Your web browser is out of date

For the best experience, please upgrade. Learn more

Oregano Essential Oil Components of Carvacrol and Thymol Both Important

Editor’s note: This study evaluted the anti-microbial effects of the two primary constituents of oregano essential oil: Carvacrol and Thymol. While oregano is often marketed with the concentration of Carvacrol noted, it is important to recognize (and this is the case with almost ALL essential oils) that it is a synergy of the oil’s molecules, [...]

November 30 2007

Editor’s note: This study evaluted the anti-microbial effects of the two primary constituents of oregano essential oil: Carvacrol and Thymol. While oregano is often marketed with the concentration of Carvacrol noted, it is important to recognize (and this is the case with almost ALL essential oils) that it is a synergy of the oil’s molecules, not just a single isolated chemical, that produces the profound health effects.

A study of the minimum inhibitory concentration and mode of action of oregano essential oil, thymol and carvacrol.

Lambert RJ, Skandamis PN, Coote PJ, Nychas GJ.
Unilever Research Colworth, SEAC-Microbiology, Sharnbrook, Bedfordshire, UK.

AIMS: The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of oregano essential oil (OEO) and two of its principle components, i.e. thymol and carvacrol, against Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus was assessed by using an innovative technique. The mechanism of action of the above substances was also investigated. METHODS AND RESULTS: The applied technique uses 100-well microtitre plate and collects turbidimetric growth data. To produce the inhibition profiles, a wide range of concentrations were tested for each of the three compounds, as well as for carvacrol-thymol mixtures. Following a specific mathematical analysis of the observed inhibition profiles from all compounds, it was suggested that mixtures of carvacrol and thymol gave an additive effect and that the overall inhibition by OEO can be attributed mainly to the additive antimicrobial action of these two compounds. Addition of low amounts of each additive: (a) increased permeability of cells to the nuclear stain EB, (b) dissipated pH gradients as indicated by the CFDA-SE fluorescent probe irrespective of glucose availability and (c) caused leakage of inorganic ions. CONCLUSION: Mixing carvacrol and thymol at proper amounts may exert the total inhibition that is evident by oregano essential oil. Such inhibition is due to damage in membrane integrity, which further affects pH homeostasis and equilibrium of inorganic ions. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: The knowledge of extent and mode of inhibition of specific compounds, which are present in plant extracts, may contribute to the successful application of such natural preservatives in foods, since certain combinations of carvacrol-thymol provide as high inhibition as oregano essential oil with a smaller flavour impact.

Share Share

Discover how to enhance your life with Mother Nature’s remedies

We’ve got the blueprints for health, beauty, spirituality, and more..

Start Quiz

In Eternal Memory of  Eric Cech, Ananda’s Founder 

    In Eternal Memory of Eric Cech, Ananda’s Founder “The best business model I can hope for is one that will run out of business.” – Eric Cech Eric’s business mindset was otherworldly. He admitted in casual conversation to his wife Anita one day: “The best business model I can hope for is one that […]

Thank You for Your Incredible Support

It Comes with the Greatest Pleasure To let You Know… that…Because of YOU Ananda has Managed to Survive one of the Most Uncertain Times of its Tenure  ~ We can not thank you enough for your enormous patience, understanding and support. From your incoming calls, comments on social media, direct messages across various channels, emails […]

CUSTOMER HEARTFELT RESPONSES

Here are a small fraction of the heartfelt responses we have received following the notice of our business closure and liquidation sale. We offer all of you a deserved shout out for being the improbable,  most essential, significant, factor in creating the Dream you are voicing to us: Hope for a Sustainable Future and Provider […]

Thank You For your Support

Thank You For your Support Since 2004 The Ananda Apothecary is Closing Business   SAD BUT TRUE As previously disclosed, The Ananda Apothecary has been greatly affected by to the global health situation. Bottom line is, we were increasing growing slim on product with no resupply any time soon. We are unable to get goods […]

