Antibacterial

Important

Much of the research done on the ability of essential oils and herbs to inhibit a bacteria is done in vitro. Useful as this may be, when it comes to marketing these results are translated into claims that because something is done in a petri dish it means it can be done in vivo (in the body). This is where the epidemic of adverse reactions from improperly used essential oils and herbs is coming from. Especially the misunderstanding that you can take essential oils, undiluted, internally to kill certain pathogens. Just because something can be killed at a certain concentration in a petri dish doesn’t mean you can do that in your digestive tract, or in your bloodstream against cancer cells, or in your respiratory system by consuming oils and herbs internally. The range between the level that’s going to kill the pathogen and the level that’s going to hurt you is very narrow. We need to use herbs and oils in a way that's biocompatible, for example, breathing essential oils through a diffuser. External applications may also be effective antibacterials but extremely concentrated essential oils may not be biocompatible directly on the skin (they may burn) and must be diluted.

Secondary metabolites with inherent antibacterial qualities, such as polyphenols, terpenoids, alkaloids, and flavonoids, are frequently present in these extracts. They function by rupturing the membranes surrounding bacterial cells, blocking vital enzymes, or interfering with the reproduction of bacterial DNA. Notably, these methods can lessen the emergence of antibiotic resistance, which is an increasingly pressing issue in medicine.

Many different forms of plant extracts have been used to treat bacterial infections, such as tinctures, essential oils, and herbal medicines. For instance, studies have shown that plant extracts such as those from garlic, tea tree, oregano, and neem have strong antibacterial properties against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria.

Articles/Studies

Antibiotic herbs destroy drug-resistant bacteria

Plant Natural Products Targeting Bacterial Virulence Factors

Large Scale Screening Ethnomedicinal Plants for Antibacterial Compounds

Therapeutic properties of medicinal plants: a review of their antibacterial activity (part 1)

Studies with fresh meat, meat products, fish, milk, dairy products and cooked rice have shown that the concentration of essential oils needed to achieve a significant antibacterial effect is around 0.5 microl g (- 1) in foods and about .1 - 10 microl ml (-

Evaluation of the Antibacterial Activity of a Sizable Set of Essential Oils

Minimum inhibitory concentrations of herbal essential oils and monolaurin for gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria

Citrus fruit extracts with carvacrol and thymol eliminated 7-log acid-adapted Escherichia coli O157:H7, Salmonella typhimurium, and Listeria monocytogenes: A potential of effective natural antibacterial agents

Study:

Antimicrobial activity of selected natural products against Gram-positive, Gram-negative and Acid-fast bacterial pathogens

From 1948 Journal of Bacteriology, "Antibacterial Substances Separated from Plants"

Southernwood, Olive leaf staph, Parsley root, Nasturtium,, Ainf, Mtn grape staph, Kava, kava, Plantain, Camphor EO, Cayenne, Cinnamon EO AS, Turmeric staph, Barberry staph, and Bayberry staph.

Evaluation of antioxidant and antibacterial interactions between resveratrol and eugenol in carboxymethyl cellulose biodegradable film.

This paper reviews classical methods for evaluating antibacterial and antifungal activity of essential oils and gives an overview on the susceptibility of human and food-borne bacteria and fungi towards different essential oils and their constituents.

The essential oils from A. virgata, L. brasiliensis, L. sericea, L. camara, L. montevidensis and L. trifolia, collected in Minas Gerais, Brazil, are chemically similar, and this species are potential alternative source of (E)-caryophyllene and germacrene-D. The results described also demonstrate the promising possibility of using of the essential oils from A. virgata, L. brasiliensis, L. montevidensis and L. trifolia as an alternative to some disinfectants and preservatives against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria.

Pomegranate and green tea extracts antibacterial properties may offer a better preventative/therapeutic regimen with fewer side effects than currently available.

Baicalin promotes antibacterial defenses by modulating mitochondrial function.