Essential Oils: ANTIBACTERIAL, ANTIFUNGAL and ANTIVIRAL
A growing body of research, worldwide, is showing that essential oils are highly effective against bacteria, fungi and viruses "by altering the permeability of the outer membrame . . . consequently blocking cellular respiration. "(Winska et al).
The following list highlights essential oils (EO) current research has shown to have the greatest bacteriocidal and virucidal effect, and the lowest toxicity to humans. These EO are readily available, and have been used by practitioners for the treatment of viral, bacterial, fungal infections, to reduce tumours and to stimulate the immune system for decades if not centuries. These EO were chosen not only because they have the greatest antimicrobial action, both against airborne pathogens, when applied to the skin, but have also been found effective for the treatment of the diseases in vivo (internally). Scroll to PART II for an indepth discussion of selecting and using essential oils.
Lavender angustafolia MILL, highly effective against influenza virus, herpes and anti-biotic resistant bacterial strains.
Cinnamon is highly antiviral and antibacterial specifically Cinnamon zeylanicum. Studies support antimicrobial activity against Herpes simplex 1 and 2, pneumonia, and influenza, salmonella and the bacteria that cause dental caries and gum disease.
Eucalyptus globulus 100% inhibitory activity against influenza virus after 10 min exposure. Winska et al report
Eucalyptus essential oil "antimicrobial against yeasts, viruses, bacteria and filamentous fungi," "exhibiting anti-HSV1 activity by directly inactivating free-virus particles and might also interfere with virion envelope structures required for entry into host cells."
Sage essential oil has been in use as an effective antiseptic since ancient times. Current research supports its effectiveness against severe acute respiratory coronavirus SARS-CoV (RNA virus)(Winska et al). *Sage essential oil contains myrcene, which in high enough doses is considered neurotoxic. In the above case 17 drops immersed in water was used as a spray mist. Like most essential oils, keep out of reach of children and consult a skilled practitioner for dosages and correct application. Sage has also shown to be effective against e. coli, salmonella, MRSA and a range of gram positive and gram negative bacteria.
From personal experience, I grow, harvest and process many pounds of sage (salvia officinalis) every summer, harvested at its peak when the essential oil content is at its highest. I have never experienced the slightest adverse reaction.
Peppermint is a highly effective virucidal, slightly weaker bacteriocidal, but shown to increase effectiveness of other essential oils.
Cajuput has been used since the 18th century as an antiseptic found to inhibit both gram positive and gram negative bacteria. Also as an antifungal, specifically to treat candidiasis and inhibit molds.
Ajawon an important essential oil for Encephelitis (Soumen et al., 2015)
Clove essential oil is highly bacteriocidal and comparable to cinnamon only slightly weaker against viral infections, but stronger when used to treat parasitic infections.
Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis), Peppermint (Mentha pipiretta), and Geranium (Pelargonium graveolens) are also effective antimicrobials, when used singly and combined. However, because they can be overpowering, or should be used at lower concentrations, they work better in blends. Peppermint in particular, a highly effective virucidal, slightly weaker bacteriocidal, "should be used in a concentration of not more than 3%. Internal use should be under the direction of a qualified medical practitioner, medical herbalist or pharmacist and is beyond the scope of aromatherapy" (Tisserand & Young, 2014). It is included in this list because it has been shown to increase effectiveness of other essential oils.
Geranium essential oil "was about as effective as amoxicillin at fighting bacterial strains, such as Staphylococcus aureus. The same study found that it was not effective at fighting Listeria monocytogenes, a different bacterial strain" (Healthline).
Rosemary is also renowned specifically for its anti bacterial effect. However, it also causes allergic reactions, therefore is better in combination with other oils at low concentrations.
A simple and effective hand and face sanitizer recipe complements of
PENN HERB COMPANY and Lisa Taormino RN, BSN, ASN, BS:
What you will need: Bowl, spoon, spray bottle container.
Ingredients:
2/3 cup 60-99% rubbing alcohol (isopropyl alcohol)
1/3 cup aloe vera gel
8 to 10 drops essential oil (optional)
Eucalyptus, Lavender, Lemon, Rosemary, and Tea tree are great options.
