Biblical gift shows anti-cancer hope

A University of Oklahoma researcher says the Bible’s wise men were on to something with their gift of frankincense.

H.K. Lin, an assistant professor of urology at the OU College of Medicine, said the fragrant oil may be a cure for bladder cancer. His study is published today in the journal BioMed Central Complementary and Alternative Medicine.

Lin said lab testing found an extract of the Somali frankincense tree Boswellia carteri can kill off bladder cancer cells, while leaving normal cells intact. He said tests are needed on animals before the effectiveness can be studied in humans.

"Patients are dying every day,” he said. "If there is no effective therapy, why not try this?”

Lin admits urologists are skeptical.

"They don’t believe it,” he said.

"This is ancient medicine. There is no data that is so-called scientific for a medical doctor to trust it.”

Dr. Daniel Culkin, chairman of the urology department at OU College of Medicine, said he’s taking the research seriously. If effective, frankincense oil could be a cheap treatment for early stage bladder cancer.

"It’s been used in many Third World countries as alternative medicine for treatment of many conditions,” he said. "But it hasn’t been tested in this country under the scrutiny of the Food and Drug Administration.”

Culkin said the oil seems to stimulate the immune system. But he warned against ingesting frankincense oils sold as aromatherapies because they may include toxic substances.