Common Names: Benzoaric acid, eleagic acid, elagostasine, gallogen. 

Ellagic Acid And Skin Health
The skin health benefits of ellagic acid are not limited to its possible treatment for skin cancer. Ellagic acid can help protect skin from oxidative stress induced by UV radiation and the natural aging process.
Ellagic acid applied to sun damaged skin (a mild sunburn) reduced inflammation. Such an effect may be due to ellagic acid’s ability to repress the effects of intercellular adhesion molecule (ICAM), a compound involved in the inflammatory response. Ellagic acid also inhibits matrix metalloproteinase (MMP), an enzyme that signals collagen breakdown. Together, these properties encourage the maintenance and/or improvement of the skin’s elasticity, which may result in the diminishing of fine lines and wrinkles. But ellagic acid isn’t just a wrinkle fighter. As a tyrosinase inhibitor, ellagic acid is also an effective skin brightener. However, ellagic acid does not affect the DNA of melanocytes (the skin cells that produce pigment), making it a safer alternative other skin brightening ingredients like hydroquinone.

Health Benefits of Ellagic Acid

CANCER
Studies have shown that ellagic acid is able to cause apoptosis (cell death) in cancer cells. Some 
also claim that it can prevent the binding of carcinogens to DNA, and strengthens connective tissue, which may keep cancer cells from spreading.
Some studies demonstrate that ellagic acid is able to reduce heart disease, birth defects, liver fibrosis, and to promote wound healing.

Antiangiogenic properties
The vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) receptors play essential roles in angiogenesis and inhibition of these receptors has been shown to result in potent anti-tumor activity in vivo. Labrecque L et al reported that ellagic acid inhibits VEGF-induced phosphorylation of VEGFR-2 in endothelial cell as well as PDGF-induced 
phosphorylation of PDGFR in smooth muscle cells. 

Bladder Cancer
Researchers, China Medical University, Taiwan, induced cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in T24 human bladder cancer cells in vitro using ellagic acid. 

Breast Cancer
Researchers at Louisiana State University demonstrated that ellagic acid expressed a selective cytotoxicity and anti-proliferative activity, and induced apoptosis in Caco-2 colon, MCF-7 breast, Hs 578T breast, and DU 145 human prostate cancer cells. It was also observed that the mechanism of apoptosis induction in ellagic acid-treated cancer cells was associated with decreased ATP production, which is crucial for the viability of cancer cells. 

Esophagus
de Boer JG et al, University of Victoria, Canada, showed the mutation preventive properties of ellagic acid against the mutagenicity of the nitrosamine N-nitrosomethylbenzylamine (NMBA) in the esophagus of the rat. 

Prostate Cancer
Lansky EP et al, Rimonest Ltd, Israel showed the anti-tumor activities of ellagic acid against human PC-3 prostate cancer cells in vitro.Researchers at Louisiana State University demonstrated that ellagic acid expressed a selective cytotoxicity and anti-proliferative activity, and induced 
apoptosis in Caco-2 colon, MCF-7 breast, Hs 578T breast, and DU 145 human prostate cancer cells. It was also observed that the mechanism of apoptosis induction in ellagic acid-treated cancer cells was associated with decreased ATP production, which is crucial for the viability of cancer cells.

Anti-microbial Activity
Lu HF, Cheng Hsin Rehabilitation Medical Center, Taiwan, demonstrated that ellagic acid was able to elicit dose-dependent bacteriostatic activity and inhibition of N-acetylation of 2-aminofluorene (AF). 

Precautions:
Ellagic Acid is considered generally safe, with no known side effects. 

Dosage:
The dose of the ellagic acid was arranged (50 mg/kg/day orally)