12 Essential Oil Actions for Germs & Contagious Sickness

Written By Kayla

Antibacterial

Essential oil that destroys or suppresses the growth or reproduction of bacteria: (If you’re looking to kill a specific bacteria, research it or the oil or both. HerbalGram, The Herbal Commission E, & NIH are great starting places for finding this kind of information backed by clinical studies - and that can apply to any plant for any medicinal purpose).

  • Anise (P. anisum)

  • Basil (Ocimum basilicum)

  • Bay (L. nobilis)

  • Benzoin (S. tonkinensis)

  • Bergamot (Citrus aurantium var. bergamia)

  • Black pepper (P. nigrum)

  • Cajuput (M. leucadendron var. cajuputi)

  • Cardamom (E. cardamomum)

  • Carrot seed (Daucus carota)

  • Chamomile Roman (C. nobile)

  • Cistus (Cistus ladaniferus)

  • Clove (S. aromaticum)

  • Eucalyptus (E. globulus)

  • Fennel (F. vulgare)

  • Fir needle (A. balsamea)

  • Garlic (A. sativum)

  • Geranium (P. graveolens)

  • Grapefruit (C. x paradisi)

  • Immortelle (H. italicum)

  • Lavender (L. angustifolia)

  • Lemon (Citrus limonum)

  • Marjoram (Origanum majorana)

  • Niaouli (M. quinquenervia)

  • Neroli (Citrus aurantium var. amara)

  • Oregano (Origanum vulgare)

  • Patchouli (Pogostemon cablin)

  • Peppermint (M. ×piperita)

  • Pine (P. sylvestris)

  • Ravensara (Cryptocarya agathophylla)

  • Rose (R. damascena)

  • Rosemary (R. officinalis)

  • Spearmint (Mentha spicata)

  • Tea tree Australia (M. alternifolia)

  • Tea tree New Zealand (L. scoparium)

  • Thyme (T. vulgaris)

  • Vetiver (V. zizanioides)

  • Yarrow (A. millefolium)

  • Ylang ylang (C. odorata var. genuina)

Antifungal

Essential oil that is effective against the reproduction or growth of Candida albicans and other fungi or yeast (see Fungicidal and Anti-mycotic):

  • Anise (P. anisum)

  • basil (O. basilicum)

  • bay (L. nobilis)

  • benzoin (S. tonkinensis)

  • black pepper (P. nigrum)

  • cajuput (M. leucadendron var. cajuputi)

  • cardamom (E. cardamomum)

  • carrot seed (D. carota)

  • cedarwood Atlas (C. atlantica)

  • chamomile Roman (C. nobile)

  • cinnamon (C. zeylanicum)

  • cistus (C. ladaniferus)

  • clove (S. aromaticum)

  • eucalyptus (E. globulus)

  • fennel (F. vulgare)

  • garlic (A. sativum)

  • geranium (P. graveolens)

  • ginger (Z. officinale)

  • immortelle (H. italicum)

  • jasmine (J. grandiflorum)

  • lemon (C. limonum)

  • marjoram (O. majorana)

  • niaouli (M. quinquenervia)

  • neroli (C. aurantium var. amara)

  • oregano (O. vulgare)

  • patchouli (P. cablin)

  • peppermint (M. ×piperita)

  • pine (P. sylvestris)

  • ravensara (C. agathophylla)

  • rose (R. damascena)

  • rosemary (R. officinalis)

  • sandalwood (S. album)

  • tea tree Australia (M. alternifolia)

  • tea tree New Zealand (L. scoparium)

  • thyme (T. vulgaris)

  • vetiver (V. zizanioides)

  • yarrow (A. millefolium)

  • ylang ylang (C. odorata var. genuina)

Antimicrobial

Essential oil capable of destroying micro-organisms or suppressing their

multiplication or growth (see Germicide):

  • Basil O. basilicum

  • bay L. nobilis

  • black pepper P. nigrum

  • cajuput M. leucadendron var. cajuputi

  • cardamom E. cardamomum

  • carrot seed D. carota

  • chamomile Roman C. nobile

  • cinnamon C. zeylanicum

  • cistus C. ladaniferus

  • clove S. aromaticum

  • coriander C. sativum

  • fennel F. vulgare

  • garlic A. sativum

  • immortelle H. italicum

  • lavender L. angustifolia

  • marjoram O. majorana

  • niaouli M. quinquenervia

  • neroli C. aurantium var. amara

  • oregano O. vulgare

  • patchouli P. cablin

  • peppermint M. ×piperita

  • pine P. sylvestris

  • ravensara C. agathophylla

  • rose R. damascena

  • sandalwood S. album

  • tea tree Australia M. alternifolia

  • tea tree New Zealand L. scoparium

  • thyme T. vulgaris

  • vetiver V. zizanioides

  • yarrow A. millefolium

  • ylang ylang C. odorata var. genuina

Anti-mycotic

Essential oil that can prevent or destroy the growth of fungi (see Antifungal and Fungicidal): Thyme T. vulgaris.

