International research: More incredible effects of eucalyptus essential oil

The newly discovered property of eucalyptus essential oil is far from its usual use: It fights tooth decay.

Of course, eucalyptus oil would need to be processed differently to be used on teeth, but the discovery itself is a major breakthrough because it has the potential to replace chlorohexidine, a broad-spectrum antibiotic commonly used to treat topical skin and mucosal infections.

Eucalyptus essential oil exhibits superior antibacterial properties, with potential for research and application in many medical fields (Illustration from NEWS-MEDICAL)

Chlorohexidine is also used against Streptococcus mutans and Enterococci faecalis, two types of bacteria that cause tooth decay that have begun to develop resistance.

That further highlights the importance of finding something natural that can replace this antibiotic, in order to deal with the situation where chlorohexidine resistance could become more common in the future and make the diseases it is commonly used to treat more difficult to treat.

According to Nature and News Medical, in a laboratory study by a group of scientists from Iman Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University (Saudi Arabia), eucalyptus essential oil demonstrated a special ability: Breaking down biofilms that bacteria create to resist antibiotics.

The plates supplemented with eucalyptus extract showed up to 61 times less biofilm formation than the control plates. For the two cariogenic bacteria, Streptococcus mutans was nearly 14 times lower in concentration, and Enterococci faecalis was up to 30 times lower.

"Therefore, eucalyptus essential oil is shown to be a natural, cost-effective antibacterial agent. It can be easily incorporated into mouthwashes and toothpastes," the authors said.

They also note that the study results need to be interpreted with caution. Current preparations containing eucalyptus oil are often designed for other purposes, such as topical applications, and cannot be used directly for the treatment of tooth decay.

This discovery also opens the door to further research on the properties of this natural antibiotic, with great potential not only in the dental field. Some other essential oils commonly used by Asians are also being studied with similar expectations, including essential oils from cinnamon, lemongrass, cloves, cedarwood...

Source: https://nld.com.vn/suc-khoe/nghien-cuu-quoc-te-them-tac-dung-kho-tin-cua-tinh-dau-khuynh-diep-20230712100857606.htm