Nothing could be easier! Simply mix the ingredients together and then pour them into the bottle. Screw the lid onto the bottle and you're ready to go!
*Aloe vera gel is not absolutely necessary although it does help mitigate the alcohol from drying the skin.
**If isopropyl alcohol is not available, a good substitute is vinegar. Apple cider vinegar is best, but given the current run on grocery supplies
commerical vinegar would work. And, if vinegar is not readily available, substitute olive oil.
This changes the recipe in that the olive oil could stain clothing, however, it does not inhibit the antimicrobial action of the essential oils.
PART 1
Modern Day Diseases, Weakening Immune Systems and Stronger Pathogens
We first heard about multi-drug resistant bacterial infections back in 2005 when multi-drug resistant Tuberculosis began making the headlines. Alternately, many have been watching the trend to treat every thing from a cold to the flu with an antibiotic with mounting concern; a concern now validated by the experts warning the public to hold back taking an antibiotic unless you are sure your condition is serious enough to call for one and then to take the full dose to the very end.
Most of us get it that bacteria can and will find a way to resist antibiotics. Yet, the race is still on to find stronger and stronger antibiotics and consequently creating stronger and stronger bacteria. The latest is MRSA (multi or methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus). A strain of the S. aureus that normally colonizes the human nostrils and mouth, but, which can enter the body through a cut or scrape and if the immune system is compromised, can and will spread quickly. The evolution of how this particular strain of staphylococcus came to acquire the genetic coding to resist the strongest antibiotic is both complex and simple. The complex version can be found in an excellent book on bacteria by biochemist and microbiologist Trudy M. Wassenaar (PhD), BACTERIA: The Benign, the Bad, and the Beautiful (2012) tracing the evolution of bacteria to the present day multi-resistant Staphylococcus aureus or MRSA. My summary of Wassenaar's book and a handful of other sources follows.
In a nutshell, or better said, in a gene, Wassenaar traces the evolutionary path of bacteria beginning with the oldest known fossil records (stromatolites) found in coastal waters dating back to the Precambrian era 3600 million years ago. Predating human evolution, bacteria survived and thrived on planet Earth through adaptation; colonizing and metamorphosing. Bacterial cells have a lipid membrane (as do the class of "enveloped" virues, such as the family of corona viruses), a structure that is as old as the first prokaryotic bacteria cell - 3600 million years! Some bacteria have one membrane or cell wall (gram positive), and some have two (gram negative). The survival of the bacteria cell rests upon the integrity of the cell membrane. Protecting that integrity has been a key feature of bacterial cell physiology for 3600 million years and it follows that finding organisms that can weaken or destroy that membrane (like the penicillin mold) are those that win back the territory occupied by the colonizing bacteria.
A primary function of bacteria and fungi is to break down and synthesize organic matter and because they have been around for so long they have learned how to survive on almost any type of organic matter. Another key feature in their ability to survive is to form symbiotic relationships with many of their hosts; synthesizing matter and molecules that the host is unable to synthesize on their own.
However, survival being a genetic predisposition to most life forms, survival dependent on a food source that other organisms might be competing for, such as molds, a.k.a. penicillin, certain molds in turn developed mechanisms that made it possible for them to inhibit the growth of organisms competing for their food source. Early antibiotic theory rested upon the ability of the penicillin fungi to develope a chemical structure that would bind to one of the enzymes critical in the formation of the cell wall of bacteria, thereby weakening the integrity of the bacterial cell wall. This structure or compound is secreted by the mold into the media where it comes into contact with the competing bacteria, is taken up by the organism trying to feed on the organic matter or medium. Now the food the bacteria had been feeding on becomes a source of cellular depletion rather than nourishment.