Antiseptic

Essential oil that prevents, resists, and counteracts putrefaction (decay); can be dispersed in air greatly reducing the presence of micro-organisms:

  • Anise P. anisum

  • basil O. basilicum

  • bay L. nobilis

  • benzoin S. tonkinensis

  • bergamot C. aurantium var. bergamia

  • black pepper P. nigrum

  • cajuput M. leucadendron var. cajuputi

  • cardamom E. cardamomum

  • cedarwood Atlas C. atlantica

  • chamomile Roman C. nobile

  • cinnamon C. zeylanicum

  • clove S. aromaticum

  • cypress C. sempervirens

  • eucalyptus E. globulus

  • fennel F. vulgare

  • fir needle A. balsamea

  • garlic A. sativum

  • geranium P. graveolens

  • ginger Z. officinale

  • grapefruit Citrus x paradisi

  • lavender L. angustifolia

  • lemon C. limonum

  • niaouli M. quinquenervia

  • neroli C. aurantium var. amara

  • oregano O. vulgare

  • patchouli P. cablin

  • peppermint M. ×piperita

  • pine P. sylvestris

  • ravensara C. agathophylla

  • rose R. damascena

  • rosemary R. officinalis

  • sandalwood S. album

  • sage S. officinalis

  • spearmint M. spicata

  • thyme T. vulgaris

  • tea tree Australia M. alternifolia

  • tea tree New Zealand L. scoparium

  • vetiver V. zizanioides

  • yarrow A. millefolium

  • ylang ylang C. odorata var. genuina

Antiviral

Essential oil that destroys or suppress the growth or reproduction of viruses:

  • Anise P. anisum

  • basil O. basilicum

  • bay L. nobilis

  • benzoin S. tonkinensis

  • bergamot C. aurantium var. bergamia

  • black pepper P. nigrum

  • cajuput M. leucadendron var. cajuputi

  • cardamom E. cardamomum

  • cinnamon C. zeylanicum

  • clove S. aromaticum

  • eucalyptus E. globulus

  • garlic A. sativum

  • immortelle H. italicum

  • jasmine J. grandiflorum

  • marjoram O. majorana

  • niaouli M. quinquenervia

  • patchouli P. cablin

  • peppermint M. ×piperita

  • pine P. sylvestris

  • ravensara C. agathophylla

  • rose R. damascena

  • sandalwood S. album

  • tea tree Australia M. alternifolia

  • tea tree New Zealand L. scoparium

  • thyme T. vulgaris

  • vetiver V. zizanioides

  • yarrow A. millefolium

  • ylang ylang C. odorata var. genuina

Disinfectant

Essential oil that can be used to eliminate many or all pathogenic micro-organisms:

  • Anise P. anisum

  • lemon C. limonum

  • patchouli P. cablin

  • pine P. sylvestris

  • rose R. damascena

  • sandalwood S. album

  • thyme T. vulgaris

  • ylang ylang C. odorata var. genuina

Fungicidal

Essential oil that is able to destroy a class of organisms, such as mold, mushrooms, or fungus (see Antifungal and Anti-mycotic):

  • fennel F. vulgare

  • oregano O. vulgare

  • rosemary R. officinalis

  • tea tree Australia M. alternifolia

  • tea tree New Zealand L. scoparium

  • thyme T. vulgaris

*You may also see listed as Fungicide.

Fungistatic

Essential oil that can inhibit fungi growth without destroying them: Vetiver V. zizanioides

Germicide

Essential oil that destroys pathogenic micro-organisms (see Antimicrobial):

Cinnamon C. zeylanicum and peppermint M. ×piperita

Antibiotic

Essential oil that destroys or suppresses the growth or reproduction of microorganisms: Garlic (Allium sativum)

Anti-infectious

Essential oil that can kill infectious agents or limit their spread: Patchouli (P. cablin)

Kayla

Hello and a warm welcome to Creative Mamas’ Collective - a place for creative moms to learn and connect with each other. I’m Kayla, the creative mama behind this wonderful place. I sincerely hope you enjoy your experience here. If you want to stay up-to-date on new content as it’s added, sign up to be a part of the Creative Mamas’ Collective and receive a weekly newsletter.

Happy living,

Kayla

Previous

2 Essential Oil Actions for Fevers
Next

5 Essential Oil Actions To Aid Pain