Thieves Essential Oil Blend vs. Mold and Fungus

February 10, 2009 by Curt Siters

A while back I did some research on the chemical constituents of the essential oils in Thieves Essential Oil Blend from Young Living Essential Oils using one of my favorite tools - PubMed. PubMed is a U.S. Government database that collects medical research, including research on the use of essential oils, that you can access online. It collects research from around the world. The unfortunate thing about PubMed is that we can only access abstracts (a type of summary) so that what you read can be extremely dry and sometimes hard to understand unless you are well versed in chemical or medical terms and research procedures.

For a limited time (until Feb 28, 2009) you can receive a Free bottle of Thieves essential oil blend.

The essential oils comprising Thieves with their major chemical constituents

1. CLOVE (Syzygium aromaticum) -

2. • 75-85% Eugenol, 
   • 8-15% Eugenol Acetate,
   • 2-7% Beta-carophyllene.

3. LEMON (Citrus limon) -

4. • 59-73% Limonene,
   • 6-12% Gamma-Terpinene,
   • 7-16% Beta-Pinene,
   • 1.5-3% Alpha-Pinene,
   • 1.5-3% Sabinene

5. CINNAMON (Cinnamomum verum) -

6. • 40-50% Trans-Cinnamaldehyde,
   • 20-30% Eugenol,
   • 3-8% Beta-Caryophyllene,
   • 3-7% Linalol

7. EUCALYPTUS RADIATA -

8. • 60-75% Eucalyptol,
   • 5-10% Alpha Terpinol,
   • 4-8% Limonene,
   • 2-6% Alpha Pinene

9. ROSEMARY (Rosmarinus officinalis) -

10. • 38-55% 1,8 Cineol (Eucalyptol),
    • 9-14% Alpha-Pinene,
    • 4-9% Beta Pinene,
    • 5-15% Camphor,
    • 2.5-6% Camphene,
    • 1.5-5% Borneol,
    • 1-4% Limonene

PubMed searches for some of the major chemical compounds in Thieves

Worldwide research on the effectiveness of the major chemical constituents of Young Living Essential Oils Thieves blend are provided below. The abstracts are from pubmed.gov. Search terms and number of hits are provided for each major chemical constituent.

PubMed.gov search for - mold eugenol
87 Hits

Antifungal effect of eugenol and nerolidol against Microsporum gypseum in a guinea pig model.

* Lee SJ, Han JI, Lee GS, Park MJ, Choi IG, Na KJ, Jeung EB.

Laboratory of Veterinary Clinical Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Research Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju, Republic of Korea.
Essential oils have been widely used in anti-infectious application. In the present study, we elucidated the antifungal activities of eugenol and nerolidol isolated from Japanese cypress oil in a guinea pig model infected by Microsporum gypseum (M. gypseum). A minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC), skin lesion scoring, hair culture and histopathologic examination of skin tissues were performed to evaluate the antifungal effect of these oils. The MICs of eugenol, nerolidol and econazole (positive control) were 0.01-0.03% and 0.5-2% and 4-16 microg/ml, respectively. Based on these MICs, eugenol and nerolidol were adjusted to 10% concentration with a base of Vaseline petroleum jelly and were applied topically to the skin lesion infected with M. gypseum daily for 3 weeks. Both eugenol and nerolidol were clinically effective at improving the lesion during the first week of application, as determined by skin lesion scoring. Nerolidol improved the skin lesions infected by M. gypseum, but eugenol did not, as determined in the hair culture test. Histopathologic examination revealed that the eugenol- and nerolidol-treated groups had a lower degree of hyperkeratosis and inflammatory cell infiltration than the positive control. Taken together, these results suggest that eugenol and nerolidol could apply supplementary antifungal agents.

PMID: 17202684 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Synergistic effects of cinnamaldehyde in combination with eugenol against wood decay fungi.

* Yen TB, Chang ST.

Department of Tropical Agriculture and International Cooperation, National Pingtung University of Science and Technology, Pingtung 912, Taiwan.
The combined effects of using cinnamaldehyde with catechin, quercetin or eugenol against wood decay fungi were examined by comparing their isoeffective concentrations to that of individual compound. Among all combinations, cinnamaldehyde with eugenol revealed the strongest synergy against Laetiporus sulphureus. The synergism was due to the interference of fungal cell wall synthesis and cell wall destruction plus radical scavenging effect. Results also suggested that antioxidant with fungicidal effect might be a better candidate than pure antioxidant for the system of fungicide/antioxidant.

PMID: 17196382 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

Antifungal activity from Ocimum gratissimum L. towards Cryptococcus neoformans.

