A new study has revealed that a substance in oregano oil that gives the pizza herb its distinctive warm, aromatic smell and flavor, is effective against winter vomiting disease.
Dr Kelly Bright, who led the research at the University of Arizona said that carvacrol could potentially be used as a food sanitizer and possibly as a surface sanitizer, particularly in conjunction with other antimicrobials as it has a unique way of attacking the virus, which makes it an interesting prospect.
Norovirus, also known as the winter vomiting disease, is the leading cause of vomiting and diarrhoea around the world, but treating it with carvacrol be safe, non-corrosive and it won't produce any noxious fumes or harmful by-products.
The research was published in the Society for Applied Microbiology's Journal of Applied Microbiology.