Spring Cleaning Special

* SPRING CLEANING SPECIAL * *OFFERS VALID APRIL 24 – MAY 2, OR UNTIL SUPPLIES LAST. SOME RESTRICTIONS APPLY. WE’RE GIVING OILS AWAY Get Yours Today! WITH ANY PURCHASE THAT FITS YOUR BUDGET GET UP TO THREE OF YOUR ALL TIME FAVORITE OILS FREE *We have limited supplies due to overseas shipping restrictions. Order now while supplies last. ALSO […]

Reduce Anxiety with These Essential Oils Daily

There’s tons of research on Lavender helping sleep and anxiety (see this post) but what does the science say about other daily-use oils. For those who’d love to try something different, there’s a great many other essential oils have been shown to have anxiety and depression-reducing properties in laboratory studies.* Sweet Orange has been the […]

Ananda Apothecary 100% pure and genuine
×

What aspect of your life are you looking to improve?

quiz icon

Pain & Mobility
quiz icon

Sleep & Stress
quiz icon

Spirituality & Meditation
quiz icon

Something Else

How long have you been trying to find a solution for this problem?

quiz icon

Months
quiz icon

Months
quiz icon

Months
quiz icon

Longer than 1 year

How much do you know about essential oils?

quiz icon

Nothing, I'm a blank slate!
quiz icon

I know a few things, but not very much
quiz icon

I've had success using essential oils to improve my health
quiz icon

I'm an expert or professional aromatherapist

Where do we send your results?

