Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2021 May 14;26(10):2931.
doi: 10.3390/molecules26102931.

Multidisciplinary Studies of Folk Medicine "Five Thieves' Oil" (Olejek Pięciu Złodziei) Components

Przemysław Siejak  1 , Wojciech Smułek  2 , Farahnaz Fathordobady  3 , Anna Grygier  4 , Hanna Maria Baranowska  1 , Magdalena Rudzińska  4 , Łukasz Masewicz  1 , Małgorzata Jarzębska  5 , Piotr T Nowakowski  6 , Aleksandra Makiej  2 , Pardis Kazemian  7 , Paweł Drobnik  8 , Barbara Stachowiak  4 , Maciej Jarzębski  1 , Anubhav Pratap-Singh  3
Affiliations

Multidisciplinary Studies of Folk Medicine "Five Thieves' Oil" (Olejek Pięciu Złodziei) Components

Przemysław Siejak et al. Molecules. .

Abstract

To meet the growing interest in natural antibacterial agents, we evaluated the physicochemical and biological properties of the folk medicine known as "five thieves' oil" (Polish name: olejek pięciu złodziei). Five thieves' oil consists of a mixture of five oils: rosemary, lemon, clove, eucalyptus, and cinnamon. In this study, we performed gas chromatography, FTIR, and UV-vis spectroscopic analysis, as well as L-a-b color tests, contact angle determination, and surface tension determination. To verify its antibacterial activity, the metabolic activity and changes in cell membrane permeability of bacteria of the genus Pseudomonas were studied. As a result, it was found that among the constituent oils, the oils of clove and cinnamon were the least volatile and, at the same time, had the strongest antibacterial activity. However, a mix of all the oils also showed comparable activity, which was even more pronounced for the oils after 4 weeks of aging. This effect can be linked to the high content of terpene derivatives such as eugenol and cinnamaldehyde, which can cause changes in bacterial membrane permeability, affecting cell activity and survival. This study is the first to characterize the constituents of the popular folk medicine five thieves' oil, confirming and explaining its strong antibacterial activity, thus constituting a significant contribution to contemporary health education.

Keywords: Pseudomonas; antibacterial activity; essential oils; health education; spectrometry; terpenes.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
FTIR spectra of the examined oils.
Figure 2
Figure 2
UV–vis spectra of the examined oils.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Fluorescence patterns and representative fluorescence emission spectra of the examined oils.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Camera image (in the middle) and microscopic images (around) of the EOs and the oil mix.
Figure 5
Figure 5
L*a*b* color space diagram of the oils.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Refractive index of the oils. The different small letters indicate groups of the results that differ statistically significantly.
Figure 7
Figure 7
(A) EO droplets during surface tension measurements. (B) EO contact angle, surface tension, and droplet volumes values.
Figure 8
Figure 8
Changes in bacteria cell metabolic activity in (A) fresh oils, and (B) oils after 4 weeks. The different small letters indicate groups of the results that differ statistically significantly.
Figure 9
Figure 9
Changes in bacteria cell membrane permeability in (A) fresh oils, (B) oils after 4 weeks. The different small letters indicate groups of the results that differ statistically significantly.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Macwan S.R., Dabhi B.K., Aparnathi K.D., Prajapati J.B. Essential Oils of Herbs and Spices: Their Antimicrobial Activity and Application in Preservation of Food. Int. J. Curr. Microbiol. Appl. Sci. 2016;5:885–901. doi: 10.20546/ijcmas.2016.505.092. - DOI
    1. Blackaby A. The Hurst. [(accessed on 30 March 2021)]; Available online: http://www.hurstgreenhtc.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/The-Hurst-11lowr....
    1. Bakkali F., Averbeck S., Averbeck D., Idaomar M. Biological effects of essential oils—A review. Food Chem. Toxicol. 2008;46:446–475. doi: 10.1016/j.fct.2007.09.106. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Yen P.P.-L., Kitts D.D., Pratap Singh A. Natural Acidification with Low-pH Fruits and Incorporation of Essential Oil Constituents for Organic Preservation of Unpasteurized Juices. J. Food Sci. 2018;83:2039–2046. doi: 10.1111/1750-3841.14277. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Kitts D.D., Singh A., Fathordoobady F., Doi B., Pratap Singh A. Plant Extracts Inhibit the Formation of Hydroperoxides and Help Maintain Vitamin E Levels and Omega-3 Fatty Acids During High Temperature Processing and Storage of Hempseed and Soybean Oils. J. Food Sci. 2019;84:3147–3155. doi: 10.1111/1750-3841.14817. - DOI - PubMed

MeSH terms