Essential oils - Research

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Identification of Essential Oils with Strong Activity against Stationary Phase Borrelia burgdorferi

Abstract

Lyme disease is the most common vector borne-disease in the United States (US). While the majority of the Lyme disease patients can be cured with 2–4 weeks antibiotic treatment, about 10–20% of patients continue to suffer from persisting symptoms. While the cause of this condition is unclear, persistent infection was proposed as one possibility. It has recently been shown that B. burgdorferi develops dormant persisters in stationary phase cultures that are not killed by the current Lyme antibiotics, and there is interest in identifying novel drug candidates that more effectively kill such forms. We previously identified some highly active essential oils with excellent activity against biofilm and stationary phase B. burgdorferi. Here, we screened another 35 essential oils and found 10 essential oils (Allium sativum L. bulbs, Pimenta officinalis Lindl. berries, Cuminum cyminum L. seeds, Cymbopogon martini var. motia Bruno grass, Commiphora myrrha (T. Nees) Engl. resin, Hedychium spicatum Buch.-Ham. ex Sm. flowers, Amyris balsamifera L. wood, Thymus vulgaris L. leaves, Litsea cubeba (Lour.) Pers. fruits, Eucalyptus citriodora Hook. leaves) and the active component of cinnamon bark cinnamaldehyde (CA) at a low concentration of 0.1% have strong activity against stationary phase B. burgdorferi. At a lower concentration of 0.05%, essential oils of Allium sativum L. bulbs, Pimenta officinalis Lindl. berries, Cymbopogon martini var. motia Bruno grass and CA still exhibited strong activity against the stationary phase B. burgdorferi. CA also showed strong activity against replicating B. burgdorferi, with a MIC of 0.02% (or 0.2 μg/mL). In subculture studies, the top five essential oil hits Allium sativum L. bulbs, Pimenta officinalis Lindl. berries, Commiphora myrrha (T. Nees) Engl. resin, Hedychium spicatum Buch.-Ham. ex Sm. flowers, and Litsea cubeba (Lour.) Pers. fruits completely eradicated all B. burgdorferi stationary phase cells at 0.1%, while Cymbopogon martini var. motia Bruno grass, Eucalyptus citriodora Hook. leaves, Amyris balsamifera L. wood, Cuminum cyminum L. seeds, and Thymus vulgaris L. leaves failed to do so as shown by visible spirochetal growth after 21-day subculture. At concentration of 0.05%, only Allium sativum L. bulbs essential oil and CA sterilized the B. burgdorferi stationary phase culture, as shown by no regrowth during subculture, while Pimenta officinalis Lindl. berries, Commiphora myrrha (T. Nees) Engl. resin, Hedychium spicatum Buch.-Ham. ex Sm. flowers and Litsea cubeba (Lour.) Pers. fruits essential oils all had visible growth during subculture. Future studies are needed to determine if these highly active essential oils could eradicate persistent B. burgdorferi infection in vivo

thats the abstract
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Basically they tested a bunch of EO's and by far the most effective against Lyme were garlic and cinnamon. Allspice also did well.

Post Edited (Lapis_29) : 2/15/2019 8:13:04 PM (GMT-7)

Kirky98 said...
Sad the current research is this far behind, the medical scholars are only now verifying herbs work.

the question is can you get enough EO's in your bloodstream to actually kill this thing?

How many actually take enough cinnamon oil internally to get the necessary minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) content in the bloodstream? Is it even safe?

Great article, thanks!

I credit maybe 2/3s of my recovery so far to essential oils. I doused myself with Thyme and Lavender oil once a week for about 1.5 years and made a lot of progress.

I worked up to I think 12 drops of Thyme and 12 drops of Lavender diluted in a carrier oil applied topically. Definitely herxed from it. I was working at a fairly demanding job at the time so that was what was manageable while remaining semi functional.

They are pretty broad spectrum so I think they also got rid of a mold issue I had as well. Also they are believed to be biofilm busters.

Good to know that they kill persisters.

The skin is very porous (hence Epsom salt baths, castor oil packs, not using toxic body products, etc.) so essential oils do penetrate. I see people recommend the BFB-1 and BFB-2 blends a lot on here and other Lyme forums, and they are very simple essential oil blends that people find so powerful you are cautioned to use only one drop per day on your toe, at first. Pretty amazing stuff. One of my favorite things about EO is that you don't have to ingest them through your GI tract (although, if done properly with high-quality oils, you can). They can be ingested as liposomes or capsules, or used topically, or inhaled using a diffuser or other method, or cold lasers, or enemas, or sublingually, or rectally, or vaginally, or moxibustion.... The route of ingestion should match the location you want to target. For internal use, most brands aren't allowed legally to say they are safe, but the organic ones are. Doterra and Swiss Aromatics do say (legally) that they are safe for internal use.

Here's a link for an essential oils masterclass that's free online in two days. The hosts are pretty hokey, but the information is sound and straightforward. By the end of it, I felt very confident that I knew how and why to use essential oils.
https://naturallivingfamily.com/learning-about-essential-oils-2/?utm_expid=.YFZyxOkYTd2fs6jEAoT7Cw.1&utm_referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fnaturallivingfamily.com%2Fstore%2F

Another option is this one - an hour long and Lyme-specific and scientific by Greg Lee, who seems great. https://goodbyelyme.com/training/

Most people use organic fractionated coconut oil as a carrier oil, but whatever shelf-stable, edible, plant-based oil should work (olive, grapeseed, etc.).

