How You Can Use Essential Oils to Kill Infectious Bacteria Before Considering Antibiotics

Many people are prescribed antibiotics to prevent and treat infections caused by bacteria. However, the over-prescription of antibiotics does more harm than good, due to a phenomenon called antibiotic resistance, which is one of the biggest threats to global health today. Many infections that have simple treatments today, such as pneumonia, tuberculosis, and gonorrhea, are becoming harder to treat because antibiotics don’t work as well on these infections anymore. With antibiotic resistance being on the rise, it’s natural to want to look for safer alternatives.

The harm that can come from loosely prescribing antibiotics for every viral, parasitic or fungal infection is antimicrobial resistance. This happens when the microorganisms that are meant to be wiped out by antibiotics are able to withstand those attacks and then spread to become full fledged drug-resistant viruses. In 2013, there were approximately 480,000 cases of multidrug-resistant strains of tuberculosis.

Aside from creating drug-resistant superbugs, overuse of antibiotics may also permanently destroy all of the body’s “good” bacteria. These good bacteria contribute a lot to the body, including producing vitamins and boosting the immune system. Some researchers believe that getting rid of good bacteria with antibiotics contributes to health-related epidemics such as increased rates of obesity, asthma, and cancer.

Antibiotics are important for serious health conditions, but natural alternatives with proven antibiotic properties may work well in less serious situations, such as treating a wound with essential oils to avoid infection.

Essential Oils With Antibiotic Properties

Essential oils are natural oils that are usually obtained through distillation and often have the same characteristics of the plant that they are extracted from, such as fragrance and health benefits. Essential oils can be a natural form of treatment, mainly due to their effective antimicrobial activity and less harmful and prevalent side effects than antibiotics.

An in vitro study, recorded in the Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy, tested the effectiveness of 14 different types of essential oils on how well they inhibited pathogenic bacteria.

Researchers found that all 14 of the essential oils that were tested were effective at inhibiting E. coli, staph infection (S.Aureus), strep (streptococci) and the flu (H. influenza). Among the 14 essential oils, the ones with the most effective antibacterial properties were cinnamon bark, lemongrass and thyme, although all 14 were at least a little bit effective. This study proves that essential oils can suppress the growth of harmful microorganisms.

Below you will find a list of all the essential oils that were used in the previously mentioned study, so you can test them out and see which ones could provide you with all-natural relief.

Cinnamon Bark Oil

A study tested the oil that is extracted from the bark of cinnamon on different fungi. Researchers discovered that the oil completely inhibited the reproduction and spread of all fungi.

Another study found that cinnamon bark oil can stop two bacteria, E. coli and P. aeruginosa, from growing on surfaces and creating a film. This happened thanks to eugenol, a cinnamon bark compound that also prevented P. aeruginosa from producing toxins and rupturing red blood cells.

Lemongrass Oil

A study showed that lemongrass oil significantly reduced the development of fungi colonies and in higher concentrations it inhibited the production of spores, which are parts of fungi that are naturally resilient and protect the survival of fungi.

Another study suggested that lemongrass can fight bacteria that are resistant towards antibiotics. The study concluded that lemongrass is more effective than antibiotics even at a lower concertation and that it could help treat infections that are caused by drug-resistant bacteria.

Perilla Oil

Perilla oil has antibacterial properties that can inhibit the growth of Staphylococcus aureus. Perilla oil also has the ability to stop the production of a-toxin, a poisonous substance excreted when you get a staph infection.

Thyme Oil

Wild thyme oil exhibits antifungal properties due to one of its compounds, carvacrol. This compound can stop the growth of the fungus P. italicum and completely kills the fungus A. alternata.

Red thyme essential oil has been shown to be very effective against E. coli as it can inhibit the bacteria’s growth as well as kill them.

Some thyme essential oils can have a high percentage of geraniol, a compound that has been shown to fight the bacteria Listeria.

Peppermint Oil

A study shows that peppermint oil can kill the virus that causes herpes. When a high concentration of peppermint oil came in contact with two types of the virus, it reduced both viruses by 90%. However, the study showed that adding peppermint oil to herpes viruses before they enter a cell is more effective than trying to treat herpes with the oil after the virus enters a cell.

Tea Tree Oil

Tea tree oil is so effective that even at minimum concentrations it exhibits bactericidal and fungicidal activity. Tea tree oil is potent against E. coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and the yeast Candida albicans. This oil can damage the metabolism of these pathogens, which doesn’t allow them to feed and grow, and it also attacks the membrane of their cells making it thinner and leaving the cell vulnerable.

Coriander Oil

Coriander oil has antimicrobial properties with the ability to kill pathogenic bacteria. The function of coriander oil is similar to tea tree oil as it can also damage the membrane of cells, which leads to cell death and eventually causes bacteria to die.

Lavender Oil

True lavender and spike lavender can inhibit the growth of Staph. aureus, specifically the kind that is resistant to antibiotics, when they come in direct contact with the bacteria. A study suggests that the combination of different types of lavender oil might be more powerful than using a single type of lavender oil.

Rosemary Oil

A study tested the antimicrobial abilities of rosemary oil against 6 bacteria, including 2 types of Staph. and E. coli and 2 fungi, including Candida albicans. The study showed that the oil was very effective against all microbes.

Eucalyptus Radiata Oil

Eucalyptus radiata oil has antibacterial and antifungal properties has been shown to control the growth of the bacteria A. tumefaciens and the fungus R. solani.

Citron Oil

A study shows that the vapors of citron oil can directly target and damage the spores of fungi as well as their metabolism, making them unable to produce energy and forcing them to wither.

How To Use Essential Oils

You can use essential oils in many ways. The following infographic will show you the different methods of using essential oils and how often you can try each method.