Re: scratches

["Susan Garlinghouse" <suendavid@worldnet.att.net>]

>
> >Having had only one micro
> >class in college years ago I can't recall either
> >oregano or thyme killing bacteria.
>
> IIRC, thymol is bacteriocidal.  I  believe it's in Listerine, in fact.
>                   --CMNewell, DVM
>


I don't have any experience with essential oils, either, except that they
smell nice in homemade soap. :-)    However, I do remember my micro labs
where we did the cute little test where you put a drop of different
antiseptics on a culture plate with a mixed bacteria population and then
later measured the diameter of the "cleared" spot to gauge efficacy of the
antiseptic.  Listerine did next to nothing to kill bugs, gentian violet (the
stuff in the Blue Lotion) did the best job.  But against fungus, who knows.

FWIW, the one time I had a bad case of scratches on my Saddlebred (this is
way back), my old trainer told me to pack sauerkraut, juice and all, around
the area and leave it for three days.  I thought he was pulling my leg, but
it did work, it's apparently an old cowboy remedy and I s'pose it's a
"natural" remedy if you're adverse to chemicals.  My guess is the vinegar is
acidic enough to suppress the buggies and the salt solution pulls out the
edema.  Anyway, just another option.

Susan G