Multidisciplinary Studies of Folk Medicine “Five Thieves’ Oil” (Olejek Pięciu Złodziei) Components
Przemysław Siejak,
Wojciech Smułek,
Farahnaz Fathordobady,
Anna Grygier,
Hanna Maria Baranowska,
Magdalena Rudzińska,
Łukasz Masewicz,
Małgorzata Jarzębska,
Piotr T. Nowakowski,
Aleksandra Makiej,
Pardis Kazemian,
Paweł Drobnik,
Barbara Stachowiak,
Maciej Jarzębski,
Anubhav Pratap-Singh
Affiliations
Przemysław Siejak
Department of Physics and Biophysics, Faculty of Food Science and Nutrition, Poznań University of Life Sciences, Wojska Polskiego 38/42, 60-637 Poznań, Poland
Wojciech Smułek
Institute of Chemical Technology and Engineering, Poznan University of Technology, Berdychowo 4, 60-637 Poznań, Poland
Farahnaz Fathordobady
Food, Nutrition and Health, University of British Columbia, 2205, East Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada
Anna Grygier
Department of Technology of Plant Origin Food, Faculty of Food Science and Nutrition, Poznan University of Life Sciences, ul. Wojska Polskiego 31, 60-624 Poznań, Poland
Hanna Maria Baranowska
Department of Physics and Biophysics, Faculty of Food Science and Nutrition, Poznań University of Life Sciences, Wojska Polskiego 38/42, 60-637 Poznań, Poland
Magdalena Rudzińska
Department of Technology of Plant Origin Food, Faculty of Food Science and Nutrition, Poznan University of Life Sciences, ul. Wojska Polskiego 31, 60-624 Poznań, Poland
Łukasz Masewicz
Department of Physics and Biophysics, Faculty of Food Science and Nutrition, Poznań University of Life Sciences, Wojska Polskiego 38/42, 60-637 Poznań, Poland
Małgorzata Jarzębska
Poznan University of Life Sciences, 60-624 Poznań, Poland
Piotr T. Nowakowski
Institute of Pedagogy, Rzeszów University, Jałowego 24, 35-010 Rzeszów, Poland
Aleksandra Makiej
Institute of Chemical Technology and Engineering, Poznan University of Technology, Berdychowo 4, 60-637 Poznań, Poland
Pardis Kazemian
Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University of British Columbia, 1103-6270 University Blvd, Biological Sciences Building, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada
Paweł Drobnik
Department of Orthopedics and Traumatology, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, 28 Czerwca 1956 135/147, 61-545 Poznań, Poland
Barbara Stachowiak
Department of Technology of Plant Origin Food, Faculty of Food Science and Nutrition, Poznan University of Life Sciences, ul. Wojska Polskiego 31, 60-624 Poznań, Poland
Maciej Jarzębski
Department of Physics and Biophysics, Faculty of Food Science and Nutrition, Poznań University of Life Sciences, Wojska Polskiego 38/42, 60-637 Poznań, Poland
Anubhav Pratap-Singh
Food, Nutrition and Health, University of British Columbia, 2205, East Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada
To meet the growing interest in natural antibacterial agents, we evaluated the physicochemical and biological properties of the folk medicine known as “five thieves’ oil” (Polish name: olejek pięciu złodziei). Five thieves’ oil consists of a mixture of five oils: rosemary, lemon, clove, eucalyptus, and cinnamon. In this study, we performed gas chromatography, FTIR, and UV–vis spectroscopic analysis, as well as L-a-b color tests, contact angle determination, and surface tension determination. To verify its antibacterial activity, the metabolic activity and changes in cell membrane permeability of bacteria of the genus Pseudomonas were studied. As a result, it was found that among the constituent oils, the oils of clove and cinnamon were the least volatile and, at the same time, had the strongest antibacterial activity. However, a mix of all the oils also showed comparable activity, which was even more pronounced for the oils after 4 weeks of aging. This effect can be linked to the high content of terpene derivatives such as eugenol and cinnamaldehyde, which can cause changes in bacterial membrane permeability, affecting cell activity and survival. This study is the first to characterize the constituents of the popular folk medicine five thieves’ oil, confirming and explaining its strong antibacterial activity, thus constituting a significant contribution to contemporary health education.