We get questions around how to use Marseilles Remedy all the time. Recently, a client wrote in about the cuts and bruises her daughter had sustained while playing rugby. As with many clients her main questions were:
- Should we just put it on the potentially infected area, and
- Will Marseilles Remedy treat infection?
- Can Marseilles Remedy help with bruising and contusions?
- Should she take it orally as well?
As always I have to preface any response with this:
For liabilities sake, I need to make a few statements before giving any advice:
I am not a doctor so I cannot give medical advice. I have a background in chemistry and biotechnology. I can tell you my personal experience, but what works for me may not work for you. Any treatment you decide should be under the guidance of a medical professional. And always perform a skin test to ensure that our products to not cause irritation. Use in moderation and discontinue use immediately if our product causes irritation.
Ok, now that’s out of the way…
Here is my response. As always, if you have any further questions we are always happy to respond to any emails you have.
Can you use Marseilles Remedy (or “Thieves Style” essential oils) topically over the infected/ bruised area and would there be any benefits taking it orally too?
In my opinion, yes. Years ago I was camping and I cut my hand. We were on Sorona Island the closest doctor was almost a day away by land and boat. My hand got infected and I applied Marseille’s Remedy around the cut ever couple hours and within a day the infect had drastically diminished.
Also, I’ve found when I catch a boil in its early stages and I applied either our balm or oil to it, it does not form a nasty white head.
What are the antibacterial elements in Marseilles Remedy? What makes it effective for infections?
I believe the most effective component of Marseille’s Remedy when treating topical infections is the 1,4-cineole from the Blue Mallee Eucalyptus (Blue Mallee from Australia has the highest concentration of cineole).
Cineole is a very light and highly penetrating compound and especially effective against S.aureus, also known as staph, (the most common cause of bacterial skin infections). Eucalyptus oil was actually used all the way into the ’60s as a hospital sanitizer and the smell is still associated with hospitals. My mom, who was a nurse for decades, told me cineole is still used to sterilize some catheters.
I would consult a doctor, do some research, and find what works best in your particular situation.
Here is a list of neat articles on essential oils and infection you may find helpful:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19576738
https://academic.oup.com/jac/article/64/6/1219/743860
https://bmcinfectdis.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12879-017-2451-4
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5541478/
Remember, when reading an article on the internet, ignore any article that is anecdotal (like my advice:). Get your facts from peer-reviewed articles only.
Just what is a cineole?
Cineole is a terpene (oily sap-like aromatic compound) produced naturally in abundance by the Eucalyptus tree. It has powerful antimicrobial properties and has been used for hundreds of years in plant medicine. It’s found in almost every cough medication (either listed as Eucalyptol, cineol, 1,8- or 1, 4- cineole, etc.)
Cineole is just one of the terpenes present in Marseille’s Remedy. There are many, and each has beneficial properties when treating different microbial infections. There is a wealth of research available on all of the naturally occurring terpenes in Marseille’s Remedy. If you are interested, you can find terpene profiles of each of the essential oils in Marseille’s Remedy on our quality assurance page: https://canadianorganic.org/wild-creek-naturals/
Hopefully, you find this helpful and don’t hesitate to contact me if you have more questions.
Our number is on the bottle:)
Kindly,
Casey Dalen
