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Garlic Oil Can Kill The Bacteria That Causes Lyme Disease: Study

Even the oils from thyme leaves, cumin seeds, amyris wood and cinnamaldehyde showed positive results.

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A new study claims that garlic oil can potential help kill the bacteria that cause Lyme disease, caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi.

The study, published in the journal Antibiotics, found that oils derived from garlic and some other herbs was successful in killing the ‘persister cells’ that often make the Lyme bacteria resistant to antibiotics and cause pain and discomfort in the patient even after treatment.

Scientists tested a total of 35 essential oils including garlic, thyme, cinnamon, cumin and other spices and found that 10 out of these displayed ‘significant killing activity’ against the bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi.

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The Study

Ying Zhang, professor of molecular microbiology and immunology at Johns Hopkins University’s Bloomberg School of Public Health conducted the lab tests where he and his team tested 35 different essential oils.

10 out of the 35 oils, which were primarily derived from garlic bulbs, allspice berries, myrrh trees, spiked ginger lily blossoms, and may chang fruit, killed the Lyme bacteria in 7 days at concentration of one part per thousand. This ensured that the bacteria did not grow back in 21 days.

Even the oils from thyme leaves, cumin seeds, amyris wood and cinnamaldehyde showed positive results. The team hopes to soon test these results on live animals and then move to human trails.

At this stage, these essential oils look very promising as candidate treatments for persistent Lyme infection, but ultimately we need properly designed clinical trials.
Ying Zhang

Ticks infected by the bacteria spread the Lyme disease to humans. The symptoms usually include fever, headache, fatigue and a certain type of rash. Doctors say that untreated infection can spread to other parts of the body including the nervous system.

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Topics:  Garlic 

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