window.cfields = {"1":"quiz_score"}; window._show_thank_you = function(id, message, trackcmp_url) { var form = document.getElementById('_form_' + id + '_'), thank_you = form.querySelector('._form-thank-you'); form.querySelector('._form-content').style.display = 'none'; thank_you.innerHTML = message; thank_you.style.display = 'block'; if (typeof(trackcmp_url) != 'undefined' && trackcmp_url) { // Site tracking URL to use after inline form submission. _load_script(trackcmp_url); } if (typeof window._form_callback !== 'undefined') window._form_callback(id); }; window._show_error = function(id, message, html) { var form = document.getElementById('_form_' + id + '_'), err = document.createElement('div'), button = form.querySelector('button'), old_error = form.querySelector('._form_error'); if (old_error) old_error.parentNode.removeChild(old_error); err.innerHTML = message; err.className = '_error-inner _form_error _no_arrow'; var wrapper = document.createElement('div'); wrapper.className = '_form-inner'; wrapper.appendChild(err); button.parentNode.insertBefore(wrapper, button); document.querySelector('[id^="_form"][id$="_submit"]').disabled = false; if (html) { var div = document.createElement('div'); div.className = '_error-html'; div.innerHTML = html; err.appendChild(div); } }; window._load_script = function(url, callback) { var head = document.querySelector('head'), script = document.createElement('script'), r = false; script.type = 'text/javascript'; script.charset = 'utf-8'; script.src = url; if (callback) { script.onload = script.onreadystatechange = function() { if (!r && (!this.readyState || this.readyState == 'complete')) { r = true; callback(); } }; } head.appendChild(script); }; (function() { if (window.location.search.search("excludeform") !== -1) return false; var getCookie = function(name) { var match = document.cookie.match(new RegExp('(^|; )' + name + '=([^;]+)')); return match ? match[2] : null; } var setCookie = function(name, value) { var now = new Date(); var time = now.getTime(); var expireTime = time + 1000 * 60 * 60 * 24 * 365; now.setTime(expireTime); document.cookie = name + '=' + value + '; expires=' + now + ';path=/'; } var addEvent = function(element, event, func) { if (element.addEventListener) { element.addEventListener(event, func); } else { var oldFunc = element['on' + event]; element['on' + event] = function() { oldFunc.apply(this, arguments); func.apply(this, arguments); }; } } var _removed = false; var form_to_submit = document.getElementById('_form_3_'); var allInputs = form_to_submit.querySelectorAll('input, select, textarea'), tooltips = [], submitted = false; var getUrlParam = function(name) { var regexStr = '[\?&]' + name + '=([^&#]*)'; var results = new RegExp(regexStr, 'i').exec(window.location.href); return results != undefined ? decodeURIComponent(results[1]) : false; }; for (var i = 0; i < allInputs.length; i++) { var regexStr = "field\\[(\\d+)\\]"; var results = new RegExp(regexStr).exec(allInputs[i].name); if (results != undefined) { allInputs[i].dataset.name = window.cfields[results[1]]; } else { allInputs[i].dataset.name = allInputs[i].name; } var fieldVal = getUrlParam(allInputs[i].dataset.name); if (fieldVal) { if (allInputs[i].type == "radio" || allInputs[i].type == "checkbox") { if (allInputs[i].value == fieldVal) { allInputs[i].checked = true; } } else { allInputs[i].value = fieldVal; } } } var remove_tooltips = function() { for (var i = 0; i < tooltips.length; i++) { tooltips[i].tip.parentNode.removeChild(tooltips[i].tip); } tooltips = []; }; var remove_tooltip = function(elem) { for (var i = 0; i < tooltips.length; i++) { if (tooltips[i].elem === elem) { tooltips[i].tip.parentNode.removeChild(tooltips[i].tip); tooltips.splice(i, 1); return; } } }; var create_tooltip = function(elem, text) { var tooltip = document.createElement('div'), arrow = document.createElement('div'), inner = document.createElement('div'), new_tooltip = {}; if (elem.type != 'radio' && elem.type != 'checkbox') { tooltip.className = '_error'; arrow.className = '_error-arrow'; inner.className = '_error-inner'; inner.innerHTML = text; tooltip.appendChild(arrow); tooltip.appendChild(inner); elem.parentNode.appendChild(tooltip); } else { tooltip.className = '_error-inner _no_arrow'; tooltip.innerHTML = text; elem.parentNode.insertBefore(tooltip, elem); new_tooltip.no_arrow = true; } new_tooltip.tip = tooltip; new_tooltip.elem = elem; tooltips.push(new_tooltip); return new_tooltip; }; var resize_tooltip = function(tooltip) { var rect = tooltip.elem.getBoundingClientRect(); var doc = document.documentElement, scrollPosition = rect.top - ((window.pageYOffset || doc.scrollTop) - (doc.clientTop || 0)); if (scrollPosition < 40) { tooltip.tip.className = tooltip.tip.className.replace(/ ?(_above|_below) ?/g, '') + ' _below'; } else { tooltip.tip.className = tooltip.tip.className.replace(/ ?(_above|_below) ?