Scientific documentation of this relationship between bacteria and fungus was the break through of the Nobel Laureate Andrew Flemming in 1928, however, one need only to look at the traditional recipes of cultures the world over to see that our ancestors were well aware of the relationship between mold and bacteria, positive and negative (npi). However, because humans have been host to beneficial bacteria living in their gut since humans walked the face of the earth 2.6 million years ago, and because these beneficial bacteria have had to address the challenge posed by parasitic molds such as penicillin, when accidently consumed, they have over time developed a sort of antidote or mechanism to defeat the antibacterial compound introduced by penicillin; in the name of a gene that triggers production of an enzyme that breaks down the compound secreted by the pathogenic bacteria.
So we have in our gut bacteria that helps us digest our food as well as knows how to handle intrusion by invaders such as the penicillin mold if ingested by accident. The key to penicillin working for us when taken as an antibiotic is in the dosage, if we take a high enough dose the body is saturated with the compound that inhibits all bacterial growth in the body. Even the beneficial colonies or firmicutes, the microflora of the gut.
The theory is that whne the dose is high enough it contaminates the medium to the degree that all bacterial growth is inhibited. The resistance to penicillin happens through a unique opportunism that bacteria have probably been perfecting for millions of years, the business of gene trading. Our beneficial microfloral bacterial colonies with their genetically intelligent penicillin antidote simply loan the needed gene to the species of bacteria whose food source is under assault by the penicillin molds.
Clearly, bacteria have learned to work together to the degree that many of the pathogenic bacteria along with the beneficial symbiotic bacteria have traded and now store the gene coding to resist many antibiotics. According to Wassenar it takes only one bacteria with a resistant gene to spread the resistance . Wouldn't it be nice if we could just tell our firmicutes to not loan genetic material to pathogenic cousins? But they are after all our dinner guests and we are in fact contaminating their food source with parasitic molds in the name of antibiotics. Blood is thicker than water, and in the end the species stick together to meet the challenge of the alien offender which is in essence the host.
Where do we go from here? Stronger antibiotics are clearly not the answer. One possible approach when faced with a minor bacterial infection is to use aromatherapy, to try and catch it in the early stages before the bacteria have a chance to colonize to the point that the infection is life threatening.
PART 2
ESSENTIAL OILS: PREVENTION AND CURE
The use of herbs as preservatives in food, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals dates back hundreds of years the world over. One study at Cornell University focused on the historical use of spices for preserving foods in warmer climates. Cultures and countries where food spoilage happens quickly, where there is little or no refrigeration were found to have the spiciest foods, using common spices with bactericidal and antifungal properties. In the past few decades countless clinical studies have proven the efficacy of essential oils as broad spectrum treatments not only for bacterial and fungal infections but also for viral infections, for reducing tumours and stimulating the immune system.
The Good News is that a growing number of research papers are showing that essential oils are not only effective against bacteria, but fungi and viruses "by altering the permeability of the outer membrame" (Winska et al), consequently blocking cellular respiration. Winska et al, found that a common herbal product containing essential oils of peppermint, eucalyptus, cajiput, and juniper (OLBAS tm)
demonstrated antibacterial activity against many strains, including MRSA, therefore effective in the treatment of uncomplicated skin and respiratory infections. The study revealed that the effectiveness was due to the high content of monoterpenes, especially menthol which affected the "conformation of proteins embedded in the membrane, thus inhibiting the process of cellular respiration and disrupting the transport of ions through cell membranes, which can lead to cell death."
There is no evidence to even remotely suggest that pathogenic micro-organisms have learned how to cope with the oxygen inhibiting effect of essential oils. For this reason those essential oils that have this capability are considered antimicrobial and bacteriocidal, unlike antibiotics which are for the most part bacteriostatic. Most antibiotics are considered bacteriostats because they don't actually kill bacteria rather they limit their growth by doing what was just illustrated above, populating the host with territorial organisms that interfere with protein synthesis, crowding the pathogenic bacterial out. Bactericides and antimicrobials actually kill bacteria and micro-organisms by impairing their ability to breathe, resulting in cell death
For the most part, the essential oils that are effective as bacteriosidal and antimrobial agents are high in mono-terpenes . As little as 17 drops of sage essential oil, infused in water, inhaled via spray mist, was found to be effective in the treatment of respiratory infection due to SARS (Winska et al). Even at low (non-toxic to humans) concentrations oregano, basil, thyme, camphor are effective bacteriosidal, anti-microbial agents.
