Although herbs and spices have traditionally been used in cooking, as they add varieties of flavor to our food, these herbs and spices have also been known to many cultures for their medicinal properties and miscellaneous uses. The oils extracted from these spices and herbs are found to be effective in killing bacteria and viruses.
Garlic is known for its ability to fight bacteria and viruses. It is known to be affective against a wide range of bacteria and also has the ability to combat the common cold. Other notable medicinal benefits of garlic are its ability to reduce heart disease. Garlic has been intensively studied, and numerous large studies have shown that taking supplements that mimic fresh garlic can significantly lower low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels without harming beneficial high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels.
The antimicrobial substance in garlic is known as allicin. Allicin consists of approximately 0.3% - 0.5% of the garlic. To maintain the antibacterial properties of garlic, it must be consumed or applied as raw garlic because cooking will destroy this antimicrobial substance.
Frequent use of antibiotics causes the microbes to develop resistance against the drugs. Studies have shown that garlic has proven its ability to fight against bacteria that has developed resistance to antibiotics. The use of garlic along with other forms of medication has also been known to enhance the effectiveness of these drugs.
Over the years, antibiotics have been prescribed to fight bacterial infections.It has proven safe very effective against bacteria, but over-usage of these drugs can kill good bacteria in your body, and The process in which we are experimenting is garlic’s ability ...
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... kill bacteria and prevent its growth is proven to be true.
Works Cited
"Garlic." Medline Plus. U.S. National Library of Medicine, 24 Dec 2011. Web. 1 Dec 2013.
Falco, Miriam. "CDC sets threat levels for drug-resistant 'superbugs'." CNN Health. CNN, 17 Sep 2013. Web. 1 Dec 2013.
Ankri, S., and D. Mirelman. "Antimicrobial properties of allicin from garlic.." PubMed.gov. NCBI, 1 Februaru 1999. Web. 1 Dec 2013.
"Allicin Facts." AllicinFacts.com. Natural Health Publications Limited, n.d. Web. 1 Dec 2013.
"What is Allicin." AllicinFacts.com. Natural Health Publications Limited, n.d. Web. 1 Dec 2013.
"Mina." Garlic is the Natural Antibiotic . MINA Health & Fitness, n.d. Web. 1 Dec 2013.
"Effectiveness of garlic in fighting bacteria." All Science Fair Projects. All Science Fair Projects.com. Web. 1 Dec 2013.
Peppermint can be defined as the aromatic leaves of a plant of the mint family, or an essential oil obtained from them, used as a flavoring in food. For instance, WebMD explains the common uses for peppermint in food, peppermints can be used as flavoring agents, and are a common holiday flavor used in many thing such as coffee drinks and cookies.(WebMD, 2009) Peppermints are still technically a chemically enhanced food. For example, Chi Phung explains what chemicals are used to make the hybrid mint, or a mint containing two or more chemicals, methanol creates the mints cooling effect and menthone makes the icy scent. (Chi Phung, 2013) Peppermint essential oils are often used for medical uses as well. According to WebMD, the oil can used for the side effects of the common cold, more specifically coughing, inflammation in the mouth or throat, sinus infections, and bacterial growth.(WebMD, 2009) Also, WebMD states that the oil can be used for digestive problems such as, heart burn, vomiting, cramps, a simple upset stomach, morning sickness, and more serious issues such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). (WebMD,
Serratia marcescens, a Gram-negative bacillus, was originally and solely considered a biological marker in the medicinal industry, due to its highly natural red pigment: Prodigiosin (Hejazi and Falkiner, 1997). The pigment has numerous roles within bacteria, which can be further translated into the pharmaceutical and medical domain. This bacterium naturally occurs in water, soil, on plants as well as in humans and animals (Khanafari et al, 2006), where it is deemed an opportunistic pathogen.
Stewart, Philip S, (2001) states that antibiotics are elements that are used to kill, or hinder the multiplication and growth of organisms. Especially, these antibiotics are meant to control fungi and bacteria. In this case, the antibiotics that are used in killing bacteria are referred to as bactericidal, and the ones that are used to prevent the multiplication process are bacteriostatic. The primary microbes for antibiotics are bacteria and fungi. These microorganisms are crucial to facilitate the secretion of substances that kill harmful bacteria which confer competition for the limited available nutrients (Southern, P. J., &Berg, 1981).
Long before humans discovered antibiotics, they existed in nature. So naturally, after penicillin was introduced, some germs were already naturally resistant to the drug. As we used more and more of the antibiotics, we incidentally caused drug-resistant germs to progress. So, even if you’ve never misused antibiotics, you could still become infected by bacterium most drugs won’t kill. For each drug, there are germs genetically programmed to survive- some w/ outer walls tough for antibiotic to cross, others with ways to dump the drugs back out before they can work, and yet others can inactivate the antibiotic. Even worse, by passing tiny packets of genetic material to other bacteria, these survivor germs sometimes also pass the formula for resistance to the other bacteria. The best way you can protect yourself and your family against drug-resistant bacteria is by using antibiotics correctly. Taking them when they’re not needed encourages the takeover of drug-resistant strains in your body. (Redbook, pg.95) That’s because when antibiotics are given, the normal bacteria in your body are killed off, leaving lots of bacterial “parking spaces'; open. And the germ left to fill them is the drug-resistant ones. (Redbook, pg.95) So far, antibiotic resistance has not been a big problem with streptococcus A, the germ familiar to all of us for causing millions of cases of strep thr...
