The next new acne treatment may be found in the produce section of your food store.
Largely due to its anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties, the herb thyme -- which is found with other herbs in the produce section of most food stores -- may well earn itself a place in the skin care section of your local drug store.
Researchers from Leeds Metropolitan University in the U.K. steeped thyme, marigold, and myrrh in alcohol to make what's called a tincture, and then tested them on the bacteria that cause acne. They all had greater antibacterial effect after five minutes compared to lab specimens exposed to plain alcohol, but thyme was the most potent.
In fact, the thyme tincture was more powerful than standard concentrations of benzoyl peroxide, which is the active ingredient in many acne products. The new findings were presented at the Society for General Microbiology's Spring Conference in Dublin.
"If thyme tincture is proven to be as clinically effective as our findings suggest, it may be a natural alternative to current treatments," researcher Margarita Gomez-Escalada, PhD, says in a news release. "The problem with treatments containing benzoyl peroxide is the side effects they are associated with," namely a burning sensation and skin irritation.
Largely due to its anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties, the herb thyme -- which is found with other herbs in the produce section of most food stores -- may well earn itself a place in the skin care section of your local drug store.
Researchers from Leeds Metropolitan University in the U.K. steeped thyme, marigold, and myrrh in alcohol to make what's called a tincture, and then tested them on the bacteria that cause acne. They all had greater antibacterial effect after five minutes compared to lab specimens exposed to plain alcohol, but thyme was the most potent.
In fact, the thyme tincture was more powerful than standard concentrations of benzoyl peroxide, which is the active ingredient in many acne products. The new findings were presented at the Society for General Microbiology's Spring Conference in Dublin.
"If thyme tincture is proven to be as clinically effective as our findings suggest, it may be a natural alternative to current treatments," researcher Margarita Gomez-Escalada, PhD, says in a news release. "The problem with treatments containing benzoyl peroxide is the side effects they are associated with," namely a burning sensation and skin irritation.