In classical Aromatherapy, the method of application for essential oil blends is usually through inhalation and absorption through the skin, via a spray mist, steam or a cloth soaked in hot water in which a with a few drops of the specific oil has been effectively infused. The oil/water infusion is both absorbed by the skin as well as inhaled.
First and foremost, when chosing essential oils it is of upmost importance that they be from a reliable source, "genuine and authentic" and that the species that the oils was extracted from be one has the medicinal components needed. Not all species of lavender essential oil have the same components. One might be highly effective at balancing the pH of the skin but have little antiseptic strenght, for example. The next most important thing is dose and application. Essential oils are concentrated substances; a little goes a long way. 17 drops of essential oil of sage, immersed in water, applied as a light mist, demonstrated inhibition of the SARS virus in a study conducted in Frankfort.
On the subject of efficacy, most essential oils that are anti-bacterial are also anti-fungal, and anti-viral to varying degrees. Depending on the chemical composition, one essential oil will be more active against bacteria, and less so against viruses, while another will be the reverse. Certain species in the same genus, will also have greater or lesser effect due to different chemical compositions. For example, not all species or eucalyptus will be potent anti-microbial.
On another note, essential oils that have a "high vapor permeability" such as Sage, are more effective as a "disinfectant against airborne microorganisms" (Winska et al). Coincidently, the essential oils that have the highest vapor permeability - Hyssop, Sage, Eucalyptus, Peppermint, Lavender, Cinnamon, and Tea Tree - are also highly effective in pulmonary conditions caused by both viral and bacterial and infections.
Combining EO for a broad spectrum effect is highly recommended. Rosemary, Geranium and Laural, when combined in blends have significant antibacterial, bacteriostatic, antiviral and antifungal effect.
Essential Oils of Basil, Spanish oregano and Spanish oreganum (Thymus capitatus), Savory (Satureja montana)
Thyme (Thymus) vulgarus Wild Marjoran (Oreganum vulgare)are also recommended in smaller doses in blends as they are extremely potent.
In one study quoted by Winska et al, researchers "investigated the antiviral activity of a blend that was composed of equal parts (3.52% each) of Eucalyptus globulus CT cineol (leaf) and Cinnamomum zeylanicum CT cinnamaldehyde (bark), 3.00% Rosmarinus officinalis CT cineol (leaf), 1.04% Daucus carota CT carotol (seed), and 88.90% Camelina sativa oil (seed). This blend significantly reduced viral units of H1N1 and HSV1. For both viruses, a reduction greater than 99% was observed with 1% blend and 60-min contact time" (Brochet et al).
In conclusion, since I first wrote this article, there have been numerous research studies conducted worldwide, supporting an ever expanding list of essential oils that are highly anti-microbial; having a debilitating effect on a wide range of pathological organisms. The most effective are those high in monoterpenes. Theoretically speaking, this probably has to do with the fact that plants manufacture these substances to protect themselves from predators, large and small, microscopic and otherwise. Essential oils are often found at their highest concentration in the plant during the flowering stages when the plant is most vulnerable to pathogens introduced by pollinators or foraging wildlife. Essential oils are stored by the plant in sacs or vessels that are self contained, therefore even the most potent are not circulating throughout the plant itself.
Oils of this nature can provide protection from infection in relatively small doses, and internally when used properly in the hands of a skilled practitioner. However, because most of the common anti-microbial essential oils are not toxic, they can be used on a daily basis to purify the air in our homes, hospitals and clinics, through diffusers, or to enhance and preserve food without relying on chemical preservatives.
With the advent of the recent global pandemic (COVID-19), there has never been a better time to pick up an affordable essential oil diffuser, placed strategically at the door of our public places, offices, restaurants, etc. Having an infusion of lavender, peppermint, cinnamon or eucalptus (single or combined) in water, to spray or spritz on hands and face prior to going out, could mean significantly slowing the communal spread of this epidemic.
