Foodborne bacterial infections

The antibacterial activity of essential oils derived from a variety of aromatic herbs, including thyme oil, was investigated by a team from the Center for Studies in Animal and Veterinary Sciences in Portugal. They discovered that thyme oil, even in low quantities, has the potential to be used as a natural food preservative against numerous prevalent foodborne germs that cause human sickness.

A Polish study investigated the efficacy of thyme oil and lavender oil against resistant strains of Staphylococcus, Enterococcus, Escherichia, and Pseudomonas bacteria.