Could common scents snuff out the superbug? (Aromatherapy as cure)

[Dover]

Could common scents snuff out the superbug? Feb 28 2005

Madeleine Brindley, Western Mail


RESEARCH conducted at the University of Manchester has found that three oils usually used in aromatherapy destroyed MRSA and E.coli bacteria in two minutes flat.

Scientists are now suggesting that the oils could be blended into soaps and shampoo which could be used in hospitals to stop the spread of the superbug or MRSA.

Jacqui Stringer, complemen-tary medicine clinical leader at Christie Cancer Hospital, who instigated the research, believes essential oils are so effective because they are made up of a complex mixture of chemical compounds which MRSA and other superbug bacteria find difficult to resist. She is not alone in this belief.

I believe this research could lead to a very practical application which would be of enormous benefit to the NHS and its patients...cont'd

http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/0200wales/tm_objectid=15239198&method=full&siteid=50082&headline=could-common-scents-snuff-out-the-superbug--name_page.html

[Eloriel]

1. There are other essential oils that kill other bacteria and viruses

as well. Oil of Oregano is one. But there are others as well.

I really dislike the "common scents" part of the headline -- mere "scents" won't do any good at all, and there's not much that's "common" about essential oils.

I also don't like the term aromatherapy which implies that merely smelling these things is all these wonderful healing substances is about. Their therapeutic use and applications are varied -- applied directly to the skin, added to bathwater or massage oil, diffused in a diffuser, and even, under the right professional guidance, taken by mouth in some cases. (For example, I was able to buy Oil of Oregano capsules recently.)

As an example of the healing power of essential oils, I know of no better cure -- and I do mean cure -- for minor burns than lavendar oil applied neat (undiluted) to the site. I use this first and foremost and wouldn't even consider any other method unless I didn't have Lavender available. I never blister, the pain goes away in minutes if not seconds. It's miraculous to me, pure and simple.

[DemExpat]

2. I would love to hear of oils that might help with the Avian flu pandemic

that is feared by the WHO....

DemEx