* Lemos Jde A, Passos XS, Fernandes Ode F, Paula JR, Ferri PH, Souza LK, Lemos Ade A, Silva Mdo R.

Laboratorio de Micologia, Instituto de Patologia Tropical e Saude Publica, Universidade Federal de Goias, 74605-050 Goiania, GO, Brazil.
Cryptococcal infection had an increased incidence in last years due to the explosion of acquired immune deficiency syndrome epidemic and by using new and effective immunosuppressive agents. The currently antifungal therapies used such as amphotericin B, fluconazole, and itraconazole have certain limitations due to side effects and emergence of resistant strains. So, a permanent search to find new drugs for cryptococcosis treatment is essential. Ocimum gratissimum, plant known as alfavaca (Labiatae family), has been reported earlier with in vitro activity against some bacteria and dermatophytes. In our work, we study the in vitro activity of the ethanolic crude extract, ethyl acetate, hexane, and chloroformic fractions, essential oil, and eugenol of O. gratissimum using an agar dilution susceptibility method towards 25 isolates of Cryptococcus neoformans. All the extracts of O. gratissimum studied showed activity in vitro towards C. neoformans. Based on the minimal inhibitory concentration values the most significant results were obtained with chloroformic fraction and eugenol. It was observed that chloroformic fraction inhibited 23 isolates (92%) of C. neoformans at a concentration of 62.5 microg/ml and eugenol inhibited 4 isolates (16%) at a concentration of 0.9 microg/ml. This screening may be the basis for the study of O. gratissimum as a possible antifungal agent.

PMID: 15867965 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Antifungal activity of Ocimum gratissimum towards dermatophytes.

* Silva MR, Oliveira JG Jr, Fernandes OF, Passos XS, Costa CR, Souza LK, Lemos JA, Paula JR.

Instituto de Patologia Tropical e Saude Publica da UFG, Goiania, Goias, Brazil. rosario@iptsp.ufg.br
The development of more effective and less toxic antifungal agents is required for the treatment of dermatophytosis. Plants and their preparations have been used as medicines against infectious diseases. Extracts of Ocimum gratissimum leaves were investigated for in vitro antifungal activity, using agar dilution technique against dermatophytes. The extracts (hexane, chloroform fractions, the essential oil and eugenol) produced antifungal activities against Microsporum canis, M. gypseum, Trichophyton rubrum and T. mentagrophytes. Trichophyton rubrum, the most common aetiological agent of dermatophytosis in Goiania, state of Goias, Brazil, was also the most susceptible dermatophyte. The hexane fraction and eugenol were the most active. Hexane fraction inhibited the growth of 100% of dermatophytes at a concentration of 125 microg ml(-1), while eugenol inhibited the growth of 80% of dermatophytes at this same concentration. These results show that extracts of O. gratissimum are active in vitro against human pathogenic dermatophytes.

PMID: 15842332 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Sensitivity of fungi isolated from onychomycosis to Eugenia cariophyllata essential oil and eugenol.

* Gayoso CW, Lima EO, Oliveira VT, Pereira FO, Souza EL, Lima IO, Navarro DF.

Department of Health Promotion, Health Science Center, Federal University of Paraiba, Joao Pessoa, Brazil.
The antifungal activity of Eugenia cariophyllata essential oil and eugenol, its major constituent, on fungal strains isolated from onychomycosis was evaluated. The natural products presented prominent antifungal action with MIC of 1% and 4%, respectively.

PMID: 15752642 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Aspergillus flavus growth in the presence of chemical preservatives and naturally occurring antimicrobial compounds.

* Lopez-Malo A, Maris Alzamora S, Palou E.

Departamento de Ingenieria Quimica y Alimentos, Universidad de las Americas, Puebla, Cholula, Puebla, 72820, Mexico. aurelio.lopezm@udlap.mx
The combined effects of water activity ([a(w)] 0.99 or 0.95), pH (4.5 or 3.5) and antimicrobial agent (potassium sorbate, sodium benzoate, sodium bisulfite, carvacrol, citral, eugenol, thymol, or vanillin) concentration (0, 100, 200 up to 1800 ppm) on the growth of Aspergillus flavus were evaluated in potato dextrose agar (PDA). Mold spore germination time and radial growth rates (RGR) were significantly (p<0.05) affected by the variables. For equal antimicrobial concentration, reduction in pH or a(w) had important effects, lowering RGR and delaying germination time. Depending on a(w) and pH, increase in antimicrobial concentration slightly reduced RGR until a critical concentration where RGR was drastically reduced or mold growth was inhibited. Germination time increased as antimicrobial agent concentration increased and when a(w) and pH decreased. Important antimicrobial differences were observed, being, in general, the natural antimicrobials less pH-dependent than chemical preservatives. A. flavus exhibited higher sensitivity to thymol, eugenol, carvacrol, potassium sorbate, sodium bisulfite, and sodium benzoate (at pH 3.5) than to vanillin or citral.

