Eucalyptus oil has extensive applications, being used as a fragrance, a pharmaceutical, an antiseptic, insect repellent, as well as many industrial uses. The leaves of the eucalyptus tree are distilled to extract the cineole-based oil, which can be used as component in medicinal preparations to treat staphylococcal infections.
Eucalyptus Oil
Eucalyptus oil, or EO, is the generic name for the refined oil from the leaf of eucalyptus, a genus of the plant family Myrtaceae, which is indigenous to Australia and now grown worldwide. Complex phytochemical extracts from eucalyptic-derived compounds have shown strong bactericidal activity against several strains of invasive staphylococci.
Treatment of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylicoccus pneumoniae
Antibiotic-resistant bacteria, such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, are a growing problem internationally, responsible for wound infections that poorly respond to conventional antibiotic treatments. Many MRSA infections are nosocomial, or hospital acquired, and can lead to infections so severe that debridement, or removal, of tissues and amputation may be required.
Other staph strains, for example, Staphylicoccus pneumoniae, the causative agent of lung and throat infections, have been particularly difficult to treat in older patients having compromised immune health and others with chronic illness, such as HIV/AIDS
Eucalyptus Oil Research
Serafino et al. have reported in the September 2008 issue of "BMS Immunology," that EO has a stimulatory effect on the innate immune response by specifically up-regulating the anti-inflammatory potential of monocytes and macrophages. They found EO is also able to dramatically stimulate the phagocytic, or cell-eating, response of these first-line defenders.
In another study, Hong et al. found eucalyptus-derived ointments have an effect on circulation leading to increases in skin temperature as well as increasing blood flow to infected areas, as reported in the February 1991 issue of the "American Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation." They subjected patients to a topical ointment containing EO and measured the cutaneous blood flow and skin temperature before and regularly after the application of the liniment. They found the increase in temperature and blood flow has a synergistic effect to combat bacterial infection by changing the temperature range needed by staphylococcal species to grow optimally.
Juergens et al. aimed to test the potential anti-inflammatory properties of EO in inhibiting polyclonal stimulated cytokine production by human lymphocytes and monocytes in an article appearing in the May, 2004 issue of "Pulmonary Pharmacology & Therapeutics." They found there is increasing evidence for the role of EO to control airway mucus hypersecretion, suggesting long-term treatment to reduce exacerbations caused by staphylococcal infections of the upper respiratory system.
Precautions
There have been relatively few documented studies of EO on its physiological action; however, it is well documented as being extremely toxic if ingested. Darbin et al. reported a case of systemic EO toxicity from topical application. They observed a 6-year-old girl who presented at the hospital with slurred speech, ataxia and muscle weakness progressing to unconsciousness following application of a home remedy for hives that contained EO. Symptoms were alleviated, with no long term effects, following removal of the topical preparation as reported in the November 1998 issue of the "Journal of Dermatology." Serafino warns, "The activities of this natural extract have mainly been recognized through clinical experience, but there have been relatively little scientific studies on its biological actions."
References
- BMC Immunology; Stimulatory effect of Eucalyptus essential oil on innate cell-mediated immune response; A. Serafino, et al.; September 2008.
- American Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation; Effects of a topically applied counterirritant (Eucalyptmint) on cutaneous blood flow and on skin and muscle temperatures: a placebo-controlled study; C. Hong and F. Shellock; February 1991.
- Pulmonary Pharmacology & Therapeutics; Inhibitory activity of 1,8-cineol (eucalyptol) on cytokine production in cultured human lymphocytes and monocytes; U. Juergens et al.; May 2004.
- Australasian Journal of Dermatology; Topical Eucalyptus Oil Poisoning, T. Darbin et al.; November 1998.
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