Can the thyme oil be an alternative treatment for human demodicosis?

Abstract

Background: Demodex mites can cause ocular demodicosis in humans. Natural products such as tea tree oil are used for ocular demodicosis, which can take a long time to treat. The aim of our study is to investigate the effects of some essential oils on in vitro mite lifespan. Methods: Eyelashes were examined under a light microscope. Mites were determined and the killing times of mineral oil, tea tree oil, black seed oil, St. John's Wort oil, sage oil and thyme oil were recorded. The active ingredients of thyme, tea tree and sage oils were determined by GC / MS method.Results: It was determined that 1% concentration of thyme oil has more effective killing time than 5% concentrations of tea tree oil and sage oil (p <0.0001). The most important active ingredients were carvacrol in thyme oil, terpinen-4-ol in tea tree oil, and 1.8-cineol in sage oil. Conclusion: Thyme oil was the most effective oil in killing mites. In addition, the first steps were taken that thyme oil and its products can be used in therapy.

Comparison of in vitro Killing Effect of Thai Herbal Essential Oils, Tea Tree Oil, and Metronidazole 0.75% versus Ivermectin 1% on Demodex folliculorum

“…Our findings and previous studies showed strong evidence that essential oil had a potentially effective acaricidal agent for Demodex mite. 11 , 13 , 14 The mechanism of action of essential oils against mites differs from ivermectin and metronidazole. Thai herbal essential oils, especially lemongrass, sweet basil, clove oil, and tea tree oil, should be considered an alternative acaricidal agent against Demodex mites.…”

“…15 Although the efficacies of essential oil against Demodex mites have already been reported, Thai herbal essential oils have yet to be discovered. 11,13,14 For the first time, the current study allowed us to study and compare Thai herbal essential oils, tea tree oil, and metronidazole 0.75%, with ivermectin 1%.…”

“…[8][9][10] Tea tree, sage, thyme, and salvia oil have been tested for the killing effect on Demodex mites. [11][12][13][14] The ability to kill Demodex mites of Thai herbal essential oils has never been explored, as well as metronidazole 0.75% and ivermectin 1%, commonly used in rosacea and demodicosis.…”

In vitro toxicity of combination of Amitraz and Carvacrol on Demodex canis

“…Previous studies have reported that different herbal essential oils and their bioactive components of them, especially tea tree oil have great acaricidal efficacy against mites of the Demodex genus ( Demodex folliculorum and Demodex brevis ) in humans ( Gao et al ., 2005 ; Savla et al ., 2019 ; Akkucuk and Kaya, 2022 ). Also, there was just one article that evaluates the in vitro acaricidal effect of tea tree oil as a herbal essential oil on D. canis mites ( Neves et al ., 2020 ).…”

“…Also, there was just one article that evaluates the in vitro acaricidal effect of tea tree oil as a herbal essential oil on D. canis mites ( Neves et al ., 2020 ). Despite thyme oil and carvacrol as the most important active ingredients, it was evaluated for the killing of D. folliculorum and D. brevis in humans and shown great and more effective mite killing in comparison with tea tree oil, black seed oil, St. John's Wort oil, and sage oil ( Akkucuk and Kaya, 2022 ). The efficacy of carvacrol against the D. canis has never been evaluated.…”