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Great news!
...And what a crock this line! "However, the researchers say they are unable to reveal which oils carry benefits because of commercial sensitivities." That blew me away!
Anyone want to make a guess on which essential oils they used? My guess for the 3 oils they found to kill MRSA and E. coli are oregano, lavander and thyme. That's off the top of my head without consulting my library :D
Aromatherapy oils 'kill superbug'
Essential oils could kill the deadly MRSA hospital 'superbug', scientists have claimed.
University of Manchester researchers found three of the oils, usually used in aromatherapy, destroyed MRSA and E.coli bacteria in two minutes.
They suggest the oils could be blended into soaps and shampoos which could be used in hospitals to stop the spread of the superbug.
Hospital-acquired infections, such as MRSA, kill an estimated 5,000 a year.
The Manchester study was triggered when complementary medicine specialists at Christie Cancer Hospital asked university researchers to test essential oils.
Our research shows a very practical application which could be of enormous benefit to the NHS and its patients
Jacqui Stringer, Christie Hospital, Manchester
They wanted to ensure they could not harm the patients, whose immune systems are weakened by the treatments.
Dr Peter Warn, who carried out the research, said: "When I tested the oils in the lab, absolutely nothing grew. Rather than stimulating bacteria and fungi, the oils killed them off."
Soaps and shampoos
The team then tested 40 essential oils against 10 of the most infectious agents found in hospitals, including MRSA (methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus).
Two of the oils were found to kill MRSA and E.coli almost instantly, while a third was found to act over a longer period of time.
However, the researchers say they are unable to reveal which oils carry benefits because of commercial sensitivities.
MRSA is often carried in patients' nostrils, and is currently treated by putting disinfectant on the area to kill the bacterium - which many patients often find unpleasant.
Dr Warn says the essential oils could be used to create much more pleasant inhalation therapies - which he said were likely to have a much higher success rate than the current treatment, which is only effective in around 50% of cases."
Dr Warn said: "We believe that our discovery could revolutionise the fight to combat MRSA and other superbugs."
But he said the team now needed around £30,000 in order to continue its research.
Jacqui Stringer, clinical leader of complementary therapies at Christie Hospital in Manchester, instigated the oils research.
She said: "Our research shows a very practical application which could be of enormous benefit to the NHS and its patients.
"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 superbug bacteria finds difficult to resist."
The Department of Health evaluates products which are claimed to prevent or treat HAIs before it permits them to be used across the NHS.
In Reply to: Aromatherapy oils 'kill superbug' posted by thessa [174.218] on December 23, 2004 at 04:46:39:
Hi Thessa:
I would also guess Tea Tree Oil. It's a powerful oil with many healing properties:-)
In Reply to: Aromatherapy oils 'kill superbug' posted by thessa [174.218] on December 23, 2004 at 04:46:39:
I'm just finishing reading "The Maker's Diet" by Jordan Rubin. Toward the end of the book, he has a chapter about Biblical medicine, which lists the historical use of some herbs and essential oils. Under the herbs, the book does mention that dill seed oil is strongly antibacterial and can inhibit things like Bacillus antracis (anthrax).
Under essential oils, the book briefly discusses Myrrh, Frankincense, Cedarwood, Cinnamon, Cassia, Calamus, Galbanum, Onycha, Spikenard, Hyssop, Sandalwood, Myrtle, Cypress, and Rose of Sharon. There were a couple of general paragraphs about the oils that I found interesting:
"Essential oils are composed of very small molecules that are able to pass through the blood-brain barrier freely or pass through the skin and reach every part of the body in minutes. If you place a drop of cinnamon or peppermint oil on the sole of your foot, you may taste it on your tongue in less than sixty seconds.
The fourteen principle biblical essential oils I have listed contain three unique classes of compounds. The first are phenylpropanoids, which are antiviral and antibacterial; they are able to clean and reprogram "receptor" sies in individual body cells. The second are sesquiterpenes, possessing a variety of healing properties and the ability to reprogram scrambled or damaged DNA coding. And the thrid are monoterpenes, which deliver oxygen directly to cells and possess anticarcinogenic properties."
