There are great benefits to using essential oils on an antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral level. To use them, we need to consider which essential oils will deliver the most benefit when applied. Not all essential oils are equally as powerful when it comes to their benefits fighting illness, so we need to really focus on the ones that are the most beneficial.
That is not to say that we should not use other essential oils. The complementary effects of a secondary oil can be very healing. For example, you could add another mildly antibacterial oil for an even stronger boost, or you could add a calming oil to help ease you at the end of the day, or even a revitalizing one to help you stay alert and focused. But we need to make one or more of these six oils our priority, as only they can deliver the main healing antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral benefits our bodies need.
Cinnamon Oil
Cinnamon has long been noted for its health benefits. It is used in many forms, and can can be used to heal our bodies. A bit of cinnamon in foods and hot drinks can boost our metabolism and immune system, for instance. However, cinnamon is also amazing as an antibacterial agent which will protect you against bacterial infections and even fight them off. And in its concentrated form in essential oils, cinnamon’s power is multiplied.
Research has found that cinnamon essential oil can heal infections in wounds, the mouth, and on the skin, making it impossible for serious infections to develop. In most cases you will want to use food grade cinnamon oil, as you will most likely be applying it to an open wound or the mouth, where it is very likely to enter your bloodstream. Using cinnamon oil every day is an excellent precautionary measure when you are not sure if you have been exposed to bacteria or viruses which may harm your mouth or teeth.
Clove Oil
The clove tree, Eugenia Car, is a source of three different types of essential oils, depending on where you take it from in the plant. The flower and bud can produce the clove oil we are all quite familiar with, but the tendrils and the leaves can produce their own distinctive oils which are also excellent antibacterial, antiviral, and antifungal remedies. What is more, clove oil is actually antiparasitic too, killing off most strains of worm infection and deterring many ticks, fleas, and flies from biting us. Clove oils can be used as a complementary form of medicine when treating lung conditions such as bronchitis, throat infections, and even severe chest infections. Clove oil is best used as a scent, or applied to the skin, however food grade clove oil can be consumed as well, to treat more serious or deeper infections.
Oregano Oil
Oregano oil is another one which has been found to have powerful antibacterial properties, and is even effective against bacterial strains which are resistant to antibiotics, such as MRSA. The way oregano oil acts are very unique. It reduces the density of the bacterial cells, which makes them vulnerable to attack from your white blood cells. This also means that the cells metabolisms can be affected, making them less able to breed.
Naturally, these benefits extend to fungi and viruses as well. Oregano oil is highly effective fighting yeasts and fungi due to the same mechanism, which stops them breeding and spreading. However, it is much less effective at fighting viruses, as this mechanism does not delay the spread of a viral strain as efficiently. Still, it is perfect for all sorts of bacterial and fungal infections, and a great preventative measure when it comes to protecting wounds from infection.
Laurel Oil
The laurel family counts with somewhere between 2000 and 2500 species in it, all of which are highly beneficial in essential oil form. Each part of each plant also has potential to produce its own oil, from the bark, to the leaf, to the fruit. This means that the variety of essential oils we can get from the laurel family is incredibly diverse. Most of them are not edible, however of the few that are, you should be able to source food grade oils for ingesting.
Laurel oils are notoriously good for fighting off viral infections, making them one of few effective treatments. The flu, herpes, hepatitis, etc., are strongly attacked by laurel essential oils, making it a great complementary treatment. It can also help fight back severe bacterial infections, and alleviate the symptoms associated with autoimmune conditions by reducing the inflammation response. All in all, laurel essential oils are a great addition to your routine when it comes to preventing and fighting bacterial and viral infections.
Tea Tree Oil
Tea tree oil is one of the best topical antibacterial remedy nature has to offer. It is excellent for fighting E. Coli and staph infections, as well as for preventing the spread of infectious diseases. Applying it to your skin will immediately kill almost every single bacterial and viral cell there, and will continue to suppress them for an entire day. This means that if you are living with someone who is ill, or if it’s the middle of cold and flu season, you can reduce your risk of illness by rinsing your hands with tea tree oil and water twice a day.
What is more, as many chest colds and digestive tract infections are prolonged because we keep reinfecting ourselves as the bacteria are living on our skin, which then lets them get into our food, onto our bedding and clothes, and back into our bodies. But tea tree oil will naturally kill these surface bacteria. If we use tea tree oil to wash our hands, a few drops in our laundry or in water to spray on our bed, and to keep our fridge clean, we can reduce the amount of reinfection and help our bodies recover sooner.
Thyme Oil
Thyme oil is a highly underrated essential oil, probably because we tend to think of it as a mild herb and not a powerful medicine. However, do not be deceived: thyme, in all its forms, is medicinal. A few drops of food grade thyme oil can neutralize many forms of salmonella and E. Coli in foods, making it a great way of sanitizing meat and eggs, or food which has been left in the fridge a while, to make sure that no bacteria get in.
This essential oil is another one that is great for eating if you want to fight off a bacterial infection, whether internal or external, but especially ones which affect the gut. You can have some food grade thyme oil in water every morning, or before every meal, to help fight the effects of food poisoning, you can use it when eating in an unfamiliar place, or you can even drink it in the morning to help you heal from a bacterial chest infection. However, for topical use many other essential oils are more powerfully effective.
