Hyssop (Oil of Oregano)
Though patentable antibiotic drugs, such as penicillin, were only discovered and prescribed by physicians in recent decades, Jewish priests utilized natural antibiotics, which may be as powerful as modern drugs. Here is the Biblical advice for cleansing when handling the dead: “And a clean person shall take hyssop and dip it in the water, and sprinkle it on the tent and on all the furnishings and on the persons who were there.” [Numbers 19:18] The Psalm-ist says: “Purify me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.” [Psalms 51:7]
Dr. Cass Igram, in his book The Cure Is In The Cupboard [Knowledge House, Buffalo Grove, Illinois, 1997], notes that hyssop in the Bible is really what we know today as oregano, a commonly used spice. Unfortunately, most of the oregano purchased in food stores today is actually marjoram, which is also known as “sweet oregano.” Only wild oregano (origanum vulgare) contains essential oils that are rich in carvacrol and thymol, types of phenol antiseptics. While many spices, such as basil, mustard, bay leaf and coriander, have ability to kill off germs, it is oregano that exhibits superior anti-fungal activity. [International Journal Food Microbiology, 6: 263, 1988] Oregano was used traditionally by herbalists dating as far back as 3000 B.C. with the Assyrians. Oil of oregano kills off fungi and bacteria and should be included among the list of natural antibiotics. The hyssop (Herbrew: ezob) of the Old Testament (origanum maru var. aegyptiacum) should be distinguished from the hyssop of the New Testament (sorghum vulgare var. durra) which was combined with vinegar on a sponge and offered to Jesus on the Cross. [John 19: 28-29]
Garlic is another natural antibiotic mentioned frequently in the Bible and used as an herb by Egyptian and other healers of antiquity. The antibiotic activity of garlic is considered to be “quite remarkable.” As early as 1858, Louis Pasteur tested the antibacterial properties of garlic and onion and found they killed or stopped the bacterial growth in culture dishes in his laboratory. Despite Pasteur’s findings, as antibiotic activity from mold was discovered by Alexander Fleming in 1922, and then pharmaceutical companies patented and profited from antibiotic drugs, garlic was disregarded and only considered a folk remedy for infections. History has conveniently been written to attribute the discovery of antibiotics to Fleming rather than Pasteur.
Even strongly diluted garlic preparations can kill many forms of bacteria, as well as fungi and viruses. One scientific report shows that fresh-crushed garlic can kill bacteria at a distance of 20 centimeters (about 8 inches) by its vapor alone. Compared on an equal weight basis, penicillin is 50 times stronger than allicin, the active ingredient in garlic. The antibiotic activity of 1 milligram of allicin equals the antibiotic activity of 15 units of penicillin. [Garlic, The Science and Thera-peutic Application, HP Koch, LD Lawson, 2nd edition, William and Williams, Baltimore, 1996] However, garlic kills a wider variety of bugs, and does not induce the problem of antibiotic resistance. Garlic can also be consumed as a preventive against infection, whereas antibiotic drugs can only be prescribed after an infection is diagnosed. Garlic has advantages over, and is safer than, antibiotic drugs. [Garlic, Nature’s Original Remedy, Fulder S, Blackwood J, Healing Arts Press, Roch-ester, Vermont, 1991]
Some antibiotics work by inhibition of cell-wall degrading enzymes. Garlic was tested against two common antibiotic drugs, tetracycline and streptomycin, and found to be equally effective as drugs at inhibition of growth and enzyme production. [Hindustan Antibiotic Bulletin 37: 44, 1995]
Aloe vera
Aloe vera, often used topically to help heal wounds, bites and burns, is another potent antibiotic in the digestive tract when consumed orally. [Economic Botany 17: 46, 1963; International Journal Dermatology 30: 679, 1991]
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