Essential Oils Combat MRSA
Bacteria
22/12/2004 - Essential oils usually used
in aromatherapy have been found to kill the deadly MRSA bacteria
causing increasing numbers of deaths in hospitals round the
world.
Researchers at the University of Manchester say they have
identified three
essential
oils that killed MRSA and E. coli as
well as many other bacteria and fungi within just two minutes of
contact.
The oils, which have not been revealed in order to protect the
university's rights to the findings, could be easily blended
into soaps and shampoos for use by hospital staff to stop the
spread of the deadly bacteria.
Peter Warn from the university's Faculty of Medicine said: "We
believe that our discovery could revolutionize the fight to
combat MRSA and other 'super bugs'."
The UK's National Audit Office estimates that infections such as
MRSA kill 5,000 people each year and hospital-acquired
infections cost the NHS around $1 billion a year.
Doctors have become increasingly alarmed over recent months by
the emergence in UK hospitals of new generations of resistant
strains of MRSA. The bacteria has also become endemic in many
hospitals, especially in London and the south-east of England.
Essential oils are chemical compounds found within aromatic
plants, which the plants use to fight off infections.
Researchers tested 40 essential oils against ten of the most
deadly bacteria and fungi. Two of these oils killed MRSA and E.
coli almost instantly, while a third was shown to act over a
longer period of time.
Scientists at the University of Sydney previously reported in
2002 that
eucalyptus and tea-tree oils
(Melaleuca)
were surprisingly
effective at treating MRSA when applied to the skin of infected
wounds.
Jacqui Stringer, clinical lead of Complementary Therapies at the
Christie Hospital, who instigated the research said: "The use of
plants in medicine is nothing new but some people regard the use
of essential oils as unconventional. Our research shows a
very practical application which could be of enormous benefit."
"The reason essential oils are so effective is because they are
made up of a complex mixture of chemical compounds which the
MRSA and other super bug bacteria finds difficult to resist."
Current treatments are made of single compounds that MRSA
quickly becomes resistant to, she added, and reduces the success
rate to only 50 per cent.
Essential oils also have the advantage of being well tolerated
and easily administered.
"While a wide range of products currently exist to help prevent
the spread of MRSA these are often unpleasant for patients as
their application can cause skin irritation. MRSA is often
carried inside the nose which means that patients often have to
insert treatments up their nostrils, whereas these
essential
oils can simply be
inhaled to prevent the patient being at
risk,² added Stringer.
The Manchester researchers are now looking for funding to
develop their work and carry out a clinical trial but they are
having problems sourcing the required $30,000.
"Essential oils cannot be patented as they are naturally
occurring, so few drug companies are interested in our work as
they do not see it as commercially viable," said Warn.
"Obviously, we find this very frustrating as we believe our
findings could help to stamp out MRSA and save lives."
The garlic compound allicin has also been shown to fight MRSA
and since the first studies demonstrating this effect, the
product has been in strong demand.
Resource:
http://quikonnex.com/channel/item/14556
"... The article noted that two of the oils killed the germs
almost instantly, while the third oil acted over a longer period
of time. Because of "commercial sensitivies," the researchers
did not reveal which oils they found to be most effective.
Curious about the study, Young Living's director of Product
Formulation, Marc Schreuder, did some searching and discovered
that two of the oils used were
Melaleuca alternifolia and
geranium. (The study abstract mentions
patchouli, tea tree (melaleuca),
geranium, and
lavender
essential oils, plus
grapefruit seed extract, but does not
specify if patchouli or lavender is the third oil).
Anyone with concerns about MRSA should be using YL's
Melaleuca-Geranium Moisturizing Soap that includes two powerful
melaleuca essential oils, along with
geranium and
vetiver. Safe
and powerful, it is the most effective germ-killing soap on the
market.
Thieves Cleansing Soap is another powerhouse germ killer.
Thieves essential oil blend was diffused in tests against
aerosol-borne bacteria at Weber State University with up to a 96
percent reduction against the difficult-to-kill Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteria..."
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