Perillyl Alcohol

Perillyl alcohol, often referred to as POH, is a monoterpene, which is a hydrocarbon compound found in essential oils. If an essential oil has a high percentage of monoterpenes, it will be more volatile, releasing its fragrance quickly and also breaking down quickly through oxidation. Perillyl alcohol is found in a variety of herbs and fruits, such as cherries, lavender, spearmint and peppermint, celery seed, sage, cranberries, lemon grass, ginger grass, caraway and wild bergamot.

This phytonutrient shows a lot of promise in oncology. Animal studies have shown that perillyl alcohol slows the growth of pancreatic, mammary, and liver tumors. In lab testing this chemical interferes with the division of cancer cells, and induces apoptosis, which is the "kill" signal for cancer cells in the body. There are many clinical human trials underway right now for perillyl alcohol. As always seems to be the case, there are conflicting results. Studies focussing on pancreatic, skin and breast cancer in humans did not show a substantial benefit. However in a study of adults with recurrent malignant gliomas, which was published in Surgical Neurology in 2008, some participants showed a regression of tumour size.

Perillyl alcohol does have side effects, including nausea and fatigue. These are severe enough at higher doses to be considered toxic, which has put an end to some studies, or limited the dosage they can use.

Another limiting factor in human studies is that this chemical breaks down very quickly in the body and it is difficult to keep the blood levels high enough to compare them to animal studies. The Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center has more information about perillyl alcohol and links to many of the clinical trials. You can also download the document Perillyl Alcohol: Applications in Oncology by James Belanger for a more detailed look at animal and human clinical trials.

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