Aromatherapy oils 'kill superbug'

[indigobusiness]

Essential oils could kill the deadly MRSA hospital 'superbug', scientists have claimed.

--- http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/4116053.stm

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.


The oils are more usually used in aromatherapy

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."

[Cobalt Violet]

1. It figures they won't say which ones.

But that is excellent news anyway.

[silverweb]

2. I'm willing to make an educated guess on one.

Tea tree oil is a well known germicide and fungicide that I've kept in my medicine cabinet for years. It is the ONLY topical agent that I have seen penetrate an infected, scabbed-over wound and eliminate all traces of infection overnight.

Tea tree oil is already being used commercially in some shampoos, soaps, and anti-acne treatments, although I don't know that the amounts added are enough to be very effective for anything serious.

I don't have any good guesses about the other essential oils the BBC is talking about, but I'm betting herbalists already know.

On edit: Other sites discussing this matter strongly suggest that essential lavender may be one of the other oils and I would concur with that, but whether it is one of the two immediately effective oils or is the one suggested to be effective over time is the question.

[indigobusiness]

4. Frankincense....maybe-------more info

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[Cobalt Violet]

5. I was thinking Orange Oil.

Based on nothing other than if I have oil paint ground into the cracks in the skin on my hands it lifts it right out. But I really have no clue if it kills anti-bacteria resistant germs. It could. :shrug:

Tree Tea oil sound like a very probable one.

[The empressof all]

10. Tea Tree Oil is Awesome

We use tea tree oil shampoo and soap to prevent husband and daughters psoriasis flare ups. Both have been free of scaling for over three years. I also keep the oil in the house and use it to curtail toenail fungus. It hasn't cured it but my nail looks a hell of a lot better. (My MD did not recommend the oral meds to do away with the fungus due to high risk of side effects for me)

[silverweb]

3. Aha!

More information, oils named in this abstract:

A combination of Citricidaltrade mark and geranium oil showed the greatest-anti-bacterial effects against MRSA, whilst a combination of geranium and tea tree oil was most active against the methicillin-sensitive S. aureus (Oxford strain). This study demonstrates the potential of essential oils and essential oil vapours as antibacterial agents and for use in the treatment of MRSA infection.

http://highwire.stanford.edu/cgi/medline/pmid;15555788

On edit: I can't get this link to work by clicking on it here, but if you copy and paste it into your address bar, it works.

[Cobalt Violet]

6. "Citricidaltrade mark"?

Could that be a the corporate way to say Orange Oil or Lemon Oil?

[oscar111]

7. INSIDE body the hard thing: surface easy, many agents known?

I am not an expert, but many bugs are a deadly problem inside the body, yet easily killed on the skin and environ surfaces.

Bleach kills all on environ surfaces, IIRC. The skin natch requires something milder, so perhaps the essen oils are good for that.

The superbug... can essen oils be taken INTERNALLY to cure disease? I seem to have heard, ... not.

Pls enlighten us on this , experts.

Tea tree oil did not cure my toe nail fungus after long trial. Perhaps like RX, it is good with some DNA, not so with others' DNA.

Hope the orig post is right. NonRX drugs are so needed to help us all avoid the greedhead doctors. 20 nations outlive us.. all have socialized medicine and pay doctors far less. Thus, fewer greedheads in their systems. Let our medics go run payday loan enterprises.

Do something they feel more comfortable at. More akin to their nature. Senator Frist is a fine example.. ADA rating one year of ZERO. Looks cavaderous, and for good reason. LOL.

[indigobusiness]

8. Rubbing oils into the skin introduces it internally

as it is absorbed and taken up by the capillaries.

[Cobalt Violet]

9. I don't know about taking them internally.

But I do know that frequent hand washing is one of the best ways to avoid spreading germs. If a health care worker could kill the germs on their external hands they may not spread to a patient's internals.

[silverweb]

11. A brand name, I guess?

Citricidaltrade mark = grapefruit seed extract?

http://tahilla.typepad.com/mrsawatch/mrsa_and_wound_treatment/