PMID: 15734560 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

PubMed.gov search for - mold limonene
50 Hits

Chemical composition, seasonal variability, and antifungal activity of Lavandula stoechas L. ssp. stoechas essential oils from stem/leaves and flowers.

* Angioni A, Barra A, Coroneo V, Dessi S, Cabras P.

Dipartimento di Tossicologia, Universita di Cagliari, Via Ospedale 72, 09124 Cagliari, Italy. aangioni@unica.it
Essential oils from the stems/leaves (L) and flowers (F) of Lavandula stoechas L. ssp. stoechas growing wild in southern Sardinia (Italy) were extracted by hydrodistillation and analyzed by gas chromatography coupled with flame ionization detector and ion trap mass spectrometry. The major compound was fenchone, accounting for, on average, 52.60% in L and 66.20% in F, followed by camphor (13.13% versus 27.08%, in L and F, respectively). F essential oil yields (volume per dry weight) decreased from the beginning to the end of the flowering stage, whereas L yields remained constant during the year. The nine main compounds derived from two different subpathways, A and B. The compounds that belong to the same subpathway showed a similar behavior during the year. The essential oils were tested for their antifungal activity using the paper disk diffusion method. The essential oils tested were effective on the inactivation of Rhizoctonia solani and Fusarium oxysporum and less effective against Aspergillus flavus. Among the single compounds tested, fenchone, limonene, and myrtenal appeared to be the more effective on the inhibition of R. solani growth.

PMID: 16756368 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE

Chemical composition, antibacterial and antifungal activities of the essential oil of Haplophyllum tuberculatum from Oman.

* Al-Burtamani SK, Fatope MO, Marwah RG, Onifade AK, Al-Saidi SH.

Department of Chemistry, College of Science, Sultan Qaboos University, PO Box 36, Al-Khod-123, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman.
The chemical composition of the essential oil of Haplophyllum tuberculatum (Forsskal) A. Juss (Rutaceae) was analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectral (GC-MS) and 13C NMR spectroscopy. Thirty compounds, constituting about 99.7% of the total oil, were identified. The most abundant oil components are beta-phellandrene (23.3%), limonene (12.6%), (Z)-beta-ocimene (12.3%), beta-caryophyllene (11.6%), myrcene (11.3%), and alpha-phellandrene (10.9%). Ten microlitres (25 mg) of pure oil partially inhibited the growth of Escherichia coli, Salmonella choleraesuis, and Bacillus subtilis to the same extent as 0.10 microg of gentamycin sulfate. The oil also affected the mycelial growth of Curvularia lunata and Fusarium oxysporium in a dose-dependent manner but had no effect on the germination of their spores.

PMID: 15588657 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

The effect of selected monoterpenoids on the cellular slime mold, Dictyostelium discoideum NC4.

* Hwang JY, Kim JH, Yun KW.

Department of Biology, Kyungnam University, Masan, 631-701, Korea.
We tested the activity of 11 main compounds identified from Pinus plants on the growth of Dictyostelium discoideum NC4. Four concentrations (1, 0.1, 0.01, 0.001 microg/microl) of each compound were tested using a disk volatilization technique following germination of D. discoideum NC4 spores. Photographs of D. discoideum NC4 fruiting bodies were taken 2 days after treatment. Fenchone (at 0.1, 0.01, and 0.001 microg/microl) and camphene (at 0.01 microg/microl) stimulated growth of D. discoideum NC4. (1S)-(-)-verbenone, (1S)-(-)-alpha-pinene, (+)-beta-pinene, myrcene, (-)-menthone, (-)-bornyl acetate, (S)-(+)-carvone, (-)-camphene, and (R)-(+)-limonene inhibit its growth. All of the compounds at 1 microg/microl had a strong inhibitory effect on cell growth of D. discoideum NC4. Microscopic observation of the fruiting bodies matched the results of growth rate analysis. Most of the inhibitory effects were represented by changes in the shapes of the fruiting bodies. These changes include short sorophores, smaller sized sori, and sori without spores. Our results suggest that inhibition of growth is the most common effect of monoterpenoids on D. discoideum NC4. Nevertheless, some of them, like fenchone and camphene, seem to enhance its growth.

PMID: 15303320 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Composition and antifungal activity of the essential oil of Solidago chilensis.

* Vila R, Mundina M, Tomi F, Furlan R, Zacchino S, Casanova J, Canigueral S.

