From the Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy, a study from late 2000 set out to quantify the effectiveness of certain essential oils against a variety of respiratory tract pathogens.










Some highlights of the study:

"...In contrast to antibiotics, essential oils are highly volatile at room temperature. We therefore investigated a potential role for these oils as inhalation therapy, and determined the antibacterial activity of a wide variety of them against five pathogens: Haemophilus influenzae, penicillin-susceptible and -resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae, Streptococcus pyogenes and Staphylococcus aureus."

"All of the essential oils examined exhibited antibacterial activity...Among the 14 essential oils, cinnamon bark, lemongrass and thyme oils showed the highest activity."

"Summarizing these results, we conclude that the antimicrobial action of essential oils by gaseous contact is most efficient when exposed at high vapour concentration for a short time"

Click here to view the full article

In our house, we diffuse Young Living essential oils depending on what we want to accomplish:
- Thieves essential oil blend (Cinnamon, Clove, Eucalyptus, Rosemary and Lemon) to combat colds/flu

- RC blend (Pine, Myrtle, Marjoram, Cyprus, Lavender, Peppermint, Tsuga, and four different species of Eucalyptus) for congestion, stuffiness and any respiratory related trouble.

- Lavender to help with sleep and stress-related issues

- Purification blend (Citronella, Lemongrass, Rosemary, Tea Tree, Myrtle and Lavandin) to deal with odors and mold.

Plus many others.