Tag Archives: Essential oils

The Show Down- Oil of Oregano vs Cinnamon Oil

Essential Oil King

Essential Oil KingWow, when I went on this investigative journey, I had no idea that I was going to “get into the weeds” with this.

I have always loved the idea of “Green” cleaning but I was probably like a lot of people thinking that if it didn’t make me feel like passing out, from the fumes, then it probably wasn’t doing a lot of good.  O.k., maybe that’s just me, but after going through the research I’ve learned that Essential Oils (EO) can be as good as or better than antibiotics and the most potent cleaner on the market.

My purpose for the journey was to find an EO that was best for a disinfectant cleaner and to find out if it is equal in results.  Let’s recap: In Parts 1 & 2, I explored many studies that showed Oil of Oregano and Cinnamon Oil to have antimicrobial, antibacterial, antifungal and antiseptic properties. But which one is “the king” of EO’s?

  Oil of Oregano vs Cinnamon Oil

Food Borne Bacteria

In International Journal of Pharmaceutical & Biological Archives 2012; 3(5):1106-1109  Cinnamon, Clove, Oil of Oregano, Rosemary and Thyme were tested against the food borne bacteria of Campylobacter., Listeria., Yersinia., Salmonella.and Pseudomonas.  You’ve probably heard some of these in the news…basically; it’s bacteria that cause food poisoning.  These results surprised me because it concluded that clove and cinnamon were “tops” when it came to inhibiting the food borne bacteria with thyme and oregano coming in 4th and 5th place.

 Antifungal Study

In a PubMed journal 2012 2008 Nov;54(11):950-6. doi: 10.1139/w08-097

Oil of Oregano tested # 1 for its antifungal properties with Cinnamon coming in second.

My personal Conclusion

After all of my research, I have concluded that my Disinfectant spray will have to have at the least 3 ingredients in it…Cinnamon, Clove and Oil of Oregano.

Not only were the claims substantiated but it actually surpassed many of my expectations.

Remember, when buying essential oils, they need to be at highest quality for them to be therapeutic. If it is low-cost, most likely it will be low quality.  Please don’t hesitate to ask, which companies are good because I’ve researched that, as well and will cover that at another time. I use both Young Living and Native American Nutritionals (merged with Rocky Mountain Oils) Please check them out at my online store http://astore.amazon.com/aspireswellness-20

You can also buy this   North American Herb and Spice, Oregaspray, 4-Ounces  that has both Oil of Oregano and clove or follow this  DIY recipe I found that includes the three EO’s mentioned; other ingredients in this recipe have also been found effective and blend nicely. 

 Antibacterial Essential Oil Blend

Makes 250 drops. About enough to fill 1- 15ml bottle: You can cut in “half”

 Ingredients

80 drops clove bud oil
70 drops lemon oil
40 drops cinnamon oil
20 drops rosemary oil
20 – 40 drops of Oil of Oregano

 Method

1.  Add oils, one by one, to your container of choice.

2. Shake bottle and use as desired.

3. From this blend you can use about 16 drops to 16oz distilled water in a spray bottle.

 NOTES:

1.  This recipe is specifically for an All Purpose spray, not to be ingested.

2.  This oil blend is hot. It can burn sensitive skin, or throat lining, etc. Use with caution and dilute appropriately.  I encourage you to do your own research to find out what dilution works best for you.

3.  Experiment with the blend that works for you. Some recipes call for 30 drops of Eucalyptus which includes  the traditional “Thieves” recipe and you can buy that here Thieves Essential Oil by Young Living Essential Oils – 15 ml
But if you are going to make it yourself use Eucalyptus Citriodora and not Eucalyptus globulus or Eucalyptus radiata oils. There is a component in those oils that according to
 some articles that is poisonous, however, you would need to ingest 3.5 ml (approx 87.5 drops) of it to be fatal. This recipe doesn’t even call for that amount and in the dilution for your disinfectant spray it’s even less. But to be on the safe side, you can use Eucalyptus Citriodora which is the milder form. Make sure to read the labels on your essential oils bottles carefully before using. You really could skip this oil if you wanted to.

Notes: 

Please do your homework and don’t use any oil you aren’t sure is sourced correctly. Essential oils are highly concentrated, strong, and powerful liquids that can be harmful if not used carefully and properly.  This is an especially potent blend of essential oils which could cause irritation when applied to the skin, even in diluted amounts. We advocate caution when using them, and do not recommend using essential oils internally.  Please keep essential oils out of reach of children. Not recommended for use on babies, toddlers, or children.

I am not a doctor, and you should always consult your doctor before taking any herbs or beginning any health routine.

 

The Bomb- Essential Oils Part 3

So I left my research a couple of days ago , thinking that Oregano Oil is “The Bomb”.  Well I still think that, considering an article in Journal of Applied Microbiology just came out saying that the ingredient in Oil of Oregano , Carvacrol, kills Norovirus.  Wow, I should have bought some stock in it.

Essential Oils Study

Well, my research continues and I am researching studies involving other essential oils.  Remember, I’m on a quest for the perfect Disinfectant All Purpose Spray.  In BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine 2006, 6:39,  they examined 21 Essential Oils (not including Oil of Oregano)  including cinnamon, clove, geranium, lemon, lime, orange , rosemary oils and others.  They tested these oils against gram postive (Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus)  and gram negative bacteria (Escherichia coli,Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Proteus vulgaris,).  

Cinnamon Oil

The conclusions showed that cinnamon oil (Cinnamomum zeylanicum), lime oil, geranium oil, rosemary oil, orange oil, lemon oil and clove oil had maximum activity over all the bacteria tested.  Aniseed oil, eucalyptus oil and camphor oil failed to inhibit any of the tested strains.  Cinnamon oil showed significant inhibitory effect against P. aeruginosa B. subtilis P. vulgaris K. pneumoniae  and S. aureus . Moderate effects were seen in lime oil, clove oil and lemon oil.

In a New York Times article dated, September 7, 2009, it featured 2 articles,  from Letters in Applied Microbiology and Journal of Cranio-Maxillofacial Surgery  concluded that cinnamon oil was a powerful antiseptic.

How to Use Cinnamon Essential Oil

When combined with a carrier oil (such as jojoba, sweet almond, or avocado), cinnamon essential oil can be applied directly to the skin or added to baths.

Safety

Cinnamon essential oil should not be taken internally without the supervision of a health professional. Internal use of cinnamon essential oil may have toxic effects.

Some individuals may experience irritation and/or allergic reactions when applying cinnamon essential oil to the skin.

It’s also important to note that self-treating a chronic condition with cinnamon essential oil and avoiding or delaying standard care may have serious consequences.

Pregnant women and children should consult their primary health care providers prior to using essential oils.

I am not a doctor and you should always consult your doctor before taking any herbs or beginning any health routine.

Next

So I’m left again with a task and that is to search the effectiveness of Oil of Oregano vs. Cinnamon oil and to see if there is any resistance of the bacteria to the EO.  I’m determined to find the perfect combination for my disinfectant spray.