Substantive consultation by Professor Krystyna Skalicka-Wozniak, Head of the Department of Chemistry of Products of Natural Origin, Faculty of Pharmacy, Lublin University of Medical Sciences. Since 2019, she is also a visiting professor at the Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, University of Bern (Switzerland).
Her scientific work focuses on the search for secondary metabolites in medicinal plants with targeted pharmacological activity. He mainly focuses on the procognitive, anti-anxiety and anti-epileptic effects of isolated compounds. He seeks new solutions to rapidly evaluate their biological activity. It is a national leader in the implementation of countercurrent chromatography in the isolation of active compounds from a complex biological matrix.
What is geraniol?
Geraniol is a component of essential oils. Its presence has been found in many plant species. It is found, for example, in lemongrass or scented geranium, which is the richest source of this substance. Geraniol, despite its simple structure, exhibits a range of activities.
Its antibacterial and mite-killing activities are worthy of mention. These properties, in particular, offer great hope to patients struggling with house dust mite allergies. It can also help people who are undergoing immunotherapy or are ineligible for it. However, let’s start at the beginning.
Geranium oil has been quite popular for decades. After all, it was not without reason that our grandmothers planted geraniums on the balcony. In addition to their beautiful appearance, the flowers protected against all sorts of insects.
– Speaking of geraniol, it is worth noting that it is a compound commonly used in many cosmetics, deodorants and perfumes. They owe their citrus and rose fragrance to it. The production of geraniol exceeds 1 000 tonnes per year,’ says Professor Krystyna Skalicka-Woźniak, Head of the Department of Chemistry of Natural Products at the Faculty of Pharmacognosy and Pharmaceutical Botany of the Medical University of Lublin. – Geraniol is a compound with a proven multidirectional action and great potency
Studies have confirmed its anticancer, liver-protective and even antidepressant effects. Furthermore, the antimicrobial properties of this compound have been found for bacteria such as Haemophilus influenzae, Staphylococcus aureus and mycobacteria, for example. For many years, geraniol has also been known for its effectiveness in repelling mosquitoes and ticks. Since this compound is effective against insects, scientists began to study it in more depth. They have found that it also has a killing property against mites.
Geraniol against mites
As it turns out, the anti-mite effect of geraniol does not only apply to the most common, commonly occurring species of these arachnids. It also affects the less common but equally troublesome varieties. Among them are: the small mite, scabies and the hopper spider mite.
– What is particularly noteworthy is that the use of even small doses of geraniol allows us to effectively deal with house dust mites, assures Prof. K. Skalicka-Wozniak.
Research in this context is devastating for synthetic equivalents of the natural compound. It turns out that benzyl benzoate, for example, needs to be used as much as 35 times more than geraniol to achieve the same effect against mites.
– In the case of synthetic mite killers, we must also bear in mind their potential toxicity. The aforementioned benzyl benzoate is often used to protect against mites. However, in higher concentrations it can cause dryness and irritation of the skin, and irritation of the respiratory tract when inhaled. The environmental impact of benzyl benzoate is also not insignificant.
Natural and safe
This substance is classified as hazardous to the aquatic environment. Geraniol, on the other hand, is a safe compound. Its strength from nature is a really good alternative,’ explains Prof. K. Skalicka-Wozniak. – In the case of geraniol, we can rest assured that if it gets on the skin or even in the mouth, it will not pose a threat to us.
At this point it is also worth mentioning that, according to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), geraniol is classed as generally regarded as safe (GRAS) and is a food additive. However, some allergy sufferers have concerns about using geraniol. Why? Because they are afraid of developing a contact allergy after using this substance, after all, it is used in patch skin tests.
Our expert reassures allergy sufferers: – In patch tests, the concentration of geraniol is very high and the skin contact lasts for several hours or more. Contact allergy symptoms may then appear in sensitised individuals, however, the geraniol concentrations usually used in anti-mite preparations are low and therefore safe, adds Prof. K. Skalicka-Wozniak.
Given the current state of research, can geraniol be called the gold standard for relieving dust mite allergy sufferers? All indications are that it is an ideal alternative in the fight against nuisance arachnids. On the other hand, ongoing research clearly indicates that nature is worth trusting when it comes to geraniol.
Given the current state of research, can geraniol be called the gold standard for relieving dust mite allergy sufferers? All indications are that it is an ideal alternative in the fight against nuisance arachnids. On the other hand, ongoing research clearly indicates that nature is worth trusting when it comes to geraniol.
Wojciech Ziemichód
