Healthy cleaning: the purifying power of essential oils

... accompanied by the Purifying Formula with Pink Grapefruit, Geranium, Lemon Litsea, Lemongrass, Orange and Red Thyme oils.

Pink grapefruit

The chemical composition and antimicrobial activity of Citrus Paradisi. L were studied. It showed a broad spectrum of antimicrobial activity against some Gram-positive and Gram-negative microorganisms, with MIC values ​​ranging from 0.78 to 12.50 µL/mL. ¹

Grapefruit peel oil ( Citrus Paradisi. L ) has demonstrated a broad spectrum of antimicrobial activities (limonene was observed to be dominant) against Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecalis, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhimurium … ²

Geranium

The chemical composition of geranium oil is of high quality with citronellol and geraniol alcohols as the dominant compounds. It has been reported that P. graveolens essential oil exhibits high antifungal activity against various fungal strains which can be profitably explored. ³

Lemon litsea

As a major component of Litsea cubeba L essential oil, citral might be responsible for antibacterial activities. ⁴

Lemongrass

The main active constituents of lemongrass oil that give it its distinct aroma are: citral, neral, and geraniol. Lemongrass oil has been identified to possess antidepressant, antioxidant, antiseptic, sedative, nervine, bactericidal, and fungicidal properties. As a bactericidal agent, lemongrass oil has been found to be effective against many bacterial species, including Acinetobacter baumanii, Aeromonas veronii, Enterococcus faecalis, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumonia, Salmonella enterica, Serratia marcesens, Proteus vulgaris, Enterobacter aerogenes, Corynebacterium equii, Staphylococcus aureus, and so on. ⁵

Orange

In sweet orange ( Citrus sinensis L .) essential oil, a total of 25 compounds were identified, of which 90% by weight were d-limonene. D-limonene 1,2-epoxide and β-mircene showed high antibacterial activity. Tests confirm a strong larvicidal activity for this essential oil, characterized by the highest concentration of limonene as a larvicidal agent. ⁶

The antibacterial activities of the essential oil were evaluated on three selected bacteria. GC/MS analyses revealed that the orange peel oil extract is mainly composed of terpene hydrocarbons, oxygenated compounds, and non-volatile compounds, many of which constitute the antibacterial properties of the extract. It can be concluded that hot ethanol can be used for the extraction of orange peel oil in the production of drugs used in the treatment of Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. ⁷

Thyme with Thymol

Thymol (10-64%) is one of the major constituents of thyme essential oils ( Thymus vulgaris L., Lamiaceae ), a medicinal plant with multiple therapeutic properties. Interest in the formulation of thymol-based pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, and cosmeceutical products is due to several studies that have evaluated the potential therapeutic uses of this compound for the treatment of disorders affecting the respiratory, nervous, and cardiovascular systems. In addition, this compound also exhibits antimicrobial, antioxidant, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, and antispasmodic activities, as well as potential as a growth promoter and immunomodulator. ⁸

Thymol, the main active ingredient responsible for the activity of thyme essential oil, has been shown to have antiseptic, antibacterial, antifungal, anthelmintic, antiviral, antioxidant, expectorant, antispasmodic, carminative, diaphoretic, sedative, antirheumatic, and even anticancer, antihyperlipidemic and antihyperglycemic action. ⁹

Thymus vulgaris oil is a combination of monoterpenes and these act as antioxidant, antimicrobial, medicinal, antitussive, antispasmodic and antibacterial activities. ¹⁰

Are traditional household products safe?

In a study conducted by researchers at the University of Vancouver and published (February 2020) in the Canadian Medical Association Journal , it was shown that frequent use of household cleaning products in early life is associated with an increased risk of wheezing and childhood asthma. According to them, early exposures to cleaning products may be associated with the development of allergic airway diseases. ¹¹

A similar finding is made in this other study, ¹² mentioning that there is growing evidence that cleaning products increase the risk of asthma or wheezing, but this time emphasizing in all age groups, while stating that this is a potentially important public health problem.

Natural essential oils or synthetic perfumes?

A study ¹³ was conducted regarding the comparison of the antimicrobial activities of natural essential oils and synthetic fragrances against selected environmental pathogens. Plant essential oils are known to inhibit the growth of bacteria and fungi. Whether these antimicrobial effects are comparable to synthetic household products is less clear. It is reported that little research is available regarding the potential additive effect of blending essential oils. In this study, an essential oil blend containing orange, patchouli, peppermint, and clary sage was compared with its individual oils and three household products—air freshener, liquid soap, and body spray—for their ability to inhibit the growth of Staphylococcus aureus , Streptococcus pneumoniae, Pseudonomas aeruginosa, and Aspergillus brasiliensis in the disk diffusion test. The blend of orange, patchouli, peppermint, and clary sage has been shown to be beneficial in inhibiting the growth of these four pathogens, providing a natural antimicrobial fragrance option compared to synthetic fragrances used in soaps, body sprays, and deodorants.