/g, '') + ' _above'; } }; var resize_tooltips = function() { if (_removed) return; for (var i = 0; i < tooltips.length; i++) { if (!tooltips[i].no_arrow) resize_tooltip(tooltips[i]); } }; var validate_field = function(elem, remove) { var tooltip = null, value = elem.value, no_error = true; remove ? remove_tooltip(elem) : false; if (elem.type != 'checkbox') elem.className = elem.className.replace(/ ?_has_error ?/g, ''); if (elem.getAttribute('required') !== null) { if (elem.type == 'radio' || (elem.type == 'checkbox' && /any/.test(elem.className))) { var elems = form_to_submit.elements[elem.name]; if (!(elems instanceof NodeList || elems instanceof HTMLCollection) || elems.length <= 1) { no_error = elem.checked; } else { no_error = false; for (var i = 0; i < elems.length; i++) { if (elems[i].checked) no_error = true; } } if (!no_error) { tooltip = create_tooltip(elem, "Please select an option."); } } else if (elem.type =='checkbox') { var elems = form_to_submit.elements[elem.name], found = false, err = []; no_error = true; for (var i = 0; i < elems.length; i++) { if (elems[i].getAttribute('required') === null) continue; if (!found && elems[i] !== elem) return true; found = true; elems[i].className = elems[i].className.replace(/ ?_has_error ?/g, ''); if (!elems[i].checked) { no_error = false; elems[i].className = elems[i].className + ' _has_error'; err.push("Checking %s is required".replace("%s", elems[i].value)); } } if (!no_error) { tooltip = create_tooltip(elem, err.join('
')); } } else if (elem.tagName == 'SELECT') { var selected = true; if (elem.multiple) { selected = false; for (var i = 0; i < elem.options.length; i++) { if (elem.options[i].selected) { selected = true; break; } } } else { for (var i = 0; i < elem.options.length; i++) { if (elem.options[i].selected && !elem.options[i].value) { selected = false; } } } if (!selected) { elem.className = elem.className + ' _has_error'; no_error = false; tooltip = create_tooltip(elem, "Please select an option."); } } else if (value === undefined || value === null || value === '') { elem.className = elem.className + ' _has_error'; no_error = false; tooltip = create_tooltip(elem, "This field is required."); } } if (no_error && elem.name == 'email') { if (!value.match(/^[\+_a-z0-9-'&=]+(\.[\+_a-z0-9-']+)*@[a-z0-9-]+(\.[a-z0-9-]+)*(\.[a-z]{2,})$/i)) { elem.className = elem.className + ' _has_error'; no_error = false; tooltip = create_tooltip(elem, "Enter a valid email address."); } } if (no_error && /date_field/.test(elem.className)) { if (!value.match(/^\d\d\d\d-\d\d-\d\d$/)) { elem.className = elem.className + ' _has_error'; no_error = false; tooltip = create_tooltip(elem, "Enter a valid date."); } } tooltip ? resize_tooltip(tooltip) : false; return no_error; }; var needs_validate = function(el) { return el.name == 'email' || el.getAttribute('required') !== null; }; var validate_form = function(e) { var err = form_to_submit.querySelector('._form_error'), no_error = true; if (!submitted) { submitted = true; for (var i = 0, len = allInputs.length; i < len; i++) { var input = allInputs[i]; if (needs_validate(input)) { if (input.type == 'text') { addEvent(input, 'blur', function() { this.value = this.value.trim(); validate_field(this, true); }); addEvent(input, 'input', function() { validate_field(this, true); }); } else if (input.type == 'radio' || input.type == 'checkbox') { (function(el) { var radios = form_to_submit.elements[el.name]; for (var i = 0; i < radios.length; i++) { addEvent(radios[i], 'click', function() { validate_field(el, true); }); } })(input); } else if (input.tagName == 'SELECT') { addEvent(input, 'change', function() { validate_field(this, true); }); } else if (input.type == 'textarea'){ addEvent(input, 'input', function() { validate_field(this, true); }); } } } } remove_tooltips(); for (var i = 0, len = allInputs.length; i < len; i++) { var elem = allInputs[i]; if (needs_validate(elem)) { if (elem.tagName.toLowerCase() !== "select") { elem.value = elem.value.trim(); } validate_field(elem) ? true : no_error = false; } } if (!no_error && e) { e.preventDefault(); } resize_tooltips(); return no_error; }; addEvent(window, 'resize', resize_tooltips); addEvent(window, 'scroll', resize_tooltips); window._old_serialize = null; if (typeof serialize !== 'undefined') window._old_serialize = window.serialize; _load_script("//d3rxaij56vjege.cloudfront.net/form-serialize/0.3/serialize.min.js", function() { window._form_serialize = window.serialize; if (window._old_serialize) window.serialize = window._old_serialize; }); var form_submit = function(e) { e.preventDefault(); if (validate_form()) { // use this trick to get the submit button & disable it using plain javascript document.querySelector('#_form_3_submit').disabled = true; var serialized = _form_serialize(document.getElementById('_form_3_')); var err = form_to_submit.querySelector('._form_error'); err ? err.parentNode.removeChild(err) : false; _load_script('https://anandaapothecary.activehosted.com/proc.php?' + serialized + '&jsonp=true'); } return false; }; addEvent(form_to_submit, 'submit', form_submit); })();
You'll receive your quiz results along with occasional updates, news, and training from Ananda Apothecary. We promise to only send you things of real value!