Ankh Rah's Healthy Living Guide: This essential oil might be the end of strep throat forever, study suggests!

Thursday, 6 October 2016

This essential oil might be the end of strep throat forever, study suggests!

Strep throat got you down? If you’re anything like me, the last thing you want to do is take antibiotics (1). Luckily, a new study published in Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine suggests that cinnamon bark essential oil could be effective in treating your strep throat, no antibiotics necessary!

What Is Cinnamon Oil?

Cinnamon oil is an essential oil made from the bark of the cinnamon plant, Cinnamomum verum. Essential oils are concentrated liquids which contain “aroma compounds” from plants. These oils are usually extracted by steam distillation. Health practitioners have been using essential oils for years to combat just about any ailment you can think of, but sound scientific research on the topic has sadly been lacking.

What the Research Shows

This study by French and Belgian researchers found that certain essential oils show antibacterial properties when pitted against Streptococcus pyogenes, the bacteria responsible for your strep throat. In the in vitro study, the presence of these oils created an environment that was unfriendly to the strep bacteria, which caused the bacteria to avoid the area where the oils were introduced. Though many essential oils were found to be effective, cinnamon oil was clearly the best. Its effectiveness was about the same as the antibiotic amoxicillin in the measurements used in the study.(2)

Why Cinnamon Oil is Better Than Antibiotics

Antibiotics are the traditional cure for strep throat, and they are probably what your doctor will prescribe to you if you test positive for Streptococcus(3). But before you decide to fill the prescription, here are a few things to consider:

Antibiotics can kill your gut bacteria and cause you to gain weight quicker(4)
Antibiotics can kill your throat flora, making it more likely for you to get strep again soon(5)
Antibiotic overuse can lead to an increased antibiotic resistance(6)

Cinnamon oil can give you the antibacterial punch without any of the side effects of antibiotics!

How to Use Cinnamon Oil to Fight Strep Throat

Now that you know about the healing power of cinnamon oil, how can you use it to treat that painful case of strep throat? There are a number of ways you can use cinnamon oil(8):

Aromatically: Just the scent of essential oils can give us access to their health benefits. Try using a diffuser to spread the scent of cinnamon oil through your home, or simply open the bottle and inhale the scent directly.
Topically: Dilute cinnamon oil before applying directly to the skin, as it is very strong and can be irritating. Mix 1:1 with coconut oil and receive coconut oil’s benefits too!
Internally: Not all essential oils are safe to ingest, but cinnamon oil is an exception! Add a drop to a glass of water or your morning smoothie, but make sure you get a high-quality cinnamon oil if using internally. Look for organic, therapeutic-grade oils.

Also, check out this article on other ways to cure strep throat without resorting to nasty antibiotics.(9)

Sources:

(1) Pharmaceutical Antibiotics Can Cause Horrific Side Effects – Healthy Holistic Living.Healthy Holistic Living. 2016. Available at: http://www.healthy-holistic-living.com/pharmaceutical-antibiotics-can-cause-horrific-side-effects.html. Accessed October 4, 2016.
(2) Sfeir J, Lefrançois C, Baudoux D, Derbré S, Licznar P. In Vitro Antibacterial Activity of Essential Oils againstStreptococcus pyogenes. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine. 2013;2013:1-9. doi:10.1155/2013/269161.

(3) The long-term consequences of ANTIBIOTICS most doctors ignore. Family Life Goals. 2016. Available at: http://familylifegoals.com/long-term-consequences-of-antibiotics/. Accessed October 4, 2016.
(4) Antibiotics Can Destroy Good Bacteria and Permanently Slow Your Child’s Metabolism.The Hearty Soul. 2015. Available at: http://theheartysoul.com/children-antibiotics/. Accessed October 4, 2016.
(5) Sanders C, Sanders W, Harrowe D. Bacterial interference: effects of oral antibiotics on the normal throat flora and its ability to interfere with group A streptococci. Infection and Immunity. 1976;13(3):808-812. Available at: http://iai.asm.org/content/13/3/808.full.pdf+html. Accessed October 4, 2016.
(6) How Overusing Antibiotics is DESTROYING Gut Health and WIDENING Waistlines. The Hearty Soul. 2016. Available at: http://theheartysoul.com/antibiotic-dangers/. Accessed October 4, 2016.
(7) How Do I Choose and Use Essential Oils? | Taking Charge of Your Health & Wellbeing.Taking Charge of Your Health & Wellbeing. 2016. Available at: http://www.takingcharge.csh.umn.edu/explore-healing-practices/aromatherapy/how-do-i-choose-and-use-essential-oils. Accessed October 4, 2016.
(8) Cinnamon Oil: 10 Proven Benefits and Uses – Dr. Axe. Dr Axe. 2016. Available at: https://draxe.com/cinnamon-oil/. Accessed October 4, 2016.
(9) Cure Strep Throat Naturally WITHOUT Antibiotics (Here’s How) – Healthy Holistic Living. Healthy Holistic Living. 2016. Available at: http://www.healthy-holistic-living.com/natural-strep-throat-remedies.html. Accessed October 4, 2016.