Arthritis to cancer, the healing powers of Christmas gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh

WHEN the three wise men rocked up at the baby Jesus' crib, they brought three gifts - gold, frankincense and myrrh.

But although they might sound like bizarre birthday gifts to a newborn to us, they each pack some pretty hefty health benefits.

Sure, we'd rather be receiving a gold necklace or frankincense bath bomb this Christmas, but they've got another uses too.

And the holy gifts aren't the only festive feature to boast some surprising health benefits.

We reveal how certain Christmas staples can help manage chronic conditions:

Gold is obviously super valuable and part of that value is actually down to the fact that gold has been used as a medicine for thousands of years.

During the Victorian era, it was thought to be good for calming the nerves and was used to treat all kinds of issues, from alcoholism to epilepsy.     

Even today, gold is used certain parts of the world to alleviate depression and migraines, while gold salts are known to have anti-inflammatory properties and are included in some arthritis drugs to take down swelling.

But more importantly, gold is used to treat some cancers as a way of making standard treatment more effective.

Scientists found that the shiny substance can help to attack prostate cancer when combined with green tea - a discovery they concluded: "may provide significant advances in oncology for use as an effective treatment for prostate and other solid tumours".

But generally, eating a stack of gold is quite pointless as it tends to pass straight through your system.

Frankincense
Frankincense, was supposed to have been brought to the baby Jesus to symbolise his priestly role.

It's a resin used in loads of musky perfumes and incense sticks and today, many wellness practitioners claim that it can help to reduce all kinds of chronic issues.

Scientists have found that frankincense has an active ingredient that can help relieve arthritis by inhibiting the inflammation that breaks down cartilage tissue and causes arthritis pain.

The study confirmed traditional medicinal practices which have used frankincense as a herbal remedy for arthritis in North African and the middle east where the substance grows.

The researchers, however, reviewed studies looking at the benefits of the spice and concluded that "The evidence for the effectiveness of B serrata extracts is encouraging but not compelling".

Myrhh
Like Frankincense, this comes from trees too and again, tends to be used in perfume and incense.

Back in the day, it was used to embalm dead bodies (so a cheery gift for a little kid...!).

But it has a tonne of medicinal benefits and has been used in Ayurvedic medicine for thousands of years.

Today, it features in many mouthwashes and toothpastes as it's thought to be antibacterial.

It's also found to be potentially toxic to cancer cells and may reduce the development of prostate and colon cancer.

One study has also found it to be good at pain relief and wound healing thanks to its high concentration of antioxidants. It's worth saying, however, that that evidence is only based on animals so more evidence is needed on humans.

Mistletoe
Mistletoe has been found to be effective in treating endometriosis.

Last week, scientists claimed that mistletoe could be the key to finally treating excruciating endometriosis.

Scientists  have found that mistletoe extract can kill the cells which cause the condition.

They took tissue samples from 40 women with severe endometriosis and exposed them to mistletoe extract in lab tests.

And they found that after just 24 hours, the festive foliage stopped endometrial cells from multiplying so easily - reducing the rate at which abnormal tissues grew.

This isn't the first time that the chemicals found in mistletoe have been found to have potential medicinal benefits.

In the past, they've been found to have cancer-busting properties.

In fact, 47 NHS patients  have been receiving mistletoe therapy on top of standard cancer treatments.

A spokesperson for  health board said: “Mistletoe therapy can be integrated with conventional cancer treatment.

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