| Scientific Research from Case Studies |
| Data collected from three (3) case studies performed by Dr. Edward Close are included in the DVD: Toxic Mold A Breakthrough Discovery. The DVD is currently available for purchase through this website, through Amazon.Com, and from other retail booksellers. Analysis of the data collected in more than 20 case studies will be included in the soon to be released book by Edward and Jacquelyn Close entitled Natures Mold Rx, The Non-Toxic Solution to Toxic Mold. |
| One of the most important findings of the more than 20 case studies completed by Dr. Edward Close is that diffusing the essential oil blend not only destroys mold spores, but also removes mold spores, dead and alive, from the air. This is a very important finding. There is indirect evidence from these case studies that suggest that exposure to the toxins released by molds may also be eliminated by diffusing the essential oil blend. |
| To our knowledge, no study other than one performed by Dr. Edward R Close, has assessed the effectiveness of using essential oils for remediation of mold in buildings. This represents a vast opportunity for research. However, the antifungal properties of clove oil and cinnamon oil are well known, as indicated in the research papers below. |
| All studies identified thus far, that have assessed the antifungal effects of essential oils, utilized between 1 and 100 or more single essential oil species, however none were found that used a blend or blends of essential oils for assessing impact on fungi even though it is well known by professionals in the essential oils industry that blending will tend to magnify or minimize, strengthen or quench, the effects of an individual essential oil and/or some of its components. Again, this provides a great opportunity for additional research. The blend of essential oils utilized by Dr. Edward Close in his case studies provided strong inhibition of fungi and proved effective against numerous strains of mold and toxic mold. |
| Laboratory and University Research |
| In their paper entitled Antibacterial and Antifungal Properties of Essential Oils, published in the journal Current Medicinal Chemistry, Volume 10, Number 10, May 2003, pp. 813-829(17) Authors: Kalemba, D. and Kunicka, A. report: |
| The antimicrobial properties of essential oils have been known for many centuries. |
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| The papers cited are merely a small sample of the research available on the antifungal properties of essential oils. This list is by no means complete. Please note that these studies have evaluated essential oils for antifungal use by the food and flavor industry, as well as for wood decay. |
| 1. Evaluation of some essential oils for their toxicity against fungi causing deterioration of stored food commodities. |
| Applied Environmental Microbiology. 1994 April; 60(4): 11011105. Authors: A K Mishra and N K Dubey, Herbal Pesticide Laboratory, Centre of Advanced Study in Botany, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India. |
| Abstract: During screening of essential oils for their antifungal activities against Aspergillus flavus, the essential oil of Cymbopogon citratus was found to exhibit fungitoxicity. The MIC of the oil was found to be 1,000 ppm, at which it showed its fungistatic nature, wide fungitoxic spectrum, nonphytotoxic nature, and superiority over synthetic fungicides, i.e., Agrosan G. N., Thiride, Ceresan, Dithane M-45, Agrozim, Bavistin, Emison, Thiovit, wettable sulfur, and copper oxychloride. The fungitoxic potency of the oil remained unaltered for 7 months of storage and upon introduction of high doses of inoculum of the test fungus. It was thermostable in nature with treatment at 5 to 100 degrees C. These findings thus indicate the possibility of exploitation of the essential oil of C. citratus as an effective inhibitor of storage fungi. |
| [NOTE from authors: Cymbopogon citratus is commonly known as Lemongrass or Oil Grass.] |
| 2. Inhibitory action of some essential oils and phytochemicals on the growth of various moulds isolated from foods |
| FOOD SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, Evandro Leite de SouzaI, II, *; Edeltrudes de Oliveira LimaIII; Kristerson Reinaldo de Luna FreireIII; Cristina Paiva de SousaIIIDepartamento de Nutrição; Universidade Federal da Paraíba; Brazil IIPrograma de Pós-graduação em Ciência e Tecnologia de Alimentos; Centro de Tecnologia; Universidade Federal da Paraíba; Brazil IIIDepartamento de Ciências Farmacêuticas; Universidade Federal da Paraíba; Brazil; evandroleitesouza@bol.com.br; Rua Radialista Antônio Assunção de Jesus, 680/102; Jardim Cidade Universitária; 58052-230; João Pessoa - PA - Brazil |
