Bactericidial activities of plant essential oils

Uporaba eteričnih ulja počinje još u srednjem vijeku zbog njihovih baktericidnih, fungicidnih, antiparazitskih i insekticidnih svojstava. Koriste se u medicinske i kozmetičke svrhe. Otkriće antibiotika 1940-ih godina uvelike mijenja pristup zaraznim bolestima. Iako liječenje antibioticima ima veliki uspjeh, pretjerana uporaba antibiotika dovela je do pojave rezistentnosti bakterija na antibiotike. Zbog toga posljednjih desetljeća eterična ulja i razni biljni pripravci dobivaju na važnosti. Sve više se istražuju kao alternativna sredstva za liječenje raznih bolesti, ali i kao prirodni konzervansi u očuvanju hrane.Use of essential oils started in the middle age due to their bactericidal, fungicidal, antiparasitic and insecticidal properties. Essential oils are used for medical and cosmetic purposes. Discovery of antibiotics in 1940s has greatly changed the approach for infectious diseases treatments. Although the treatment with antibiotics have great success, excessive use of them lead to bacteria resistant to antibiotics commonly used to treat them. Because of that, last few decades, essential oils and herbal preparations had become more important. They are increasingly being explored like alternative treatments for contagious diseases, but also as a natural preservative in food production