The health benefits of Mastic Essential Oil can be attributed to its properties as anti-cancer, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, astringent, circulatory, repellent and stomachic.
1. Anti-cancer
A number of studies have shown that Mastic’s anti-cancer agent packs a strong punch. A 2009 study looked at the ability of mastic essential oil to fight lung cancer cells, and even concluded that mastic oil could inhibit tumor growth. Mastic essential oil could also potentially be a preventative and a potential aid in a wellness protocol for preventing androgen-insensitive prostate cancers. There was also strong evidence from a study in 2011 showing that mastic is a free-radical scavenger and viable antioxidant.
2. Antibacterial
Mastic essential oil is also wonderful for the respiratory system. It has an airborne anti-microbial action that is greatly needed when dealing with any respiratory issue. It can be used for bronchitis as well as colds and flu.
3. Anti-Inflammatory
There are some wonderful pain-relieving benefits that Mastic essential oil possesses. The high monterpene content provide and analgesic and anti-inflammatory effect.
4. Antiseptic
One study has shown that Mastic essential oil can reduce oral bacterial plaque by nearly half while another study claims that Mastic essential oil oil can heal peptic ulcers by killing the bacterium Helicobacter pylori that causes peptic ulcers in addition to gastritis and duodenitis. Mastic’s fresh lightly woody aroma is an excellent breath freshener when used as a gargle or mouth wash. A 1985 study by the University of Thessaloniki and the Meikai University discovered that mastic can reduce bacterial plaque in the mouth by 41.5 percent.
5. Astringent
Mastic Essential Oil is used in skin care products to treat boils, cuts, wounds, and ringworm as well as an ingredient in blends for very oily skin.
6. Circulatory
Mastic essential oil is known to be a lymphatic and circulatory decongestant. Because of its vaso-constricting properties, Mastic is known to help with spider and varicose veins.
7. Repellent
And, perhaps unique to mastic essential oil, in a study conducted last year and available in the International Journal of Industrial Crops and Products at Elsevier.com, mastic tree essential oil has been shown to have a repellent effect against three major pests that are known to provide a ruinous effect on pasta, when stored, which has a shelf life of two to three years. According to the study, about 13.6 million tons of pasta is produced every year with Italy as the main pasta producer. So, simply from an economic perspective, this is particularly very helpful to Italy since mastic tree’s essential oil can help save that country approximately 4.6 million Euro.
8. Stomachic
Mastic is a buddy for your belly! The same 2012 study that showed mastic gum and oil to have an effect against mouth odor and tooth plaque also showed that it can work against the fungi and bacteria that cause peptic ulcers. It was also shown to improve symptoms of autoimmune diseases like Crohn’s disease.
