Scientific explanation of how Essential Oils do what they do

If you're interested in the scientific explanation of how Essential Oils (EOs) do what they do, this article does a great job of explaining it.  Here are a few excerpts I took from the article:

• The current review indicates that EOs and their constituents act by multiple pathways and mechanisms involving apoptosis, cell cycle arrest, antimetastatic and antiangiogenic, increased levels of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (ROS/RNS), DNA repair modulation, and others to demonstrate their antiproliferative activity in the cancer cell.
• Among plant derived compounds, essential oils (EOs) from aromatic plants have been reported to possess anticancer properties [10, 11]. EOs have also been reported to improve the quality of life of the cancer patients by lowering the level of their agony [12].
• The lipophilic nature of these EOs enables them to easily cross the membranes of the cells and reach inside the cell. EOs are described as strong antioxidants [10, 17] and antimicrobial [18] and are in use for the management of severe diseases like cardiovascular [19], diabetes [20], Alzheimer's [21], cancer [22], and others.
•  EOs from different plants have been reported to have anticancer potential against mouth, breast, lung, prostate, liver cancer, colon cancer, and brain cancer and even in leukemia [23–28].
•  Antioxidant activity of EOs has been reported to be helpful in the scavenging of free radicals generated in the diseased state, leading to the cancer prevention
• EOs have potential to induce damages at the DNA level that drives the cancer cells towards cell death. This activity is especially harmful in cancer cells, while no such damage is encountered in the normal cells; this provides added advantage of using these EOs
• One of the peculiar properties of the EOs is that though being cytotoxic to cancer cells, these induce proliferation of the normal cells [88]. 
• Therefore, EOs inhibit the cancer cell progression and thereby showing anticancer properties.
•  EO constituents are potent in cancer prevention and treatment.

 I could have, and wanted to, include about 20 more points about how great Essential Oils but I'll let you read the article itself to get the bigger picture.  I hope you find something here that will prove helpful in your treatment, as applicable, or in your assistance to someone else that may be experiencing cancer.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4070586/

Have a blessed day,
Tom