Essential Oils Replace Antibiotics?
When our last antibiotic becomes ineffective (and that isn’t far off), we won’t just lose the ability to treat infectious diseases, but also But also the ability to treat cancer, to transplant organs, or indeed conduct almost any major surgery. Yes – it’s that bad! So it’s natural to wonder if we can replace antibiotics – and in this article we ask can (to any extent) essential oils replace antibiotics? the idea isn’t quite as insane as it sounds as we will see.
Treating cancer and doing organ transplants would be particularly effected by the inefficacy of antibiotics because because the surgery relies on suppressing the immune system and willingly making ourselves vulnerable to infection, and any such infection must be treated.
We’d also lose the ability to treat people after traumatic accidents and the safety of modern childbirth: before antibiotics, 5 women out of every 1,000 who gave birth, died. So antibiotics are a cornerstone of our well being, but they are becoming increasingly ineffective due to overuse. So what other options do we have? The article below explains how Essential Oils might at least partially fill the gap. (See accreditation below the article).
Essential Oils Could Replace Overused Antibiotics
Oregano tastes terrible BUT – do you have a runny nose? Then try oregano oil. Do you suffer from earache? Or a sore throat? Aching muscles? I’ve found that Oregano alleviates all of the above. However, there isn’t much in the way of credible science to back my observations up.
While oil of oregano is traditionally respected and used for helping with colds, acne, bloating, headaches, intestinal parasites, allergies, earaches, and fatigue, according to Medical News Today, “further high-quality study results are necessary to confirm these claims.”
How we use essential oils
While inhalation, or aromatherapy, is the most common method of using essential oils (Vicks VapoRub being a well-known example), they are also used topically and internally.
When we think of essential oils we think of “aromas, spas and beauty products,” says Dr. Lynn Anderson, Doctor of Natural Health, author and yoga/exercise professional. “But essential oils are so much more. Essential oils are healing modalities.” Their antiseptic power comes from phenolic content, and oils with higher phenolic content, like oregano, thyme, cinnamon and clove, are more potent, she adds.
Essential oils recognized as ‘antibiotics’ before we knew what microbes are
Essential oils have been recognized for centuries as a remedy for various maladies due to their antimicrobial, antibacterial, and antifungal properties. However, to date, “there is little published research on many of them,” according to the University of Minnesota.
“Research studies on essential oils” that do exist, the University of Minnesota website explains, “show positive effects for a variety of health concerns including infections, pain, anxiety, depression, tumors, premenstrual syndrome, nausea, and many others.”
Clearly, both these universities are researching essential oils can replace antibiotics.
Where we find essential oils used today
Most studies so far have been conducted by the food, flavoring, cosmetics and tobacco industries — essential oils are commonly found in personal care products and food stuffs (for preservation). The oils of rosemary, mint, cinnamon, peppermint, clove, lemongrass and others are also used in natural pest control formulations.
The medicinal applications of essential oils and essential oils to replace antibiotics are currently being studied in the United States, Europe, Japan, Canada, Australia and India. Aromatherapy has been more widely studied than other medicinal applications of essential oils. Some clinical trials have explored aromatherapy’s effectiveness in helping cancer patients.
Of essential oil’s many uses, perhaps its most promising is as an alternative to antibiotics. This potential is earning more attention than ever because of growing resistance to existing antibiotics — a natural phenomenon that occurs when bacteria come to resist antibiotics that are widely used.
Studies on the use of essential oils are being conducted on animals and humans mainly in response to the loss of antibiotics’ effect due to antimicrobial resistance. What this means is that the overuse and abuse of antibiotics in both treating humans and animals is creating a resistance to antibiotics as new ‘superbugs’ are developing. These superbugs’ then need something different to destroy them.
Essential oils replace antibiotics in animal feed
Some research is now looking at the role essential oils may be able to play in reducing antibiotic use in animal feed. A study published in Poultry Science, for instance, found that diets that included oregano oil reduced chickens’ mortality rate due to infection.
Companies like Modesto Milling, in California, are bringing this solution to the marketplace. Their certified organic poultry feed includes anise oil and juniper berry oil among its blend of herbs and grains.
Slow progress in the medical profession
Unfortunately, the medical profession has been slow to embrace these therapies, and good scientific data are still scarce. However, as we approach the ‘post-antibiotic era’ the situation is changing and we might well find an increasing trend that essential oils replace antibiotics.
Accreditation
The above article uses material and data from reset.me – visit them too – they have a great website!