| Abstract: The aim of this study was to determine the sensitivity profile of mould strains isolated from foods to some essential oils and phytochemicals. The assayed mould strains were: Fusarium spp., Rhizopus spp., Aspergillus flavus, A. niger and Penicillium spp. According to results, Lippia alba N.E. Brown, Peumus boldus Molina, Lippia microphylla Phil., Citrus limon Risso and Cymbopogon citratus Stapf. essential oil and the phytochemicals citral, eugenol and mircene showed prominent antimould activity. Among the products that evidenced antimould activity, citral and eugenol showed the lowest minimum inhibitory concentrations, which was 1% and 4%, respectively, for the most of the tested mould strains.[Note from authors: Citral is an aldehyde found in marjoram and eugenol is a phenolic compound found in clove, cinnamon, citronella, and lemon eucalyptus.1] |
| 3. Solid- and Vapor-Phase Antimicrobial Activities of Six Essential Oils: Susceptibility of Selected Foodborne Bacterial and Fungal Strains |
| J. Agric. Food Chem., 53 (17), 6939 -6946, 2005. 10.1021/jf050709v S0021-8561(05)00709-0 Web Release Date: August 2, 2005. Copyright © 2005 American Chemical Society P. López, C. Sánchez, R. Batlle,* and C. Nerín Department of Analytical Chemistry, Aragón Institute of Engineering Research, i3A, CPS-University of Zaragoza, María de Luna st. 3, E-50018 Zaragoza, Spain, and Department of I+D+i, ARTIBAL S.A., Cañada Real st. 12, E-22600 Sabiñánigo, Spain Received for review March 30, 2005. Revised manuscript received June 20, 2005. Accepted June 27, 2005. This work was financed by the Spanish Project CAL 03-80-04. C.S. and R.B. acknowledge the Spanish Ministry of Science and Technology for personal funding through the Torres Quevedo and Ramón y Cajal programs, respectively. |
| Abstract: The antimicrobial activity of essential oils (EOs) of cinnamon (Cinnamon zeylanicum), clove (Syzygium aromaticum), basil (Ocimum basillicum), rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis), dill (Anethum graveolens), and ginger (Zingiber officinalis) was evaluated over a range of concentrations in two types of contact tests (solid and vapor diffusion). The EOs were tested against an array of four Gram-positive bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus, Enterococcus faecalis, and Listeria monocytogenes), four Gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli, Yersinia enterocolitica, Salmonella choleraesuis, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa), and three fungi (a yeast, Candida albicans, and two molds, Penicillium islandicum and Aspergillus flavus). The rationale for this work was to test the possibility of creating a protective atmosphere by using natural compounds that could extend the shelf life of packaged foodstuffs while minimizing organoleptic alterations. In the solid diffusion tests, cinnamon and clove gave the strongest (and very similar) inhibition, followed by basil and rosemary, with dill and ginger giving the weakest inhibition. The fungi were the most sensitive microorganisms, followed by the Gram-positive bacterial strains. The Gram-negative strain P. aeruginosa was the least inhibited. The composition of the atmosphere generated by the EOs, and their minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs), were determined using a disk volatilization method, in which no inhibition from rosemary or basil was observed. Cinnamon and clove, once again, gave similar results for every microorganism. As a general rule, MIC (fungi) MIC (bacteria) with no clear differences between Gram-positive or -negative strains except for P. aeruginosa, which was not inhibited by any of the EOs in the vapor phase. The atmosphere generated from the EOs was analyzed by means of solid-phase microextraction combined with gas chromatography-ion trap mass spectrometry. Differences among the volatiles in the EOs, which may be responsible for the differences in their antimicrobial performances, were found. |
| 4. Screening for Antifungal Activity of Some Essential Oils Against Common Spoilage Fungi of Bakery Products |
| M. E. Guynot, S. MarÍn, L. SetÚ, V. Sanchis, A. J. Ramos Food Science and Technology International, Vol. 11, No. 1, 25-32 (2005)© 2005 SAGE Publications Food Technology Department, Lleida University, UTPV-CeRTA, Rovira Roure 191, 25198 Lleida, Spain |
| Abstract: The antifungal effect of 20 essential oils against the most important moulds in terms of spoilage of bakery products (Eurotiumspp., Aspergillusspp. and Penicilliumspp.) was investigated. Suitable solutions of essential oils were added directly to an agar culture medium (containing 2% wheat flour) to obtain a final concentration in the range between 0 to 1,000 ppm. Antifungal activity was tested at different water activity (aw) and pH conditions, and the fungal growth was followed by measuring the colony diameter during the incubation period. Only cinnamon leaf, rosemary, thyme, bay and clove essential oils exhibited some antifungal activity against all isolates. The antifungal activity depended on aw and pH levels. In general, a stronger inhibition was observed as the water availability increased, moreover, in some cases at 0.80 aw they favoured fungal growth. The interaction between essential oil concentration and pH depended mainly on the essential oil. Rosemary, thyme and bay were more effective at pH 5, loosing their activity as pH increased, while only cinnamon leaf was more effective near neutrality. These findings strengthen the possibility of using plant essential oils as an alternative to chemicals to preserve bakery products. |
