I swear, every time I see someone ask about getting antibiotics, some genius has to post that oregano tincture will solve all the world’s problems. And someone else seconds the opinion. And anyone who dares to question (yes, I quit doing that) is branded a moron.
The advice that oregano tincture will take care of all your antibiotic needs is right up there with the recommendation to use tampons for gunshot wounds. The Dunning-Kruger effect is strong with some people. Having surfed prepper forums somehow turns them into experts.
So that’s the focus of today’s article. What oregano tincture can, and cannot do, backed by scientific studies. The list isn’t that long. And the online geniuses are only referring to bacteria most of the time, we’ll cut out the fungi, parasites, and viruses.
The list comes down to just seven bacteria. It’s good for listeria, which is important given how many times per week we read of yet another food recall due to potential listeria contamination. Mycobacterium. That might take care of tuberculosis, so it’s important. Staph is so common, having a cheap antibiotic to treat that is always good.
E.coli is everywhere and like the other gram-negative bacteria, more likely to develop resistance to antibiotics. H. pylori causes ulcers. Klebsiella pneumoniae causes pneumonia, and Salmonella causes food poisoning as well as typhoid.
The list stops there.
o Gram-positive
§ Listeria monocytogenes[1]
§ Mycobacterium[2]
§ Staphylococcus aureus[3]
o Gram-negative
§ Escherichia coli[4]
§ Helicobacter pylori[5]
§ Klebsiella pneumoniae[6]
§ Salmonella[7]
If those were all the bacterial diseases that ever plagued us, we’d be fine. Unfortunately, there are a whole lot more, and oregano hasn’t been demonstrated effective against any of them. In fact, there are other herbs far more potent. Two of my favorite, because they are easily found and identified and made into medicine are juniper and usnea. First consider the bacteria that juniper treats.
JUNIPER
o Gram-positive
§ Actinomyces bovis[8]
§ Bacillus spp.[9]
§ Clostridium perfringens[10]
§ Listeria monocytogenes[11]
§ Mycobacterium spp., including tuberculosis[12]
§ Staphylococcus aureus, including resistant strains[13]
§ Streptococcus spp.[14]
o Gram-negative
§ Acinetobacter baumanii[15]
§ Brucella[16]
§ Enterobacter[17]
§ Escherichia coli[18]
§ Helicobacter pylori[19]
§ Klebsiella pneumoniae[20]
§ Pseudomonas aeruginosa[21]
§ Salmonella typhi[22]
§ Shigella spp.[23]
And now for USNEA:
o Gram-positive
§ Bacillus spp.[24]
§ Clostridium spp.[25]
§ Corynebacterium spp.[26] [27]
§ Enterococcus faecalis[28]
§ Listeria monocytogenes[29]
§ Mycobacterium tuberculosis[30] [31]
§ Staphylococcus aureus, including MRSA[32] [33]
§ Streptococcus mutans[34] [35]
§ Streptococcus pyogenes[36]
o Gram-negative
§ Escherichia coli[39]
§ Helicobacter pylori[40]
§ Klebsiella pneumoniae[41]
§ Proteus mirabilis[42]
§ Pseudomonas aeruginosa[43]
§ Yersinia enterocolitica[44]
Juniper and usnea each treat more than double the number of bacteria that oregano does. It pays to do your own research. Be informed. Those keyboard warriors on FB may not know as much as they think they do.
Links to related posts:
[1] L Zhu, et al., Plant-based antimicrobials inactivate Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella enterica on melons grown in different regions of the United States, Food Microbiology, February 2022, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34579844/ (accessed 2 June 2023).
[2] Harry G. Preuss, et al., Minimum inhibitory concentrations of herbal essential oils and monolaurin for gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry, April 2005, Vol 272 Nos 1-2, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16010969 (accessed 21 March 2023).
[3] Preuss, et al.
[4] Preuss, et al.
[5] Preuss, et al.
[6] Preuss, et al.
[7] Katherine Moore-Neibel, et al., Antimicrobial activity of oregano oil against antibiotic resistant Salmonella enterica on organic leafy greens at varying exposure times and storage temperatures, Food Microbiology, May 2013, Vol 34 No 1, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23498188 (accessed 21 March 2023).
[8] Buhner, 180.
[9] Buhner.
[10] Buhner.
[11] Buhner.
[12] Buhner.
[13] Buhner, 180, 187.
[14] Buhner, 180, 187.
[15] Buhner, 180.
[16] Buhner.
[17] Buhner, 180, 187.
[18] Buhner, 180.
[19] Buhner.
[20] Buhner.
[21] Buhner, 180, 187.
[22] Buhner, 180.
[23] Buhner.
[24] Stephen Harrod Buhner, Herbal Antibiotics, 2012, 197.
[25] Buhner.
[26] S. Weckesser, et al., Screening of plant extracts for antimicrobial activity against bacteria and yeasts with dermatological relevance, Phytomedicine, August 2007, Vol 14 No 7-8, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17291738 (accessed 20 March 2023).
[27] Buhner.
[28] Buhner.
[29] Buhner.
[30] Buhner.
[31] Charles W. Kane, Medicinal Plants of the Western Mountain States, 2017, 296.
[32] V. K. Gupta, et al., Membrane-damaging potential of natural L-(-)-usnic acid in Staphylococcus aureus, European Journal of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, December 2012, Vol 31 No 12, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22865029 (accessed 20 March 2023).
[33] Buhner.
[34] Lei Guo, et al., Review of usnic acid and Usnea barbata toxicity, J Environ Sci Health C Environ Carcinog Ecotoxicol Rev., Oct-Dec 2008, Vol 26 No 4, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5739313/ (accessed 20 March 2023).
[35] Buhner.
[36] Buhner.
[37] Buhner.
[38] Kane.
[39] Buhner.
[40] Buhner.
[41] Ranita Roy, et al., Strategies for combatting bacterial biofilms: a focus on anti-biofilm agents and their mechanisms of action, Virulence, 2018, Vol 9 No 1, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5955472/ (accessed 20 March 2023).
[42] Buhner.
[43] Roy, et al.
[44] Buhner.
No comments:
Post a Comment