Yesterday, at the grocery, I observed an older woman as she sneezed (covering her mouth, fortunately) over the case of organic vegetables, where I had just been. Had her hands been treated with a light essential oil spray, and had she been infected, the chances are very good that had there been a viral escapee, it would have met its death. If simply washing hands has shown to slow the spread of COVID-19, then washing with an anti-microbial essential oil would be even better, as the current research also suggests that many of our transmitable diseases have grown immune to chemical disinfectants and preservatives.
This information is not intended to replace medical advice, rather as educational material in the spirit of informed consent that consumers and patients can make the best decisions regarding their health.
J.Ollin 2014, 3.4.2020
References:
Baudoux, D. (n.d.). Antiviral and Antimicrobial Properties of Essential Oils.
Filomena Nazzaro,1,* Florinda Fratianni,1 Laura De Martino,2 Raffaele Coppola,1 and Vincenzo De Feo2.
Effect of Essential Oils on Pathogenic Bacteria. PMC. US National Library of Medicine. National Institute of Health.
Journal ListPharmaceuticals (Basel)v.6(12); 2013 DecPMC3873673
Schnaubelt, K. (1986). Aromatherpy course lectures. California: Pacific Institute of Aromatherapy.
Soumen Roy, Pratibha Chaurvedi, and Abhay Chowdhary. 2015. Evaluation of antiviral activity of essential oil of Trachyspermum Ammi against Japanese encephalitis virus
Wade, L.g. (2010). Organic chemistry. Seventh Edition Princeton: Pearson International.
Wassenaar, T. (2012). Bacteria: The benign, the bad and the beautiful. Wiley-Blackwell.
Winska, K., Maczka, W., Lyczko, J., Grabarczyk, M., Czubaszek, A., Szumny1, A. Essential Oils as Antimicrobial Agents-Myth or Real Alternative.
Wood, H. & Osol, A. (1943). The Dispensatory of the United States of America. 23rd Edition. Philadelphia, London, Montreal: J.B. Lippincott Company
Did you know..." . . . over forty percent of prescription drugs sold in the U.S. contain ingredients derived from nature, and a full twenty-five percent of drugs contain at least one component derived directly, or through chemical modeling, from flowering plants. Plants have always served as important sources of medicine, whether as folk remedies or as pure chemical compounds" (Peterson, 1990, v).
Mushrooms on Toast
You know you love working with dirt and plants when you spend the colder months reading about what you did during the summer, the research that backs up the insights you stumbled upon and the challenges you never quite solved. This year, one of the oldest apple trees on our land in Vermont decided to bear fruit. The knarley one they call the farmer's wife's tree, apples that would make okay sauce but not quite sweet enough for the farmers cider press. The rotting fruit littered the ground, camouflaged by the mass of Bishops weed; the drops well on their way to compost.
Fortunately those drops were within throwing distance of the lower garlic and calendula beds, so there they went layered in between the chopped leaves and end of season comfrey. All this took place spontaneously, with great joy that we had a warm week in October and a little rain to moisten the beds.
Now, a month or so later, staring with blank expectation at my bookshelf, I ran across a book I never had a chance to really read while raising two, then four teenagers, trying to juggle two cottage industries, bookwork, school, pets, livestock, and those horses breaking free on the first crisp autumn day...it's the pioneers that always find the hole in the fence.
The book "Fertility Without Fertilizers: A Basic Approach to Organic Gardening" by Lawrence D. Hills (1977, 1975) elucidates in the simplest of terms how important those autumn leaves are in the making of humus, and the phosphorus rich, immediately accessible nutrients that come from comfrey.
In the first few years of our website we posted an article about comfrey, in response to the dozens of calls we were getting from poeple who had "too much comfrey" hoping we would want it. Our response was always the same use it as mulch over newly seeded potato beds, or between tomato plants, or pile it on your compost pile. It's amazing how fast your seemingly huge crop of comfrey can get used up. We have always used the hundreds of pounds of surplus comfrey generated by our crop to create wonderful soil, by mulching and composting comfrey where potatoes are to be planted. Mix it in with the grass clippings in the summer and the chopped leaves in the fall. In the spring layer it over the newly planted potato bed for disease and pest resistant potatoes. You can do this until the potatoes sprout, and again in the fall when cutting back the comfrey; cover the harvested beds with all that comfrey, and pile it with leaves.
