First discovered in 1918, antibiotics have been revolutionary in preserving and extending human life; they are, perhaps, the single most important discovery of modern medicine. Antibiotics successfully treat infections that used to cause death, such as pneumonia and appendicitis, and render invasive surgical procedures possible.
Some people are unaware that many common antibiotics, such as penicillins, aminoglycosides, and macrolides, are naturally occurring molecules isolated from other bacteria or fungi that, today, are pharmaceutically produced in a lab. This article reviews some of the common, naturally occurring antimicrobial sources.
Plants and herbs contain many bioactive constituents that can help fight common infections. Many of these are culinary herbs that have been traditionally used in food preservation. Plants that have shown antibacterial efficacy in vitro include cloves, garlic, ginger, mint, myrrh, oregano, thyme, and rosemary.
Additionally, herbal medicines like goldenseal and echinacea as well as food-based derivatives such as probiotics, cranberry, and honey have demonstrated, in clinical trials, infection-fighting properties.
Natural products for wellness
Probiotics
Beneficial bacteria that live in our bodies, probiotics live in the digestive tract and on skin and mucosal surfaces, where they function as regulators of immune function. Probiotics compete with other species of (infectious) bacteria to limit their growth and ability to cause infection. Probiotics also communicate with immune cells in the gut and improve the cells’ ability to fight infection systemically.
Probiotics have shown efficacy, for example, in reducing pneumonia among critically ill patients, group B streptococcus infection rates in pregnant women, and rotavirus gastrointestinal infection among children. As well, probiotic usage may help increase the effectiveness of antibiotic therapy in eradicating certain bacteria, such as Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori), a common infection affecting the stomach.
Perhaps most importantly, taking probiotics concurrently with a prescribed course of antibiotics has been shown to dramatically decrease the rate of developing a difficult bacterial infection. Clostridium difficile (C. diff) is a gastrointestinal infection that may occur as a result of antibiotic treatment and can be devastating, especially for the elderly.
A meta-analysis of 19 studies and more than 6,200 patients found that administration of probiotics to hospitalized patients reduced the rate of C. diff infection by over 50 percent, and that this effect was strongest if probiotics were started on the same day as antibiotics.
Honey
Honey is well known for its ability to promote wound healing. Studies of hospitalized patients have found that application of honey-based dressings shorten wound healing time and hospital stay compared to standard iodine dressings or standard care. Honey has been shown to reduce the bacterial load of wounds infected with Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus and improve healing.
Garlic
Garlic has well-known antibacterial and antifungal properties; it may help improve eradication rates of H. pylori when combined with antibiotic triple therapy; and a proprietary garlic product has been shown to reduce vaginal candida infection. Topical garlic extract and royal jelly has been shown to improve healing of MRSA-infected cells in vivo. Garlic may also help improve proliferation and activity of T cell lymphocytes and NK cells, which are important in fighting infection.
Goldenseal
In vitro evidence shows that Hydrastis canadensis (goldenseal) extract containing alkaloids berberine, hydrastine, and canadine, exerts activity against MRSA bacteria. Berberine has also been shown, in cell lines, to exert antifungal and anti-biofilm effect (biofilms being a mechanism of chronic bacterial infections).
Naturopathic doctors often use goldenseal in the treatment of bacterial pharyngitis, sinusitis, and intestinal infections.
Echinacea
Echinacea has also shown, in lab tests, to increase immune system CD4 (helper) T cells, B cell proliferation, and NK cell activity. A 2024 meta-analysis of 30 clinical trials found that use of echinacea preventively or in the early treatment of respiratory infection reduced recurrent infections, infection complications, the overall need for antibiotics, and the total days of antibiotic usage.
Oregano
Two constituents of oregano oil, carvacrol and thymol, have shown antibacterial activity against a number of bacteria, in vitro, including Streptococcus mutans, Cronobacter sakazakii, and Escherichia coli O157:H7 along with surface-dwelling bacterial pathogens.
Antibiotic resistance
Widespread overuse of antibiotic medications has led to the development of antibiotic resistant bacteria. This means that select species of bacteria have now developed ways to survive antibiotic treatment, necessitating the use of different, more expensive, less effective, or more toxic antibiotic regimens.
Examples of this include organisms such as E. coli colonizing the urinary tract, H. pylori that colonize the gastric mucosa, group A streptococcus that is responsible for causing strep throat, methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) which colonizes the skin, and vancomycin-resistant enterococcus (VRE) in the gut.
Global burden of antibiotic resistance
According to the World Health Organization, “antimicrobial resistance is one of the top public health and development threats,” directly responsible for an estimated 1.27 million global deaths in 2019.
To combat the rise of antibiotic resistance, health professionals are being urged to limit unnecessary antibiotic prescriptions for conditions such as ear infections, pharyngitis, and the common cold.
The single most important thing we can do to preserve our antibiotics is to avoid using them unnecessarily. We can use national health products to help reduce the need for antibiotics as well as to potentiate their use when necessary.
Herbal therapy vs conventional treatment
In patients with mild to moderate acne, where antibiotic treatment is often utilized, a 2022 study published in Dermatology and Therapy found that the use of a symbiotic formula containing a combination of probiotic strains with botanical extracts effectively reduced inflammatory lesions, sebum production, and desquamation.
Consult a licensed naturopathic doctor to find out what protocol might be best for you.
Plants with antimicrobial properties
These plants have shown promise in future development of antibiotics from natural sources:
· garlic (Allium sativa)
· cloves (Syzygium aromaticum)
· oregano (Origanum species)
· thyme (Thymus vulgaris)
· myrrh (Commiphora myrrh)
· ginger (Ginger officinale)
· goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis)
· cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon)
· peppermint (Mentha x piperita)
· rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis)
· turmeric (Curcuma longa)
· tea tree oil (Melaleuca alternifolia)
· apple cider vinegar
· aloe vera (Aloe barbadensis miller)
· witch hazel (Hamamelis virginiana L.)
This article was originally published in the September 2024 issue of alive magazine.