| 5. Rapid evaluation of plant extracts and essential oils for antifungal activity against Botrytis cinerea |
| WILSON C. L. (1) ; SOLAR J. M. (1) ; EL GHAOUTH A. (1) ; WISNIEWSKI M. E. (1) ; (1) USDA-ARS Appalachian Fruit Research Station, Kearneysville, WV 25430, Published by: American Phytopathological Society, St. Paul, MN, 1997, vol. 81, no2, pp. 204-210 (11 ref.) |
| Abstract: A rapid assay to determine antifungal activity in plant extracts and essential oils is described
Among the 49 essential oils tested, palmarosa (Cymbopogon martini), red thyme (Thymus zygis), cinnamon leaf (Cinnamomum zeylanicum), and clove buds (Eugenia caryophyllata) demonstrated the most antifungal activity against B. cinerea. The most frequently occurring constituents in essential oils showing high antifungal activity were: D-limonene, cineole; ß-myrcene; a-pinene, ß-pinene; and camphor. |
| 6. Antifungal activities of essential oils and their constituents from indigenous cinnamon (Cinnamomum osmophloeum) leaves against wood decay fungi |
| Sheng-Yang Wang, Pin-Fun Chen and Shang-Tzen Chang 18 September 2004. |
| Abstract:
Results from the antifungal tests demonstrated that the essential oils
had strong inhibitory effects
Cinnamaldehyde, the major compound in C. osmophloeum leaf essential oils, possessed the strongest antifungal activities compared with the other components. Its antifungal indices against both Coriolus versicolor and Laetiporus sulphureus were 100%...In addition, comparisons of the antifungal indices of cinnamaldehydes congeners proved that cinnamaldehyde exhibited the strongest antifungal activities. |
| [Note: The highest concentrations of Cinnamaldehyde are found in the essential oils of Cassia (85%) and cinnamon (46%), reference: Chemistry of Essential Oils Made Simple, by David Stewart, PhD.] |
| A study published in the Journal of Essential Oil Research and reported in Appendix H of the Essential Oils Desk Reference (EODR), Third Edition, Essential Science Publishing, March, 2006, assesses the effectiveness against bacteria using the same essential oil blend used in the tests performed by Dr. Ed Close for mold. To our knowledge this is the only other study completed that used an essential oil blend as a part of its testing. |
| 7. Effect of a Diffused Essential Oil Blend on Bacterial Bioaerosols S.C. Chao, D.G. Young, and C.J. Oberg, Weber State University, Ogden, UT. Journal of Essential Oil Research 10, 517-523 (Sept/Oct 1998). |
| Abstract: A proprietary blend of oils containing cinnamon, rosemary, clove, eucalyptus, and lemon was tested for its antibacterial activity against airborne Micrococcus luteus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Staphylococcus aureus. The bacteria cultures were sprayed in an enclosed area and the essential oil blend was diffused for a given amount of time. There was an 82 percent reduction in M. luteus bioaerosol, a 96 percent reduction in the P. aeruginosa bioaerosol, and a 44 percent reduction in the S. aureus bioaerosol following 10 minutes of exposure. |
| On page 123 of the EODR, it says: |
| Studies conducted at Weber State University (Ogden, UT) during 1997 demonstrated its [the essential oil blend of clove, lemon, cinnamon bark, eucalyptus radiata and rosemary] killing power against airborne microorganisms. One analysis showed a 90 percent reduction in the number of gram positive Micrococcus luteus organisms after diffusing for 12 minutes. After 20 minutes of diffusing, the kill-rate jumped to 99.3 percent. Another study against the gram negative Pseudomonas aeruginosa showed a kill rate of 99.6 percent after just 12 minutes of diffusion. |
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| Being antibacterial and antiviral is not the same as removing mold spores and associated toxins produced by mold spores from the air, however, bacteria and viruses are smaller than mold spores and it is theoretically possible that one way they might be introduced into the body is by piggy-backing on mold spores. This may be a contributing factor to the incidence of allergic response and respiratory infection experienced by individuals exposed to mold. That is another opportunity for scientific study. |
| For additional information on using the essential oils for mold remediation, please review the FAQ section of this website. For information on where to purchase the essential oils and equipment used by Dr. Edward Close in his tests, please Contact Us. |
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