EDITORIAL

摘要

Last year in the UK, a research report was leaked to the press that certain essential oils were highly active in vitro against methicillin resistant Staphylo-coccus aureus (MRSA), one of the so called hospital 'super bugs'. This news rapidly spread worldwide and was featured in radio reports and newspaper articles. The deserved attention brought reward in the guise of funding to continue the work and develop a commercial product. For those of us involved in aromatherapy and essential oil research this news came as no surprise, since articles in the scientific press have been published for many years detailing the anti-MRSA activity of essential oils. What did come as a surprise was the amount of almost sensationalist publicity generated by the findings when after all, it is common knowledge that essential oils have great potential in this domain. It was, however, obviously not common knowledge to the medical profession, the press and the general public.