So I was digging around the virtual medical library that I have access to the other day and was curious as to the effects of essential oils on things like ear infections and fungus. I know it might not be a most amazing topic for dinner time (or anything for some people), but it does bear looking into.
In one study, undertaken in 2008, somewhere near 20 varieties of essential oils were tested to determine their antifungal properties. What was interesting to note was that they were tried on a variety of fungal agents including Candida glabrata, Candida krusei, Candida tropicalis, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Aspergiullus niger, Candida albicans, Candida blanki, and Candida cylindracea (Kamble & Patil, 2008). While not jumping all over the medical terminology, remember that the Candida fungi are yeast, and that we most often associate them with yeast infections and thrush.
The others, Aspergiullus and Saccharomyces are a mixed bag. Aspergiullus is a fungus that causes black mold on veggies and fruits. It usually doesn’t pose a problem for humans, but when it is inhaled in large quantities is causes a disease called Aspergillosis, and is also a frequent cause of fungal ear infections. Saccharomyces, on the other hand is quite useful- its refered to as baker’s yeast or brewer’s yeast (beer and bread consumers, rejoice!).
Anyway, on to the findings: the researchers tested several spice derived essential oils- among them were, cassia, allspice, clove, cumin, coriander, basil, thyme, anise, turmeric, ginger, pomegranate, juniper berry, nutmeg, basil, curry leaf, cardamom, mace, celery, and black pepper (Kamble & Patil, 2008). The findings were interesting and produced some varied results. It was found that allspice, clove, coriander, thyme, basil, cassia, anise, curry leaf, and asafetida (giant fennel) inhibited all of the test fungi. The oils of ginger, pomegranate, and turmeric were ineffective. Other oils varied in their effectiveness on certain fungi. It was also noted that the most effective of the oils were cumin, thyme, cassia, and allspice (2008).
Pretty cool stuff huh?
Moving on to ear infections (not the fungal kind caused by Aspergiullus). Ear infections are most often caused by bacteria and strike anyone of any age. They are most common in kids, and some people are more prone to them than others. As a young child, I remember my mom pouring a little bit of warmed up olive oil in our ears when we had an ear ache. My kids don’t usually get ear infections, but I know plenty of parents who fight this battle quite often.
The authors of the article infected rats with bacteria that cause otitis media. They were then treated with essential oil of basil. Long story short, the oil of basil did the trick- but not if applied directly. The oil of basil was effective if it was applied to a cotton ball and the vapors were allowed to cross the tympanic membrane and work on the offending bacteria (Kristinsson, Magnusdottir, Petersen, & Hermansson, 2005).
NOTE: I am NOT telling you to rush out a buy essential oil of basil and dump it down your ear canals or the ear canals of your kids.
Lets just take a step back here and look at the research. It shows that essential oils have some pretty cool antibacterial and antifungal properties. Neat huh? While more studies are currently underway, it is something that vindicates those of us who use essential oils and all those “witch doctor” naturalists who insist on something other than lab created antibiotics. I am not for or against one or the other 100%, but believe in using our resources and finding everything out we can to make informed decisions.
Should you decide to use essential oils, please make sure you do your research, find out all you can, and speak with someone who is qualified to give you advice and help both you and your family. Naturopathic physicians would be a good place to start. Check out the links above for the doTerra stores of a couple of our contributors in order to buy some certified therapeutic grade essential oils- one of the first steps in using oils is to make sure you are getting the purest and best quality ones. DoTerra fits that bill nicely.
Sources:
Kamble, V., & Patil, S. (2008). Spice derived essential oils: effective antifungal and possible therapeutic agents. Journal of Herbs, Spices & Medicinal Plants, 14(3-4), 129-143. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.
Kristinsson, K., Magnusdottir, A., Petersen, H., & Hermansson, A. (2005). Effective treatment of experimental acute otitis media by application of volatile fluids into the ear canal. Journal of Infectious Diseases, 191(11), 1876-1880. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.