Chili peppers are also used in many cold and flu remedies and are believed to ward off evil spirits too. Chili peppers can be used to rid the body of intestinal worms and parasites. The chili pepper is important for the ancient Maya because they use chili peppers for medicine. Chili peppers help to cure some diseases that were common back then.
“The World Health Organization projects that as drug effectiveness decreases and antibiotic resistance increases, public education becomes more and more crucial” (476) Antibiotics were discovered in 1940 and since have been abused and misused. Between bad practices and lack of proper education antibiotic resistance has been allowed to occur. The only way to combat bacterial infections is with strong patient education and following the correct schedule in taking antibiotics.
Bacteria that is resistant to antibiotics is a major problem not only for the United States, but worldwide. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2012) the cause is related to “widespread overuse, as well as inappropriate use, of antibiotics that is fueling antibiotic resistance”. According to World Health Organization (2013) resistance is a global concern for several reasons; it impedes the control of infectious diseases, increases healthcare costs, and the death rate for patients with resistant bacterial infections is twice of those with non-resistant bacterial infections.
Penicillin has been considered a miracle drug by doctors ever since it was first used in 1942. It could cure nearly every disease that it was prescribed for and was the cause of a major turning point in World War 2. Yet, for the past forty years there have been bacteria strains discovered that can withstand the power of Penicillin. The mass production and misuse of penicillin has caused the miracle drug to become ineffective towards serious infections.
Bacterial resistance to antibiotics has presented many problems in our society, including an increased chance of fatality due to infections that could have otherwise been treated with success. Antibiotics are used to treat bacterial infections, but overexposure to these drugs give the bacteria more opportunities to mutate, forming resistant strains. Through natural selection, those few mutated bacteria are able to survive treatments of antibiotics and then pass on their genes to other bacterial cells through lateral gene transfer (Zhaxybayeva, 2011). Once resistance builds in one patient, it is possible for the strain to be transmitted to others through improper hygiene and failure to isolate patients in hospitals.
In the last decade, the number of prescriptions for antibiotics has increases. Even though, antibiotics are helpful, an excess amount of antibiotics can be dangerous. Quite often antibiotics are wrongly prescribed to cure viruses when they are meant to target bacteria. Antibiotics are a type of medicine that is prone to kill microorganisms, or bacteria. By examining the PBS documentary Hunting the Nightmare Bacteria and the article “U.S. government taps GlaxoSmithKline for New Antibiotics” by Ben Hirschler as well as a few other articles can help depict the problem that is of doctors prescribing antibiotics wrongly or excessively, which can led to becoming harmful to the body.
This turn of events presents us with an alarming problem. Strains of bacteria that are resistant to all prescribed antibiotics are beginning to appear. As a result, diseases such as tuberculosis and penicillin-resistant gonorrhea are reemerging on a worldwide scale (1). Resistance first appears in a population of bacteria through conditions that favor its selection. When an antibiotic attacks a group of bacteria, cells that are highly susceptible to the medicine will die.
It is fascinating how many natural remedies have been used for oral health care over time. Honey is one of the most common antimicrobials due to its peroxide content which moisturizes the mouth while healing oral wounds. In the early 1200s, honey was traded in Latvia and Riga for its healing properties (Garlough, 2016). Native Americans used purple coneflowers, as an essential antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal herb. In today’s society, the coneflower is better known as Echinacea, which has immune system boosting properties. Myrrh is usually remembered as a spice gifted to Jesus of Nazareth by the three wise men but it was used as an antiseptic by ancient Chinese, Egyptian, Arab and African cultures. By rinsing out your mouth or applying
The most effective way to combat pathogenic bacteria which invade the body is the use of antibiotics. Overexposure to antibiotics can easily lead to resistant strains of bacteria. Resistance is dangerous because bacteria can easily spread from person to person. Simple methods for preventing excessive bacterial spread are often overlooked. Not all preventative measures are even adequate. Doctors and patients often use antibiotics unnecessarily or incorrectly, leading to greater resistance. Antibiotics are used heavily in livestock and this excessive antibiotic use can create resistant bacteria and transfer them to humans. In order to reduce resistant bacteria,
Peppermint is said to believe to have many benefits regarding health of the human body. Although many people relate peppermint to the extract we put in foods to give it flavor around the holidays, peppermint oil is used in aroma therapy. Some of its usage is for helping irritable bowel syndrome, indigestion, relieves headaches, and improves mental focus. Due to the many health advantages of peppermint oil, it has become a common essential oil used in modern day aroma therapy.
Antimicrobial Packaging: Edible films are produced which incorporate cinnamon, zinc, calcium, oregano oil or other materials that can kill bacteria.