But this stuff genuinely works medicinally, and therefore I think it's important to know what you are doing. You can cause a herx or overload your liver just like you would with herbs or pharmaceuticals, although it's much more rare to do so.

I make essential oil blends for so many things - sleep, headaches, preventing cold and flu, mood elevation, anxiety, etc. People really love them for oil pulling as well. I have averted barometric pressure migraines multiple times with the headache blend, and the sleep blend eliminated my Lyme-related insomnia. I only recently learned more about them for antimicrobial use, and I look forward to adding them in slowly. I have been sniffing oregano oil (so intense!) the past week to keep from getting my child's flu.

These are good things, worth looking into!

Per the Greg Lee video, there's research supporting the following:
CFS/ME, adrenal fatigue, EBV - basil, geranium
Leaky gut, GI issues - lavender, eucalyptus, fennel, ginger
HPA axis - rose, eucalyptus (but little research on these, for this)
MCAS - lavender, chamomile, NO bee venom!
Dizziness - lavender, vetiver, thyme
Borrelia persisters - oregano, cinnamon, clove, garlic, allspice, myrrh
Babesia - caraway, nutmeg (use low doses)
Bartonella - clove (expect strong herx if you have neuro bart)
Mycoplasma -- tea tree, bergamot
Brucella - oregano, cinnamon
Lavender - neurological symptoms, anxiety
Spearmint - burning, bartonella, GI issues, headache, inflammation
Peppermint - memory, focus, mood, nausea - NOT for folks with GERD or atrial fibrillation
Lemongrass - anxiety, mold, digestion, menstrual issues, bladder, headache, muscle cramps
Eucalyptus globulus - inflammation mold, respiratory, biofilm, focus - NOT for folks with chemical sensitivity or liver issues
Turmeric - herxes, inflammation
Clove - borrelia, aspergillis molds, candida, e coli, strep, staph, MRSA, giardia, helminths

Good luck, everyone!

Girlie said...
How much is absorbed through the skin?
I didn’t think there would be much - anyone know?

And what carrier oil would facilitate that the best?

a small amount is absorbed but probably not enough if you are dealing with serious issues.

You can get food grade polyethylene glycol on amazon, it is proven to penetrate all layers of the skin. Scientifically proven as a penetration enhancer. Its also safe as a food additive so topical use is fine. Put some EO on your skin then rub a bit of Poly glycol on it and the EO will penetrate all the way through.

Some sources indicate that internal consumption is not the most effective way to use EO unless you intend to target the digestive tract because the oils are altered by your digestive process. One way to prevent this is to ingest them in liposomal form, or even make your own liposomal oils.

In Asia it's common to use trans-dermal herb packs and essential oils, just like folks here have done for years with various medications, nicotine, hormones, and other substances delivered through a trans-dermal patch. People routinely are poisoned through their skin with formaldehyde, pesticides, arsenic, solvents, etc - the CDC has some straightforward pages explaining the mechanisms by which molecules absorb through the skin. From what I understand, fat-soluble substances (oils) are absorbed best through the skin. The type of oil you use tends to impact the effectiveness of EO absorption as well, the less viscous the better. I have heard some EO practitioners advise that the skin location matters because you want somewhere with capillaries close to the surface, whereas others say it's not important. Also some point out that when you apply the oils topically, you also are inhaling them, so it's not just one or the other. There's a wealth of information about absorption available, if you are interested in learning more! Not every EO practitioner agrees about the best routes of use, so I encourage everyone to educate yourselves before deciding what you feel best trying. There's a lot of disagreement.

If you are interested, I made a table to class the essential oils by efficiency. It's in french, but it's not complicated to understand. If the oil is higher, it's more effective, more or less. I will make an add on to it.

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1aswcogdxvp2unpghu3rwiyrxd_u40zpc

I'm taking a mix of 3 essential oils : allspice 1/4, cinnamon 1/4, myrrh 2/4. It seems powerfull! It's complicated to explain, but I think that they destroy biofilms.
I don't know the safety of taking myrrh.
Also it's not to be taken continuously. I'm taking that like a complementary treatment while the main treatment are two buhner herbs : andrographis and cat's claw.

I'm taking 2 drops 1 to 3 times a day, diluted in a tablespoon of oil. I did a break due to too strong herxs.

Also, In the two studies, I don't understand how their concentration ratio (%) is made. It's weird. But I think, to have an approximation, You have to multiply the concentration ratio by 10, and it will give roughly the ppm number (part per million). For exemple : 0.05% x 10 ~= 0.5 ppm
And it's concentrations that are reachable I think by swallowing the oils. I've read that around 50% of ingested oils goes into the body. Probably that it depends of the oils. Also where in the body, I don't know...
For the allspice, they ordered it from the website "plantguru", if you want to have the same. I found a website in France to order. Because some of the "allspice" essential oils sold are in fact "bay", and it's not the same thing.