Thyme Essential Oil made the news again. Just last month I posted an article about thyme EO and its properties in suppressing the inflammatory COX-2 enzyme. Today I found another article on BBC News that talks about the medicinal properties of thyme oil and how it helps in the fight of the bacterial infection Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) that is highly resistant to some antibiotics. A high grade or Grade A quality thyme oil can be used internally and that means that you could gargle with a few drops of thyme oil in warm water to kill off bacteria. Here is the article I mentioned:
Essential oils destroy MRSA, Brighton scientists say
Essential oils could kill the hospital superbug MRSA, scientists at the University of Brighton have found.
A study found a blend of oils derived from thyme plants was effective in destroying MRSA in two hours.
The research was carried out by a team of microbiologists at the School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences.
MRSA is a potentially lethal bug that is difficult to combat because it has developed resistance to some antibiotics.
The study was set up when Sussex-based company Benchmark Oils asked the university to carry out research into the effect of its oils.
'Promising results'
Director Maggie Tisserand got in touch because she believed a blend of essential oils derived from thyme and used in aromatherapy could tackle MRSA.
Dr Jonathan Caplin, who carried out much of the research, said: "These are very promising results.
"We have shown at least in the laboratory that this blend of thyme has a very strong killing-effect on MRSA.
"Now further work needs to be carried out to ascertain its effect in real cases."
The research has been published in the International Journal of Essential Oil Therapeutics.
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