Oregano Oil Proves Effective Against Coronavirus
Tuesday, 01 December 2009 19:00
By Staff Writer - Vol. 4, No. 4. Winter, 2003
Oil of oregano may prove to be a valuable ally against Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).
A recent in vitro study indicates that the essential oil of this medicinal herb can destroy human coronavirus, thought to be the pathogen responsible for SARS, and completely stop its replication within 20 minutes of exposure.
The study was conducted by Dr. M. Khalid Ijaz, of Microbiotest, an independent microbiological testing lab in Sterling, VA. Dr. Ijaz incubated human coronavirus in MRC-5 cell lines with Oreganol P73, an olive-oil preparation of wild oregano, and with Oregacillin, a combination of wild oregano, wild sage, wild cumin and wild cinnamon oils. Both products are made by Physician's Strength/North American Herb and Spice, a company that specializes in medicinal essential oils from the Mediterranean.
The oregano oil alone reduced viral titers from over 5 million particles per ml at baseline, to 167 particles per ml within 15 minutes. At 20 minutes, the titers were down to 150 particles per ml. The Oregacillin combination reduced titers from over 5 million, to 133 particles per ml in 15 minutes. Within 20 minutes, they were reduced to non-detectable levels. The investigators noted that both preparations were able to halt viral replication within the host cells.
The in vitro findings need to be confirmed in human clinical trials, but they are compelling in that they show that oil of oregano, alone and in combination with other essential oils, have unequivocal virucidal and virustatic effects.