MRSA Infection

Coriander Oil Is Found to Kill MRSA

Coriander Oil Is Found to Kill E. Coli, Salmonella and MRSA - NYTimes.com.

Coriander (cilantro, when the leaves of the plant are used fresh) is a popular spice widely used in Asian, Latin American and Mediterranean cooking. Now, researchers from the University of Beira Interior in Portugal report that oil extracted from coriander seeds can kill bacteria. The researchers found that coriander oil is able to damage the membrane of bacterial cells. This blocks the cell from essential processes, like respiration, and ultimately leads to the bacterium’s demise, the researchers report. They tested the effect of coriander oil on 12 bacterial strains, including E. coli, salmonella and MRSA, an antibiotic-resistant type of staphylococcus . Most of the bacteria were killed by solutions containing less than 1.6 percent coriander oil, they reported.

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Turkish Essential Oils Active Against MRSA

Phytochemical Constituents and Inhibitory Activity... [Chem Biodivers. 2011] - PubMed result.

The chemical composition of the essential oils of Eryngium campestre, E. thorifolium, and E. creticum (Apiaceae), growing in the Aegean region of Turkey (Mount Sandras, Denizli), was determined by direct thermal desorption (DTD)-GC/MS analyses. A total of 49 components were identified in the oils, α-pinene and hexanal being the major compounds. The three essential oils were also tested for their inhibitory activity of nine different methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strains by the agar disc diffusion method. The anti-MRSA activity of E. thorifolium oil, the most active of the three oils, was comparable with those of the reference antibiotic vancomycin and oregano oil, although somewhat lower.

Essential Oils & MRSA: Do they work?

Does it work? - The Irish Times - Tue, Feb 01, 2011.

A small but growing number of studies are producing interesting results. For example, an Australian study found that several essential oils were antibacterial, including against MRSA. They showed that this was not due to the oily liquid, because other oils were not active. Some essential oils were as effective as ethanol, peroxide and other disinfectants. However, the oils of thyme white, lemon, lemongrass and cinnamon were much more active against a wide range of microbes. Few studies have involved humans, but such research is being conducted. For example, scientists at Manchester Metropolitan University showed that a blend of lemongrass and geranium essential oils was antibacterial against MRSA. When the oil was placed in a sealed box containing MRSA, bacterial growth was reduced by about one-third. They developed a vaporiser to deliver the oil vapours into an office overnight while unoccupied. The number of airborne bacteria in the office was reduced by 89 per cent. Then they used the vaporiser in the burns unit of a Manchester hospital for nine months. They found similar reductions in airborne bacteria and had no MRSA outbreaks while using the vaporiser.

Cooking herb Thyme 'could stop spread of MRSA'

Cooking herb Thyme 'could stop spread of MRSA' | Mail Online.

Scientists have found that the common cooking herb, thyme, could be a miracle cure for the deadly MRSA bug. Researchers at the University of Brighton, East Sussex, discovered that oils extracted from the plant can kill the bug - linked to at least 8,000 deaths each year - within two hours.

Humble plant oils found to kill MRSA

Humble plant oils found to kill superbugs - Scotsman.com News.

The research was led by Professor Yiannis Samaras and Dr Effimia Eriotou, from the Technological Educational Institute of Ionian Islands, in Greece, who tested the "antimicrobial activity" of eight plant essential oils. They found that thyme essential oil was the most effective and was able to almost completely eliminate bacteria within 60 minutes. "Not only are essential oils a cheap and effective treatment option for antibiotic-resistant strains, but decreased use of antibiotics will help minimise the risk of new strains of antibiotic resistant micro-organisms emerging," said Prof Samaras.

Aromatherapy oils could kill MRSA

Aromatherapy oils could kill MRSA | News | The Engineer.

Essential oils could kill the deadly MRSA hospital ’superbug’, according to scientists at Brighton University. Researchers tested essential oils derived from thyme plants normally used in aromatherapy and found it destroyed MRSA within two hours. The Brighton study was triggered when Maggie Tisserand, director of the Sussex-based company Benchmark Oils, asked university researchers to conduct laboratory research with a small selection of oils.

Pomegranate an MRSA infection killer?

Pomegranate rind, metal salts and Vitamin C: An effective combination for treating MRSA infection.

Pomegranates have already been hailed as a super-food but a team of scientists from Kingston University in South West London has found a new use for the deep red fruit. The team, led by Professor Declan Naughton, has discovered that the rind can be turned into an ointment for treating MRSA and other common hospital infections. In a series of tests conducted over three years, Professor Naughton and researchers from the School of Life Sciences learnt that the infection-fighting properties of pomegranate were greatly enhanced by combining the rind of the fruit with two other natural products - metal salts and Vitamin C. "We have developed a topical ointment that can successfully attack a range of drug resistant microbes," Professor Naughton said.