Volatile constituents of the essential oils from leaves and inflorescences of Solidago chilensis Meyen were analyzed by GC-FID, GC-MS and 13C-NMR and thirty-six different compounds were identified. Pumiloxide, an unusual labdane diterpene, was found to be one of the major components in both oils (15.3 % and 12.3 %, respectively). Other important constituents were limonene and several sesquiterpenes, mainly gamma-cadinene. The antifungal activity of the leaf oil was assayed against five different strains of filamentous fungi and one yeast. Paper disk agar diffusion test showed human pathogenic dermatophytes to be the most sensitive.

PMID: 11859470 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

PubMed.gov search for - mold trans-cinnamaldehyde
5 Hits

The chemical composition of some Lauraceae essential oils and their antifungal activities.

* Simic A, Sokovic MD, Ristic M, Grujic-Jovanovic S, Vukojevic J, Marin PD.

Institute of Botany, Faculty of Biology, University of Belgrade, Serbia and Montenegro. Simicana@bfbot.bg.ac.yu
The antifungal activity of Aniba rosaeodora, Laurus nobilis, Sassafras albidum and Cinnamomum zeylanicum essential oils were investigated against 17 micromycetes. Among the tested fungal species were food poisoning, spoilage fungi, plant and animal pathogens. In order to determine fungistatic and fungicidal concentrations (MIC and MFC) macrodilution and microdilution tests were used. Linalool was the main component in the essential oil of A. rosaeodora, while 1.8-cineole was dominant in L. nobilis. In sassafras essential oil safrole was the major component and in the oil of C. zeylanicum the main component was trans-cinnamaldehyde. The essential oil of cinnamon showed the strongest antifungal activity. Copyright (c) 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

PMID: 15478207 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Inhibition of fungal cell wall synthesizing enzymes by trans-cinnamaldehyde.

* Bang KH, Lee DW, Park HM, Rhee YH.

Department of Microbiology, College of Natural Sciences, Chungnam National University, Yusong, Taejon, Korea.
This study examined the inhibitory effects of trans-cinnamaldehyde (CA), an aromatic aldehyde derived from Cinnamomi Cortex, on Saccharomyces cerevisiae cell wall synthesizing enzymes in vitro. This compound was found to be a noncompetitive inhibitor of beta-(1,3)-glucan synthase and a mixed inhibitor of chitin synthase 1 with 50% inhibitory concentrations (IC50) of 0.84 and 1.44 mM, respectively. Chitin synthases 2 and 3 were less sensitive than chitin synthase 1 to CA. CA can be useful as a model compound of cell wall inhibitors for the development of effective antifungal agents.

PMID: 10879482 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Inhibition of Aspergillus growth and aflatoxin release by derivatives of benzoic acid.

* Chipley JR, Uraih N.

A study was conducted to determine the effects of o-nitrobenzoate, p-aminobenzoate, benzocaine (ethyl aminobenzoate), ethyl benzoate, methyl benzoate, salicylic acid (o-hydroxybenzoate), trans-cinnamic acid (beta-phenylacrylic acid), trans-cinnamaldehyde (3-phenylpropenal), ferulic acid (p-hydroxy-3-methoxycinnamic acid), aspirin (o-acetoxy benzoic acid), and anthranilic acid (o-aminobenzoic acid) upon growth and aflatoxin release in Aspergillus flavus NRRL 3145 and A. parasiticus NRRL 3240. A chemically defined medium was supplemented with various concentrations of these compounds and inoculated with spores, and the developing cultures were incubated for 4, 6, and 8 days at 27 degree C in a mechanical shaker. At the beginning of day 8 of incubation, aflatoxins were extracted from cell-free filtrates, separated by thin-layer chromatography, and quantitated by ultraviolet spectrophotometry. The structure of these aromatic compounds appeared to be critically related to their effects on mycelial growth and aflatoxin release. At concentrations of 2.5 and 5.0 mg per 25 ml of medium, methyl benzoate and ethyl benzoate were the most effective in reducing both mycelial growth and aflatoxin release by A. flavus and A. parasiticus. Inhibition of mycelial growth and aflatoxin release by various concentrations of the above-named aromatic compounds may indicate the possibility of their use as fungicides.

PMID: 6781406 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

PubMed.gov search for - mold eucalyptol
17 Hits

Chemical composition and antifungal activity of Salvia macrochlamys and Salvia recognita essential oils.

* Tabanca N, Demirci B, Baser KH, Aytac Z, Ekici M, Khan SI, Jacob MR, Wedge DE.

