Pomegranate oil

Pomegranate oil is extracted by cold pressing and comes from the seeds of pomegranates (Punica granatum).

It takes over 200 kilograms of fresh pomegranates to produce 1 kilogram of pomegranate oil.

Although the properties of pomegranate oil have been investigated in many studies, there is no scientific evidence that the oil can be used to treat human diseases.

In this article, we have compiled the most important scientific studies on the effect of pomegranate oil on human diseases and try to explain the properties of the oil in relation to health.

Properties of pomegranate oil

Undocumented properties

There is no scientific evidence that pomegranate oil can be used to treat or improve the following health problems:

• Cough
• Fever
• Hot flashes (an Austrian study from 2012 even showed that pomegranate oil has no effect on hot flashes among postmenopausal women)

Most of the health benefits attributed to pomegranate oil are based on the fact that pomegranate oil contains a tannic acid (punicalagin) that is thought to act as an antioxidant in the diet. However, the problem is that this effect has never been proven in humans.

Researched properties with a lack of evidence

Several of the studies below are based on pomegranate juice extracts and it would be wrong to assume that pomegranate oil also has the same properties. Similarly, several of the studies were conducted on rats and their results cannot be assumed to apply to humans. However, the studies still illustrate that pomegranate oil and its extracts may have medicinal potential:

• Cancer: Several studies have suggested that pomegranate juice, peel and oil extracts may reduce the rate at which cancer cells divide, possibly hastening their death. Some extracts may also restrict blood flow to tumors, causing them to starve and decrease in size. There are also studies that have shown positive results for specific cancers such as breast cancer, prostate cancer and skin cancer

• Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC): This disease particularly affects premature babies and involves gangrene in part of the intestine. In a 2012 US study, pomegranate oil was shown to have a protective and powerful anti-inflammatory effect on the intestinal mucosa of rat fetuses, which may also benefit human fetuses with the disease

• Obesity: A 2011 Dutch study investigated the effect of pomegranate oil as a dietary supplement on obesity in mice. The obesity of the mice was entirely due to a high-fat diet. The study concluded that pomegranate oil can reduce obesity in mice and even improve their insulin resistance. An American study from 2009 had similar results

• Skin: An American study has shown that pomegranate oil has a regenerative effect on the epidermis and pomegranate peel extracts have the same effect on the dermis. This is of particular interest in cosmetology

It should be emphasized that the studies above are not evidence that pomegranate oil can be used for some types of disease treatment.

Pomegranate oil uses

Pomegranate oil is used in particular to:

• alleviate wrinkles
• improve skin elasticity
• “revitalize” the skin

This is why pomegranate oil is primarily used in cosmetics, especially as an ingredient in creams, lotions, soaps and shampoos.

Pomegranate oil is also used in its pure form (for the same purpose as above), but it should always be mixed with a base oil. Remember to always read the instructions on the packaging.

Precautions to take

• Pomegranate oil should not be consumed

• Although pomegranate oil is considered one of the safest oils for human skin, in rare cases it can cause skin irritation