Garden plants like garlic and onion can balance skin's bacterial community
Gourh KA, Kelkar Mane V
Medicinal Plants
Garlic and onion growing in your garden contain compounds that, applied to skin, could clear acne-causing bacteria while feeding the beneficial microbes that keep your complexion balanced.
Your skin hosts a community of bacteria, some helpful and some harmful. Scientists tested extracts from everyday plants and found that garlic and flaxseed could kill off the bacteria behind staph infections, while onion and a tropical herb called guduchi actually encouraged the growth of the 'good' bacteria that protect skin. The beneficial bacteria, when fed by these plant extracts, also produced compounds that help fight off the bad ones.
Key Findings
Flaxseed and garlic extracts achieved complete growth inhibition of Staphylococcus aureus within 6 hours.
Mango ginger extract halted Cutibacterium acnes (acne-causing bacteria) growth within 15 minutes.
Onion and guduchi selectively promoted Staphylococcus epidermidis (a beneficial skin commensal) while inhibiting pathogens; stimulated S. epidermidis produced elevated butyric and succinic acids with documented antibacterial activity.
chevron_right Technical Summary
Researchers found that extracts from common plants like flaxseed, garlic, mango ginger, onion, and guduchi can selectively target harmful skin bacteria while encouraging beneficial ones to thrive, offering a scientific basis for plant-derived prebiotic skincare products.
Abstract Preview
Original paper
Plant-based prebiotics to modulate skin microbiota: a novel approach for next-generation cosmeceuticals.
The skin microbiome maintains cutaneous homeostasis through colonization resistance and immune modulation, targeted prebiotic interventions however remain largely unexplored. The present study addr...
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