I've been a "Bible-phobe" for a long time now for a lot of reasons (my exposure to the Bible has generally been through anxiety-ridden, hate-filled Christians), but I've found this book very interesting from a historical perspective. It would be interesting to take some sort of world history course with a focus on different culture's healing systems.
In Reply to: Aromatherapy oils 'kill superbug' posted by thessa [174.218] on December 23, 2004 at 04:46:39:
Thanks again thessa, for another very good article. I
copied and filed this article. Thanks for the info.
dd
In Reply to: Aromatherapy oils 'kill superbug' posted by thessa [174.218] on December 23, 2004 at 04:46:39:
I've read that eucalyptus and tea tree oils are effective agains MRSA. For example,
In Reply to: Aromatherapy oils 'kill superbug' posted by thessa [174.218] on December 23, 2004 at 04:46:39:
ThanksThessa.
My bet is that it is the "commercial sensitivities" of Big Pharma that is keeping this information from the public.
Walt
In Reply to: Re: Aromatherapy oils 'kill superbug' posted by PhillyLady [1906.1536] on December 23, 2004 at 08:56:56:
Hi PL,
I like your pick, and also the eucalyptus that R picked.
Clove could be one to, it's powerful stuff.
In Reply to: Re: Aromatherapy oils 'kill superbug' posted by Ms. D. [634.1384] on December 23, 2004 at 09:23:55:
Thanks Ms. D, that was informative. I was just recently asking myself whether essential oils can pass the blood brain barrier, so it's good to know that they can.
I always find it fascinating too when natural compounds are found to effect and change DNA.
I have studied a bit of different culture's healing systems and find it very interesting too, though not specifically the bible. I feel fortunate to have studied herbalism from American herbalists and also the european and italian tradition.
In Reply to: Re: Aromatherapy oils 'kill superbug' posted by dd [1706.26] on December 23, 2004 at 10:26:26:
Glad you liked it dd!
In Reply to: Re: Aromatherapy oils 'kill superbug' posted by R. [27.1490] on December 23, 2004 at 15:25:56:
Thanks R.!
In Reply to: Re: Aromatherapy oils 'kill superbug' (Archive. posted by Walt Stoll [9.1465] on December 24, 2004 at 07:02:30:
Oh yes, they are! I just don't think I've ever seen such a blatant restriction of info based on protecting their interests.
In Reply to: Re: Aromatherapy oils 'kill superbug' posted by thessa [174.218] on December 24, 2004 at 07:15:15:
Hi Thessa,
Simple sugars can pass the blood brain barrier, because the brain runs on glucose.
Ron
In Reply to: Re: Aromatherapy oils 'kill superbug' posted by PhillyLady [1906.1536] on December 23, 2004 at 08:56:56:
Hi Philly,
Just because an oil kills the superbugs in a petrie dish, does not mean that it will do the same same in much reduced trace quantities in the body.
I am sure that plain old mineral oil would also kill superbugs in a petrie dish by suffocating them.
Preventing growth and replication of a bacteria also results in their eventual death.
Ron
In Reply to: Re: Aromatherapy oils 'kill superbug' posted by Ron [1540.1617] on December 24, 2004 at 13:05:13:
Yes, glucose crosses the blood brain barrier, you're right. But the compounds in essential oils that cross the blood brain barrier aren't broken down into glucose. I'd have to get out my tech manuals to see which compounds or molecules in them do pass the blood brain barrier.
Hey, I just looked out the window and it looks like we're getting our white christmas. Better late than never!
In Reply to: Re: Aromatherapy oils 'kill superbug' (Archive. posted by Walt Stoll [9.1465] on December 24, 2004 at 07:02:30:
Not necessarily Big Pharma. If I were in a small business producing medicinals, I'd like to protect my commercial interests too.
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