From Dr. Wenker…
Did you know that… Copaiba essential oil has shown to have many beneficial health effects!
A lesser known but scientifically well documented activity of Copaiba essential oil is its effect against bacteria or other infection-causing agents such as fungi. Several studies looked at the mechanism by which Copaiba is able to inhibit bacterial growth and they found that this essential oil can dissolve or severely damage some of the bacterial cell wall as it also does with the membranes of some parasites such as Leishmania.
The studies showed that Copaiba essential oils displayed activity against a wide variety of gram positive and negative bacteria, among them the bad staphylococcus aureus.
The picture shows intact colonies of staph aureus and below they way these colonies look after they got in contact with the essential oil. The typical grape-like structures start to disintegrate due to cell wall destruction causing the bacteria ultimately to die. It has been suggested that Copaiba should be used as an adjunct to wound healing.
In fact, the very first reports about Copaiba date back to 1625 when a Portuguese monk traveling with the Spaniards into the New World (South America) observed that animals with injuries rubbed themselves against Copaiba trees and that the natives used parts of the trees to support wound healing.
It is therefore no surprise that Copaiba has been found to be significantly effective in wound healing but also against acne, a skin condition which is made worse by bacterial super-infection.
Stay tuned for more information about this wonderful essential oil!