References:

1- Weihui Deng, Ke Liu, Shan Cao, Jingyu Sun, Balian Zhong and Jiong Chun. Chemical Composition, Antimicrobial, Antioxidant, and Antiproliferative Properties of Grapefruit Essential Oil Prepared by Molecular Distillation . Molecules. 2020 Jan; 25(1): 217. doi: 10.3390/molecules25010217, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/labs/pmc/articles/PMC6982870/

2-Burcu Uysal, Fazli Sozmen, Ozghour Aktas, Birsen S Oksal. Essential_oil_composition_and_antibacterial_activity of the grapefruit Citrus Paradisi L peel essential oils obtained by solvent-free microwave extraction Comparison with hydrodistillation . April 2011 International Journal of Food Science and Technology 46(7):1455 - 1461 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2621.2011. 02640.x https://www.researchgate.net/publication/230216794_Essential_oil_composition_and_antibacterial_activity_of_the_grapefruit_Citrus_Paradisi_L_peel_essential_oils_obtained_by_solvent-free_microwave_extraction_Comparison_with_hydrodistillation

3- Ana M. Džamić, Marina D. Soković, Mihailo S. Ristić, Slavica M. Grujić, Ksenija S. Mileski, Petar D. Marin. Chemical composition, antifungal and antioxidant activity of Pelargonium graveolens essential oil. Journal of Applied Pharmaceutical Science Vol. 4 (03), pp. 001-005, March 2014 DOI: 10.7324/JAPS.2014.40301 ISSN 2231-3354 https://www.japsonline.com/admin/php/uploads/1200_pdf.pdf

4- Antibacterial Activity and Mechanism of Litsea cubeba L. Essential Oil Against Acinetobacter baumannii. First Published March 8, 2021, https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1934578X21999146

5-BCJ De Silva, Won-Gi Jung, Sabrina Hossain, SHMP Wimalasena, HNKS Pathirana, and Gang-Joon Heo. Antimicrobial property of lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus) oil against pathogenic bacteria isolated from pet turtles. Lab Anim Res. 2017 Jun; 33(2): 84–91. doi: 10.5625/lar.2017.33.2.84. PMCID: PMC5527151. PMID: 28747972. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/labs/pmc/articles/PMC5527151/#:~:text=The%20results%20revealed%20that%20the,resistance%20was%20observed%20in%20P .

6- Jônatas Souza, Glaciene S. Santos, Thallysson C. Barbosa, André LS Santos, Lucas G. Menezes, Luciana N. Andrade, Cristiane Bani, Victor HV Sarmento, Rogéria Nunes, Aleksandra Zielinska, Marcelo C. Mendonça, Juliana C. Cardoso, Antonello Santini, Eliana B. Souto, and Patrícia Severino. Citrus sinensis Essential Oil-Based Microemulsions: Green Synthesis, Characterization, and Antibacterial and Larvicidal Activities . CS Food Sci. Technol. 2021, 1, 3, 462–469 Publication Date: March 15, 2021, https://doi.org/10.1021/acsfoodscitech.0c00150 https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsfoodscitech.0c00150

7- Nwachukwu BC, Taiwo MO, Olisemeke JK, Obero OJ and Abibu WA. Qualitative Properties and Antibacterial Activity of Essential Oil obtained from Citrus sinensis Peel on Three Selected Bacteria. July 11, 2019 DOI: 10.26717/BJSTR.2019.19.003323 https://biomedres.us/fulltexts/BJSTR.MS.ID.003323.php

8-Bahare Salehi, Abhay Prakash Mishra, Ila Shukla, Mehdi Sharifi-Rad, María Del Mar Contreras, Antonio Segura-Carretero, Hannane Fathi, Nafiseh Nasri Nasrabadi, Farzad Kobarfard, Javad Sharifi-Rad. Thymol, thyme and other plant sources: health and potential use. , Phytother Res. September 2018; 32 (9): 1688-1706. doi:10.1002/ptr.6109. Published online May 22, 2018. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29785774/

9-Adam Kowalczyk, Martyna Przychodna, Sylwia Sopata, Agnieszka Bodalska, and Izabela Fecka. Thymol and thyme essential oils-New perspectives on selected therapeutic applications. Molecules. 2020 Sep; 25(18): 4125. Published online September 9, 2020. doi: 10.3390. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7571078/

10-P. Reddy, K. Ravi Vital, S. Satyam. Review on Thymus vulgaris Traditional Uses and Pharmacological Properties DOI:10.4172/2167-0412.1000164 Corpus ID: 85743687, Published 26 August 2014. https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Review-on-Thymus-vulgaris-Traditional-Uses-and-Reddy-RaviVital/8fcd566cee77def3b700d5765ca4e2c6f3950187

11- Jaclyn Parks, Lawrence McCandless, Christoffer Dharma, Jeffrey Brook, Stuart E. Turvey, Piush Mandhane, Allan B. Becker, Anita L. Kozyrskyj, Meghan B. Azad, Theo J. Moraes, Diana L. Lefebvre, Malcolm R. Sears, Padmaja Subbarao, James Scott and Tim K. Takaro. Association of use of cleaning products with respiratory health in a Canadian birth cohort. CMAJ February 18, 2020. 192 (7) E154-E161; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1503/cmaj.190819 https://www.cmaj.ca/content/192/7/E154

12- Elissa M. Abrams. Cleaning products and asthma risk: a potentially important public health concern. CMAJ February 18, 2020, 192 (7) E164-E165; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1503/cmaj.200025 https://www.cmaj.ca/content/192/7/E164

13-Paula L. Vieira-Brock, ∗ Brent M. Vaughan, and David L. Vollmer. Comparison of antimicrobial activities of natural essential oils and synthetic fragrances against selected environmental pathogens. Biochim Open. 2017 Dec; 5:8–13. Published online 2017 Sep 13. doi: 10.1016/j.biopen.2017.09.001 PMCID: PMC5805554 PMID: 29450151 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/labs/pmc/articles/PMC5805554/