Here is a facinating article from Dr. Joan Barice with scientific research included.
Dr. Joan Barice, MD, was a key speaker this year at the Young Living Convention in Washington DC.
by Joan Barice, MD
Speaking as a medical doctor, all physicians are aware of the increasing
problem of resistance of bacteria to antibiotics. This is especially a
problem with bacteria which cause life threatening infections. It is a result of
overusing antibiotics, and of using them when they are not appropriate.
Overusing antibacterial soaps may also contribute to the problem. Prevention
is best, of course. Allowing natural immunity to work when infections are
self-limiting or not likely to cause serious consequences is also important,
as is not treating viruses with antibiotics which won’t work anyway.
Essential oils can be very effective in treating many bacterial, viral and
other infections, without causing resistance. The natural variation in the
chemical constituents in whole plants depending on climate, altitude, and
other factors protects against this resistance, as do the many chemical
constituents in whole oils as opposed to using one isolated “active”
ingredient.
The problem is, most doctors are not trained in using oils, but are well
trained in using potent antibiotics. If you are trying to enlighten a
doctor, who generally has had no training on essential oils, I would suggest
providing scientific references that give the available evidence of the
effectiveness of essential oils in treating infections.
We are impressed by scientific research and usually will not listen to
“anecdotal” evidence” that it worked for some people. Dr. Kurt Schnaubelt’s
book Medical Aromatherapy, healing with essential oils, has been suggested
and is a great reference. I have used it to give talks to medical doctors
about essential oils.
Published articles on essential oil research, especially those in medical
journals would be very good. Here are just a couple examples:
Our own EODR cites some research:
1998: Chao studied a blend of oils patterned after that used by 15th century
thieves containing cinnamon, rosemary, clove, eucalyptus and lemon was
diffused in a closed room in which bacteria cultures were sprayed. There was
an 82% reduction in M. Luteus, a 96% reduction in P. Aeruginosa, and a 44%
reduction
in S Aureus bioaerosols following 10 minutes of exposure.
Another study compared the effectiveness of essential oils to antibiotics -
preliminary results showed cinnamon and oregano are comparable with
penicillin and ampicillin in inhibitory activity against e coli and staph
aureus.
From a medical journal:
TEA TREE OIL: THE SCIENCE BEHIND THE ANTIMICROBIAL HYPE
Because of increasing resistance to antibiotics, interest in finding
alternatives is strong. Tea tree oil (TTO) has been widely used in
Australia for 80 years and is active against many micro-organisms.
A pilot study of 30 MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus)
carriers comparing routine mupirocin nasal ointment and triclosan skin wash
with TTO ointment and wash, showed one third were completely cleared by TTO
but only 13% by conventional treatment.
In another trial of TTO in the treatment of herpes cold sores, the oil was
found to assist healing to a similar degree as topical 5% acyclovir. The
oil
has about 100 components but 7 terpenes and their related alcohols
constitute
80 to 90% of the whole oil. Several of these components have been shown to
reduce levels of Staphylococcus aureus and Candida albicans. Terpenes are
lipophilic and partition into the phospholipid layer of cell membranes,
disrupting normal structure and function. Allen, P., LANCET 2001, 358 (9289)
1245
or: Janssen AM et al, 1987. Antimicrobial activity of essential oils:
1976-1986 literature review. Planta Med 53 (5) 395-398.
This article is not in a medical journal, but still would be good to use as
evidence: Antiviral and Antimicrobial Properties of Essential Oils, by
Dominique Baudoux, available on the internet at
http://www.positivehealth.com/permit/Articles/Aromatherapy/baud55.htm
Schnaubelt’s book has a list of some basic research, including the
following:
1960: Maruzella demonstrated antibacterial and antifungal effects of
hundreds
of aromatic compounds
1987: Deininger and Lembke demonstrated antiviral activity of essential oils
and their isolated components
1973: Wagner and Sprinkmeyer in 1973 did research on a 170 year old blend of
distilled oils still available in Germany. The effects of melissa and the
other oils in Kosterfrau Melissengeist had been empirically known since
Paracelsus (about 1500). They concluded that, with varying degrees of
intensity, there was an inhibiting influence on all the bacteria tested,
(Pneumococcus,
Klebsiella pneumoniae, Staphlococcus aureus haemolyticus, Neisseria
catarrhalis,
Streptococcus haemolyticus, Proteus vulgaris, Hemophilus influenza,
Haemophilus
pertussis, Candida albicans, Escherichia coli-Aerobacter group, various
Corynnebacteria, and Listeria) and stated the large spectrum of this
inhibitory action is as broad as or even greater than that of wide-spectrum
antibiotics.
They also showed KMG has sedative and spasmolytic properties.
1995 Deininger et al. Demonstrated the broad spectrum of antibacterial,
antiviral, antifungal activity of essential oils and their components as
well as
effectiveness for upper respiratory, gastrointestinal, and urogenital
systems
and for nervousness and arterial conditions.
Included many different bacterial species, aflatoxin forming fungi,
quantitative proof of the antiviral effectiveness of different essential oil
constituents with special attention to their cell toxic effects on human
cells. Showed antiviral effects against herpes and adenoviruses with a broad
spectrum of activity. Showed oils including Klosterfrau mellisengeist
terpenes could be shown curatively and preventively in animal experiments
after otherwise lethal herpes injections were administered, and induce a
significant increase of immunoglobulins.
Schnaubelt lists even earlier basic science research showing it has been
known a long time that essential oils have antimicrobial effects:
1800-2002: Numerous animal and in vitro studies – evidence that all
essential
oils are antiseptic, some more than others and that many are effective
against certain fungi, bacteria and viruses.
1881: Koch demonstrated the bactericidal action of essence of turpentine
against anthrax spores
1887: Chamberland demonstrated bactericidal activity of essences of oregano,
cinnamon and clove on bacillus anthracis
1910: Martindale showed essential oil of oregano is the strongest
plant-derived antiseptic known to date, 25 to 76 times more active than
phenol on
colobacillus
Because of our training, because we are not trained about essential oils,
and
do not want to harm our patients by using something we do not know anything
about, many doctors will insist on having still more research, and
conclusive
“evidence-based” research data before they will consider recommending oils
for
patients with an infection, and they will use antibiotics when they know
them to be effective treatment for a particular infection.
I know from my own experience that essential oils can be very effective, and
will not hesitate to use them when they are the most appropriate treatment.
If, on the other hand, I had a life threatening infection, and I do not have
time to try something that will take longer, and there is a medical
treatment that is known to be highly effective and safe, I would use it.
Hope this helps.
Joan Barice, MD
*****************
