CeaseFire™ is a chewable tablet designed by a medical doctor containing the powerful natural phytonutrients DGL and mastic gum. Gum mastic is a natural substance from the sap of the Mediterranean evergreen tree, Pistacia lentiscus. Studies have demonstrated its effectiveness in protecting the digestive system, healing peptic and duodenal ulcers, and eradicating H. pylori from the gut.

For centuries, traditional healers used mastic gum to treat stomach upset, ulcers and heartburn. Modern research supports the use of mastic to restore and maintain proper gastrointestinal and digestive function. Research has shown that mastic is clinically effective in the treatment of gastric and duodenal ulcers. In one double-blind clinical trial, researchers found that oral doses of one gram per day of mastic over a period of two weeks produced symptomatic relief in 80 percent of patients with duodenal ulcers. The study also found endoscopic evidence that mastic promoted the healing of gastric mucosa. Ulcers were completely replaced with healthy epithelial cells. Animal studies have also found that mastic possesses cytoprotective (cell protective) and antisecretory properties, and that it can reduce gastric mucosal damage caused by anti-ulcer drugs and aspirin.

Bad Breath

H. pylori has long been linked to the development of ulcers, stomach cancer and other ailments, but researchers are unearthing evidence that this bacterium also may be responsible for bad breath.

In a study published in the European Journal of Internal Medicine, scientists studied 148 people who were infected with h. pylori and also suffered from dyspepsia—a type of indigestion—and bad breath (halitosis). Researchers treated the subjects to kill the bacterium then evaluated their symptoms again four weeks later, after checking to see if the bacterium had been eradicated.

Before treatment, bad breath was the third most common symptom, after bloating and pain. In fact, more than 60% of the h. pylori-infected patients suffered from halitosis. Once the researchers wiped out the h. pylori, the bad breath disappeared, according to many of the patients.

Mastic Eliminates H. pylori

Researchers writing in the December 24, 1998 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine reported that mastic is an effective antibacterial agent for the treatment of H. pylori, the stomach-residing pathogen thought to be responsible for ulcers, gastritis, and stomach cancer. In the report the authors stated that, "Even low doses of mastic gum-one gram per day for two weeks-can cure peptic ulcers very rapidly...We have found that mastic is active against Helicobacter pylori, which could explain its therapeutic effect in patients with peptic ulcers."

The researchers conducted in vitro tests that revealed that mastic was effective in killing 99.9 percent of H. pylori when tested against seven different strains-NCTC 11637 (a standard reference strain) and six clinical isolates, including three resistant to metronidazole. Of note was the finding that mastic was equally effective against the drug resistant strains of H. pylori, even at very low concentrations. "These results suggest that mastic has definite antibacterial activity against H. pylori," the researchers wrote. "This activity may at least partly explain the anti-peptic ulcer properties of mastic."

DGL Licorice

In one study, researchers examined 40 patients with chronic duodenal ulcers of 4 to 12 years' duration and who had more than 6 relapses during the previous year. Physicians had recommended all of the patients undergo surgery because of prolonged pain, sometimes with frequent vomiting, even though the patients had been treated with bed rest, antacids, and powerful drugs. When the researchers treated the subjects with DGL licorice, all 40 subjects experienced substantial improvement, usually within 5 to 7 days, and none required surgery during the one-year follow-up. The higher dose of DGL licorice resulted in significantly more improvement than the lower dose.