) Sulfroaphone and perhaps sulfur | Vitamin D Receptor |
Note: If you are not feeling enough benefit from Vitamin D, you might try increasing VDR activation. You might feel the benefit within days of adding one or more of the above
Essential oils (EOs) of culinary herbs and spices are consumed on common bases. They are multicomponent mixtures of compounds with already demonstrated biological activities. Taking in account regular dietary intake and the chemical composition of EOs, these may be candidates for endocrine disrupting entities. Therefore, we examined the effects of 31 EOs of culinary herbs and spices on the transcriptional activities of glucocorticoid receptor (GR), androgen receptor (AR) and vitamin D receptor (VDR). Using reporter gene assays in stably transfected cell lines, weak anti-androgen and anti-glucocorticoid activity was observed for EO of vanilla and nutmeg, respectively.
Moderate augmentation of calcitriol-dependent VDR activity was caused by EOs of
- ginger,
- thyme,
- coriander
- lemongrass.
Mixed anti-glucocorticoid and VDR-stimulatory activities were displayed by EOs of
- turmeric,
- oregano,
- dill,
- caraway,
- verveine and
- spearmint.
Remaining 19 EOs were inactive against all receptors under investigation. Analyses of GR, AR and VDR target genes by the means of RT-PCR confirmed VDR-stimulatory, but not anti-glucocorticoid and anti-androgen effects of EOs. In conclusion, while we observed minor effects of several EOs on transcriptional activities of GR, AR and VDR, the toxicological significance is very low. Hence, 31 EOs of culinary herbs and spices may be considered safe, in terms of endocrine disruption involving receptors GR, AR and VDR.
# = not tested. Vitamin D Life wonders why
Essential Oils Tested (did not include Frankincense - see below)
- basil (Ocimum basilicum-, flowering top),
- bay leaf (Laurus nobilis-, leaf),
- black pepper (Piper nigrum-, fruit),
- caraway (Carum carvi-, seed),
- cardamom (Elletaria cardamomum-, fruit),
- cinnamon (Cinnamomum zeylanicumlverum; bark),
- cloves (Eugenia caryophyllus-, bud),
- coriander (Coriandrum sativum-, leaf),
- cornmint (Mentha arvensis-, flower),
- cumin (Cuminum cyminum; fruit),
- dill (Anethum graveolens-, fruit),
- fennel (Foeniculum vulgare-, flowering top),
- ginger (Zingiber officinale-, rhizome)
- jasmine (Jasminum officinalis; blossom),
- juniper (Juniperus communis ssp communis-, twig and berries),
- lemongrass (Cymbopogon citra- tus-, flower),
- lovage (Levisticum officinale-, root);
- marjoram (Origanum majorana-, flowering top),
- nutmeg (Myristica fragrans-, fruit),
- oregano (Origanum compactum; flowering top),
- peppermint (Menthax piperita-, flower),
- rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis ct cineole; flowering top),
- sage (Salvia officinalis-, flowering top),
- spearmint (Mentha spicata-, flower),
- star anise (Illicium verum\ fruit),
- tarragon (Artemisia dra- nunculus; flowering top),
- thyme (Thymus vulgaris ct thymol; flowering top),
- turmeric (Curcuma longa-, root),
Note: reported in 2010 - vanilla (Vanilla fragrans Auct-, oleoresine), and
- verveine (Lippia citriodora-, leaf),
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This Essential Oils study was found as a result of following up on Frankincense article in Mercola
Top 11 Reasons to Start Using Frankincense Oil Jan 2019
The study identified many help benefits of Frankincense
The benefits seemed to be a subset of Vitamin D benefits
Searching for Frankincense and "Vitamin D" or "Vitamin D Receptor" did not quickly find any results.
However, when searching for "Essential Oils" and Vitamin D" I found the paper on this page
- "Frankincense essential oil — commonly referred to as the King of Oils — is made from the resin of either the Boswellia sacra or Boswellia carterii tree"
- "Substances found in frankincense essential oil have been scientifically shown to speed wound healing, reduce inflammation and stress, boost immune function, improve oral and uterine health, treat respiratory issues and digestive disorders, promote sleep and fight cancer"
- "Several studies have demonstrated that alpha-pinene, a bioactive ingredient in frankincense oil, induces cell death in cancer cells, including malignant melanoma cells, breast cancer and pancreatic cancer cells"
- "Its main chemical constituents are alpha-pinene, octanol, linalool, octyl acetate, bornyl acetate, incensole and incensyl acetate. Monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes are thought to be the most valuable elements of frankincense oil"
Frankincense Health Benefits
1. Speeding up wound healing8
2. Fight the appearance of stretch marks, age spots and wrinkles9
3. Reducing inflammation and inflammatory conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis10 and bronchial asthma11,12
4. Reducing stress hormones13,14
5. Boosting immune function15,16
6. Improving oral health by preventing bad breath, cavities, toothaches, mouth sores and other infections17,18
7. Supporting uterine health in women by regulating estrogen production. It also helps regulate the menstrual cycle in premenopausal women19
8. Treating respiratory issues such as colds, allergies, asthma and bronchitis by reducing phlegm buildup and congestion20
9. Promoting sleep21
10. Improving digestion and treating digestive disorders such as chronic colitis, ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease22
11. Fighting cancer23,24,25,26,27,28