Antibiotics are typically prescribed by your physician if, through microscopic examination, your body is infected by bacteria or virus or protozoa. If you have an open wound, if you have colds or flu, if you have those indications that you have infection, antibiotics are prescribed by your health care provider to either kill the microorganisms that invade your body or stop them from reproducing.

The pharmaceutical business has all types of antibiotics, those that would eradicate bacteria, virus or protozoa. They have different types of purposes. Some would disable the sheath that covers the cell of the bacteria. By destroying this membrane, the contents of the cell will spill off, resulting to death of the bacteria. There are also antibiotics which penetrates the contents of the cell, alter its functions and disable it from causing more disease, such as the case of the virus. The disadvantage of using artificial antibiotics, such as the drugs made from chemicals, is that it causes side effects or adverse effects. Many of the side effects of these drugs results to destruction of the good cells. Meaning, instead of just being selective in destroying the disease-causing cells, it also destroys the cells of the body.

Because of the specialized processes involved in the manufacturing of these pharmaceutical products, they are quite costly. There are alternatives to this, however. Nature has provided us with natural antibiotics. Taking them in the right amount will help, not just in getting rid of invading microorganisms, but it also serves as prophylaxis, or preventive medicine, for possible future infections. Below are some of the natural sources that are considered alternatives to antibiotics:

1. Echinacea

   If you have seen daisies, this is how Echinacea looks like. Aside from the petals, the flower has a large head in the middle. Echinacea has different species; some of the species of Echinacea have been thoroughly studied and was found out to be beneficial to the body. In the year 2007, The Lancet Infectious Diseases, a leading medical journal in the UK, has published a research that shows that Echinacea can help in fighting the effects of common colds. They were able to determine that Echinacea, by itself or taken in combination with other herbal plants, can help in the reducing chances of developing common colds. Additionally, the study was able to determine that the risk of becoming infected with common cold is lowered.

2. Garlic

   Among the plant foods, garlic is one of those considered as the pick of the bunch in controlling any types of infections caused by viruses or bacteria. But it became more of a legend when researchers have found out that it can also help in controlling infection of other microorganisms, such as worms and yeasts or fungi. In fact, a disulphide in garlic called ajoene is studied and was found out to help in preventing the infection of Candida albicans, a type of yeasts. For the victims of burns, crushed garlic applied to the wound prevent the invasion of Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

3. Goldenseal

   Another name for goldenseal is orange root. For years, goldenseal has been attributed with the description anticatarrhal, antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory. A decoction of goldenseal, when gargled, can actually remove canker sores in the mouth. Several studies were made and has found out that goldenseal does not actually have direct antimicrobial effect on the invading pathogens in the body. What usually happens is, when goldenseal touches the mucous membrane, the membrane produces more mucous. This mucous contains several antibiotic factors that can help in expunging the disease-causing microorganisms in the body.

4. Grapefruit Seed Extract

   The grapefruit alone is highly rich in vitamin C. Because of that, it is effective in preventing colds and other forms of infection. Lately, it is one of the top foods that are high in antioxidants. Now it turns out, its seeds are also beneficial as a natural antibiotic. When the grounded seeds are mixed with glycerin and taken as a food supplement, the extract has shown its antiviral, antifungal and antibacterial properties. There is however controversies still to be resolved regarding this claim. Studies are still in the process to find out if grapefruit seed extract is exactly what other people are claiming to have an effect on the body.

5. Oregano Oil

   Hippocrates, the Father of Western Medicine, treated oregano as an antiseptic. These days, oregano is bottled as “oil of oregano”. Oregano has two volatile oils called carvacrol and thymol. Both these oils have shown that they can stop the growth of several types of bacteria, especially Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. It is also effective in treating infections caused by Giardia lamblia. These findings were actually presented in 2001 during the annual meeting of the American College of Nutrition. In the study, it showed that these natural oils are working as an adjuvant, an immunological agent that changes the effect of other drugs, or as a replacement of other types of antibiotics.

6. Ginseng

   Ginseng has been used in China for centuries as a medicine. It helps in lowering the blood sugar; therefore it is effective for those suffering from diabetes. It has also shown that it can help improve memory and learning. As to it being an alternative antibiotic, ginseng, or man root, has shown to be effective for those suffering from acute bronchitis. There are also studies that showed that it can improve how the body can respond to flu vaccines. This evidence was published in the International Health News Database.

7. Tea Tree Oil

   A research that was presented during the meeting of the Society for General Microbiology recently showed eight plant essential oils that were tested for its activity as antimicrobial. One of these is the tea tree oil, which has been used by the Australian aborigines. For the aborigines, this essential oil is effective in treating sore throats, colds, insect bites and skin infections. There is also another study that disclosed that if tea tree oil is mixed with silver nitrate, their antibiotic activity is increased. When they tried to apply this concoction to microorganisms that cause skin infections, such as Staphylococcus aureus and Candida albicans, the bacteria were killed.

Sources
livestrong.com
findarticles.com
modernalternativemama.com
positivehealth.com