Essential Oils and Future Antibiotics: New Weapons against Emerging ‘Superbugs’?

Antibiotic resistance is emerging at an alarming rate, outpacing current research and development efforts to combat this trend. As a result, many infectious diseases have become difficult to treat; in some cases, no treatment options exist. The search for new antibiotics must accelerate to avoid returning to the ‘pre-antibiotic’ era. Ancient remedies, including essential oils and their components, have been explored on a limited basis as a source of new antimicrobials. Many are known to possess significant antimicrobial activity against a wide range of microorganisms. Elucidation of the mechanism of action of these compounds may lead to identification new antibiotic targets. Such targets, once identified, may represent biosynthetic or regulatory pathways not currently inhibited by available drugs. Novel drugs and targets are vital for continued control of infectious diseases worldwide. recorded use of aromatic oils dates back to 4,500 B.C. in Egypt [3]. The ancient Egyptians recognized that oils could be used in treating illness, including infection and inflammation. So valuable were these oils, that King Tutankhamun was entombed with roughly 350 liters of aromatic oil including cedarwood, frankincense, and myrrh [3]. Myrrh is one of the earliest and well known of the aromatic oils. References to myrrh abound in antiquity. The ancient Hebrews referred to myrrh as ‘holy oil’ which was more valuable than gold. The ancient Egyptians referred to myrrh as ‘the tears of Horus’. Myrrh is derived from the resin of a woody shrub of the genus, Commiphora, which grows in hot, arid climates. In ancient Sumer, myrrh was used for treating parasitic infections and periodontal disease. The Greek physician, Dioscorides, used myrrh for bronchial and other infections including the skin [4]. Myrrh was often combined with frankincense, aromatic oil used in antiquity to treat infectious diseases and inflammation. Like myrrh, frankincense is member of a resinous family of plants (Burseraceae) commonly found in arid regions of the Middle East and north-east Africa [5,6]. The use of frankincense and myrrh is mentioned numerous times in biblical and other ancient texts [7]. These oils, alone or in combination, were used extensively for the treatment of wounds, inflammation, cystitis, rheumatic joints, skin sores, bleeding, fungal infections, burns, pharyngitis, syphilis, and leprosy [8,9]. Other cultures across the globe have long-standing, medical practices which incorporate the use of aromatic oils and other plant-based therapies, including those found in the Americas, Australia, and the Far East such as the Ayurvedic, Unani, and Chinese traditions. Among the more well-recognized remedies still in use today from North and South America and Australia are purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea), cat’s claw (Uncaria tomentosa), and eucalyptus (Eucalyptus globulus) Citation: Boire NA, Riedel S, Parrish NM (2013) Essential Oils and Future Antibiotics: New Weapons against Emerging ‘Superbugs’? J Anc Dis Prev Rem 1: 105. doi:10.4172/2329-8731.1000105