In lieu of the current pandemic, I was inspired to search out scholarly sources to support (or disprove) the efficacy of essential oils in dealing with bacteria and viruses. To my delight I found many such articles using placebo-controlled, double-blind methods. One of these articles was a review of many studies that have been done, all pointing to the same conclusion: that essential oils, through different mechanisms, help to destroy bacterial, fungal, and viral species. Three plants stand out as particularly effective: Eucalyptus globulus, Cinnamomum zeylanicum, and Rosmarinus officianalis. In Microbiology Open, it was found that a combination of these essential oils were effective against H1N1 and HSV1 in addition to antibiotic‐resistant strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus MRSA, and Escherichia coli. These are exciting findings and should be considered not only amongst Naturopathic doctors, but also by the allopathic medical community.
Here are links to two articles:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5552930/
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0882401019304310
Be well!