The secret is in the high phosphorus content of comfrey, add to that, it's a rich and largely undiscovered source of protein. The plant is high in tannins, however not in contrast to the leaves of deciduous trees, especially oak and beech which are a source of nitrogen (0.8%) and contain the highest levels of tannins. The two balance eachother, the comfrey decomposes quickly, an energy drink for the plants, adding moisture to nourish the leaf mold that gradually turns the leaves to humus. This mix works even better with vegetable or fruit matter layered in between. Come spring, the bed depleted from the summer yield is on its way to a soil building compost as leaves take about a year to fully decompose, providing nitrogen along the way, giving sandy soils some substance and making heavy soils light.
The real surprise this season was the addition of the apples on our "winter leaf and comfrey in-garden" compost beds. According to Lawrence Hill over 90% of the spores on apple and pear scab over-winter, and when mixed with chopped or shredded leaves, the spores give the worms a rich, on-going meal of "mushrooms on toast" (1977, 1975). If the farmer won't have the apples for "the jack" and the wife would rather toss them, the worms will have them for breakfast.
Since we started layering the beds of all the phosphorous loving plants with cut, wilted comfrey, we have had fewer and fewer pests. The potato bed has been the most miraculous. We haven't seen a potato beetle in the 20 years we have been using comfrey to dress the beds. In addition our crop managed to come through the blight of 2010 that swept Vermont.
J. Ollin 2010
Almanac 2010 Fall: Saint Johnswort
Pharmacological Mechanism of Hypericum Perforatum
Review of Recent StudiesAbstract and Summary
St. Johnswort Hypericum perforatum has been renowned for its ability to resolve depression and anxiety, and as a treatment for wounds, nerve damage, inflammations and bruises for well over a thousand years. Accounts dating back to the 17th century list St. Johnswort as a treatment for both viral and bacterial infections, and more recently, for anti-tumor activity. In the past twenty years it has become the focus of many clinical studies with respect to its use for a wide array of illnesses, most recently, for the action of the bioactive compounds hypericin, pseudohypericin, hyperflorin and querciten, and their possible role in the neurochemistry of depression, anxiety and CNS damage due to free radicals, excitotoxicity, and ishemia.
Due to the industry trend toward treatment of depression and anxiety through psychotropic medication, the focus of most studies have been on its antidepressant effect. However, many of these studies are also showing remarkable evidence of St. Johnsworts wider potential, shedding light on a host of health giving chemical constituents beyond the industry trend to market the antidepressent potential of the more well known constituents hypericin and hyperforin. With respect to the primary focus of the studies reveiwed in this paper, that of the anti-depressent activity of SJW, this review focuses on the broad spectrum of health promoting properties of this amazing herb.
In 2000, researchers at the University of Geissen, Germany embarked on a study to determine St. Johnswort as a treatment for mild to moderate depression, finding it to be as effective as imipramine with fewer adverse effects (Decision News Media, 2000). Additional studies focusing on SJW as a broadband neurotransmitter reuptake inhibitor, specifically of serotonin, dopamine, and noradrenaline, with equal affinity for adenosine (Beerhues, 2006). While the studies have proven that SJW does have an affect on neurochemistry the mechanism of action is not clear; it is believed this is due in part to variations in potency and lack of consistancy; most herbal extracts are not standardizedand harvesting and processing methods vary dramatically. However, through clinical analysis the broad spectrum of SJW's therapeutic effects are gradually being revealed.
In essence this review offers a summative comparative analysis of the highlights of recent clinical studies, the pharmacological influence of SJW extract on the neurochemical aspects of depression and anxiety, its underlying potential adaptogenic and nutritional effect, and its ability to repair damaged nerves. Most important, the studies reveal considerable impact on effectiveness of different preparations based on harvesting and processing methods.
J. Ollin 2009
Full text available on request.
Charcoal: Nature's Amazing Pulling Agent
