Fighting fungi could be a matter of putting the commonly used natural beauty feature lavender oil to work.Lavender oil is among the most regularly used fragrances in perfumes, but has long been linked with benefits ranging from calming skin irritations to repelling mosquitoes.
Now researchers from Portugal's University of Coimbra have tested the oil in a laboratory setting and proved that at least some of the powers recognized to it are true.
In particular, they found the natural beauty ingredient to have antifungal effects against dermatophytes, which can cause athlete's foot, nail infections and ringworm.
The particular violet shrub tested was Lavandula viridis L'Her, which can be found in southern Portugal.
"In the last few years there has been an amplify in the incidence of fungal diseases, particularly among immunocompromised patients," say study leaders Professor Ligia Salgueiro and Professor Eugenia Pinto.
They add that essential oils could propose a low-cost substitute to antifungal drugs where the dermatophytes have built-up resistance to treatment.
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