U.S. Department of Agriculture, ARS, NPUPU, The University of Mississippi, University, Mississippi 38677, USA.
Essential oils of Salvia macrochlamys and Salvia recognita were obtained by hydrodistillation of dried aerial parts and characterized by gas chromatography and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. One hundred and twenty identified constituents representing 97.7% in S. macrochlamys and 96.4% in S. recognita were characterized, and 1,8-cineole, borneol, and camphor were identified as major components of the essential oils. The oils were evaluated for their antimalarial, antimicrobial, and antifungal activities. Antifungal activity of the essential oils from both Salvia species was nonselective at inhibiting growth and development of reproductive stroma of the plant pathogens Colletotrichum acutatum, Colletotrichum fragariae, and Colletotrichum gloeosporioides. S. macrochlamys oil had good antimycobacterial activity against Mycobacterium intracellulare; however, the oils showed no antimicrobial activity against human pathogenic bacteria or fungi up to a concentration of 200 microg/mL. S. recognita oil exhibited a weak antimalarial activity against Plasmodium falciparum.*

PMID: 16939314 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

*NOTE: The previous research used "dried arial parts" to extract the essential oil. Young Living extracts its oils within an hour of harvesting.

Chemical composition and antifungal activity of essential oil of Chrysactinia mexicana gray.

* Cardenas-Ortega NC, Zavala-Sanchez MA, Aguirre-Rivera JR, Perez-Gonzalez C, Perez-Gutierrez S.

Facultad de Ciencias Quimicas, Universidad Autonoma de San Luis Potosi, Avenida Dr. Manuel Nava No. 6, C.P. 78290, San Luis Potosi, Mexico. normac@uaslp.mx
The chemical composition of the essential oil of Chysactinia mexicana was analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Seventeen compounds were characterized; eucalyptol (41.3%), piperitone (37.7%), and linalyl acetate (9.1%) were found as the major components. The essential oil of leaves and piperitone completely inhibited Aspergillus flavus growth at relatively low concentrations (1.25 and 0.6 mg/mL, respectively).

PMID: 15913293 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Antifungal activity of the components of Melaleuca alternifolia (tea tree) oil.

* Hammer KA, Carson CF, Riley TV.

Discipline of Microbiology, School of Biomedical and Chemical Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, Australia. khammer@cyllene.uwa.edu.au
AIMS: To investigate the in vitro antifungal activity of the components of Melaleuca alternifolia (tea tree) oil. METHODS AND RESULTS: Activity was investigated by broth microdilution and macrodilution, and time kill methods. Components showing the most activity, with minimum inhibitory concentrations and minimum fungicidal concentrations of < or =0.25%, were terpinen-4-ol, alpha-terpineol, linalool, alpha-pinene and beta-pinene, followed by 1,8-cineole. The remaining components showed slightly less activity and had values ranging from 0.5 to 2%, with the exception of beta-myrcene which showed no detectable activity. Susceptibility data generated for several of the least water-soluble components were two or more dilutions lower by macrodilution, compared with microdilution. CONCLUSIONS: All tea tree oil components, except beta-myrcene, had antifungal activity. The lack of activity reported for some components by microdilution may be due to these components becoming absorbed into the polystyrene of the microtitre tray. This indicates that plastics are unsuitable as assay vessels for tests with these or similar components. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: This study has identified that most components of tea tree oil have activity against a range of fungi. However, the measurement of antifungal activity may be significantly influenced by the test method.

PMID: 12969301 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Antibacterial and antifungal activity of aromatic constituents of essential oils.

* Pattnaik S, Subramanyam VR, Bapaji M, Kole CR.

Department of Microbiology, Regional Medical Research Centre, (ICMR), Bhubaneswar, Orissa, India.
Five aromatic constituents of essential oils (cineole, citral, geraniol, linalool and menthol) were tested for antimicrobial activity against eighteen bacteria (including Gram-positive cocci and rods, and Gram-negative rods) and twelve fungi (three yeast-like and nine filamentous). In terms of antibacterial activity linalool was the most effective and inhibited seventeen bacteria, followed by cineole, geraniol (each of which inhibited sixteen bacteria), menthol and citral aromatic compounds, which inhibited fifteen and fourteen bacteria, respectively. Against fungi the citral and geraniol oils were the most effective (inhibiting all twelve fungi), followed by linalool (inhibiting ten fungi), cineole and menthol (each of which inhibited seven fungi) compounds.

PMID: 9218354 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] 

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Curt Siters is an Independent Associate for Pre-Paid Legal Services, Inc. He is also aYoung Living Essential Oils Independent distributor and publishes articles on YourWebReference and at TheVeryEssence. He also does web work such as website design, website maintenance and SEO for websites.

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