Table 1.
Trial demographics Abbreviations: Upper respiratory tract infection (URTI).
| Author date | Country | Condition | Treatment | EO Dose per day/ number of days | Sample size (Total: treatment; placebo; comparators |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Federspil [1] | Germany | Acute sinusitis | Myrtol1 standardised capsules (300 mg EO per capsule) Comparable EO (unspecified) |
1200 mg/ 6-8 days | 330: 109; 111; 110 |
| Gillissen [2] | Germany | Acute bronchitis onset < 2 days | Myrtol® (GeloMyrtol®®Forte) capsules (300 mg EO per capsule) | 1200 mg/ 14 days | 398: 196; 202 |
| Matthys [3] | Germany | Acute bronchitis onset < 5 days | Myrtol®® standardised capsules (300 mg EO per capsule) (comparators cerufoxime & ambroxol) | 1200 mg/ 14 days | 681: 170; 172; 171; 163 |
| Duijker [4] | Crete | Upper respiratory tract infections -URTI –51% viral | Blend of 3 Cretan herb2 essential oils, (52% carvacrol; 12 % eucalyptol) in extra virgin olive oil, capsules | 13 mg/ 7 days | 105: 54; 51 |
| Dejaco [5] | Austria & Poland | Acute (rhino-) sinusitis Onset 3-5 days |
Tavipec3 – Spike Lavender (Lavandula latifolia) capsules | 900 mg/7 days | 288: 147; 141 |
| Kähler [7] | Austria & Poland | Acute bronchitis onset =<2 days | Tavipec®® – Spike Lavender (Lavandula latifolia) capsules | 900 mg/ 10 days | 269: 134;135 |
| Ben-Arye [8] | Israel | URTI - diagnosed as pharyngotonsillitis, viral laryngitis, or viral tracheitis | Blend of 5 essential oils (3% v/v in Polysorbate 80)4, throat spray delivering 0.1 ml per spray | 42.24 mg (4 sprays x 4 times) over 20 minutes day 1; 52.8 mg (4 sprays x 5) on days 2 and 3 | 60: 36; 24 N.B. the placebo was 0.1% of a Lemon VIP additive (Florasynth) |
Myrtol standardised to at least 75 mg 1,8-cineole, 75 mg limonene, 20 mg alpha-pinene per 300 mg capsule, taken from oils of Myrtle and Lemon (from product information leaflet).
Three Cretan Herbs - Essential oils of Spanish oregano (Coridothymus capitatus (L.) Rchb. f. synonym of Thymbra capitata (L.) Cav.); Cretan dittany (Origanum dictamnus L.); Sage (Salvia fruticosa Mill., Salvia pomifera L.) blended in extra virgin olive oil 15 ml/L (a 1.5% v/v blend) ratio not specified.
Tavipec – Spike Lavender (Lavandula latifolia). The main components of Spike Lavender are the monoterpenes linalool, 1,8-cineol and camphor in concentrations of 34-50%, 16-39% and 8-16% as sourced from the European Pharmacopoeia (http://online6.edqm.eu/ep800/).
Five essential oils in blend – Lemon Eucalyptus (Eucalyptus citriodora), (10%), Eucalyptus Blue Gum (Eucalyptus globulus) (20%), Peppermint (Mentha × piperita) (20%), Syrian Oregano or Za’atar (Origanum syriacum L.), (30%) Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis L.) (20%) dissolved in Polysorbate 80 to give a final concentration of 3% v/v essential oil.