antibacterial essential oils list

The following is an antibacterial essential oils list, as well as lists of essential oils for being antiseptic, antiviral, and antifungal. I’ve used a lot of these essential oils extensively for a variety of remedies, including as a nail fungus treatment. You can mix and match in any percentage that you like. For an all-around anti-microbial, try to have one from each group. Also, note that certain essential oils are better at eliminating specific bacteria and other microbials.

Bacteria!

The antibacterial essential oils list:

grapefruit extract
manuka
citrol
citronella
lemongrass
peppermint
neem oil
cinnamon
lime
geranium
rosemary
orange
lemon
clove

Peppermint Plant

The Antiseptics:

lavender
rosemary
cloves
cinnamon
grapefruit
pine
thyme
peppermint
orange

Lemongrass plant

The anti-virals:

lemongrass
geranium
cloves
cinnamon
rosemary
eucalyptus
neem oil
tea tree

Citronella plant

The anti-fungals:

neem oil
citronella
geranium
lemongrass
orange
palmarose
patchouli

Lavender plant

From the National Institute of Health’s Government website:

(Scientfic proof that not all essential oils kill all bacteria. The good news is that some do! and those essential oils are not very expensive:)

The essential oils of aegle, ageratum, citronella, eucalyptus, geranium, lemongrass, orange, palmarosa, patchouli and peppermint, were tested for antibacterial activity against 22 bacteria, including Gram-positive cocci and rods and Gram-negative rods, and twelve fungi (3 yeast-like and 9 filamentous) by the disc diffusion method.

Lemongrass, eucalyptus, peppermint and orange oils were effective against all the 22 bacterial strains. Aegle and palmarosa oils inhibited 21 bacteria; patchouli and ageratum oils inhibited 20 bacteria and citronella and geranium oils were inhibitory to 15 and 12 bacterial strains, respectively.

All twelve fungi were inhibited by seven oils (aegle, citronella, geranium, lemongrass, orange, palmarosa and patchouli). Eucalyptus and peppermint oils were effective against eleven fungi. Ageratum oil was inhibitory to only four fungi tested. The MIC of eucalyptus, lemongrass, palmarosa and peppermint oils ranged from 0.16 to > 20 microliters ml-1 for eighteen bacteria and from 0.25 to 10 microliters ml-1 for twelve fungi.

Here’s a link for an all-natural anti-bacterial soap that you can make at home, I used to call this one Tea Tree Plus.

Keep your kitchen clean and disinfected with these proven ways.