Lyme disease is an infectious disease caused by the Borrelia burgdorferi bacteria that transmitted to humans through the bite of ticks. Someone who is bitten will usually have red rash on their skin. The red rash is circular like a dartboard. Also, Lyme disease has more or less the same symptoms as the flu, including chills, fever, dizziness, muscle aches, and sore throats.
Most doctors will prescribe antibiotics such as doxycycline, cefuroxime, or amoxicillin to help cure the Lyme disease within a few weeks. However, there are some cases where the infection continues for months or even years. In such cases, experts call it "persistent Lyme infection" or "post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome".
Researchers from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health found that various types of essential oils can help fight the B. burgdorferi bacteria. These essential oils include garlic oil, myrrh oil, thyme oil, cinnamon bark oil, allspice berries oil, cumin oil, eucalyptus oil, spiked ginger lily oil, may chang oil, and Amyris wood oil.
In this research, the researchers conducted a laboratory test on 35 samples of essential oils from various types of plants. The results showed that the ten essential oils mentioned earlier were effective in killing B. burgdorferi in a period of approximately seven days. The researchers further explained that there was no regrowth of B. burgdorferi bacteria in the 21-day trial period.
Text by Anggie Triana
Stock photos from Pixabay
Source(s):
- Zhang, Y., Feng, J., Shi, W., et al (2018). Identification of Essential Oils with Strong Activity against Stationary Phase Borrelia burgdorferi. Antibiotic, 7(4):89, DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics7040089.
- Medical News Today - These 10 essential oils can kill persistent Lyme disease (2018). https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/323881.php December 06, 2018.