Grapefruit Seed Extract

[amz]

Sooo, I'm always on the lookout for safe disinfectants to use around my little parrot. I have used Oxyfresh for awhile, but having studied their marketing materials for awhile, I'm not sure where I got the germicidal idea for Oxy in the first place? Anyways. Still looking for other options, and while I'm at it, I figure I should keep the same sensitivity-idea in mind for the disinfectants I want to use on my massage equipment.

Came across this article among others that stated pretty much the same thing about GSE. Interesting! http://www.landofvos.com/articles/kitchen7.html

Anyone here use GSE as their primary disinfectant?

 

[lovelyartist]

Grapefruit seed extract is powerful stuff indeed! I'm not sure about using around the bird. Believe it or not---I once had staph infection and successfully used GSE to get rid of it. I have also used GSE to prevent dysentary from drinking same water that others were getting sick (was unable to boil or filter water at the time.)

It would be so cool if someone with a research background wanted to test for use in hospitals, since they have troubles with staph infections.

 

[matt !]

Disinfectant

A health & wellness company named Melaleuca makes a wonderful disinfectant out of pure thyme oil: in fact, it is 100% thyme oil and nothing else.

It works better than anything I have ever used, it smells great, it is safe to use on your tables and other equipment, and it is the only disinfectant on the market that is approved by the FDA that is not required to have on the label: "Unsafe for Humans and animals" (may not be exact wording--check your Lysol).

It is completely non-toxic for humans and animals, as are all of their wonderful products. Although the products are not less expensive than generic brands, they are definitely a better value than the name brands, and they are better products.

The membership that allows you to buy the products costs less than the cost of a BJ's, Sam's Club, or Costco membership. If you are interested, send me an e-mail at: pt@oaktreept.com.

Jon Ruttenberg, M.S., PT
President
Oak Tree Physical Therapy, LLC
3635 Old Court Road, Suite 311
Baltimore, MD 21208-3907
(800) 830-5949
(410) 580-0126 Local
pt@oaktreept.com
http://www.oaktreept.com
http://www.TheMARoller.com

 

[Stuart D]

Until it is decided if "yonah"'s post will remain, I wish to point out that his ad to buy a Melaleuca product is from an MLM (multi-level marketing) type of company. Notice, there is not an offer for you to buy the product, but to "become a member". Consider this before you decide to join the "club".

http://skepdic.com/mlm.html
http://www.mlm-thetruth.com/melaleuca.htm

 

[K K]

Interesting - I buy some Melaleuca products (without the membership, mind you), and I've never seen or heard of anything made out of thyme oil there! They use melaleuca oil.....otherwise known as tea tree oil. I have the latest catalog and see no mention of a new product using thyme.

 

[Tiara M.]

Melaleuca reply to Sharon & boofdorf (your screen name?)

Hi,

Great comments & question.

While Meleleuca does superficially resemble MLM, there are major differences between this company and the others. Probably this forum is not the place to discuss it, although I would be happy to do so. I can also discuss it privately if you e-mail or call me.

I will just say that I have a friend whose e-mail signature is, "Give a skeptic an inch, and he will measure it". My wife says that the only reason it is not also my signature is that I would have the ruler calibrated to make sure it measured the inch correctly!

I really investigated this company, and I can honestly say that the company, as a business, has excellent integrity. I am also crazy about their products, as they have proven to me to eclipse anything on the market in terms of safety, health & wellness, and value.

I truly hope that these postings are not considered "spam", as it seemed to me that they fell under the scope of this thread. Please let me know, because there is another massage tool product that has benefitted me personally as well as my patients, that I would also like to discuss in this forum.

Sharon, the name of the disinfectant is called Sol-U-Guard Botanical Disinfectant. I don't have the newest catalogue right in front of me, but I do have the introductory catalogue for new customers. Sol-U-Guard appears on page 66 of this catalogue (I'm sure you can find it in the new one).

With your permission, I will quote from their description of the product:

. . . "Sol-U-Guard Botanical contains the first botanical disinfectant formula approved by the EPA. When used on hard, nonporous surfaces, it's 99.99% effective against . . . salmonella, tuberculosis, staph, athlete's foot fungus, pseudomonas, HIV-1. The breakthrough ingredient in Sol-U-Guard Botanical is the antimicrobial essential oil from the herb thyme."

Although many, if not most, of their products do contain Tea Tree Oil (Melaleuca alternifolia - hence the name of the company), this product does not contain it. It is 100% thyme oil, and very concentrated.

As a non-member, Sharon, you would pay $10.00 for 16 oz. ($6.99 member price). A member can also get a 2-pack for $12.99, just a few dollars more than you would pay for one bottle as a non-member.

Tea Tree oil is also an amazing substance. So much so, in fact, that I am considering importing large quantities of it from Australia (the actual source). The FDA has approved its claims as an antiseptic, and it has many wonderful healing properties. I sliced my thumb open on a knife recently, and I cleaned it and used Tea Tree oil on it (from Melaleuca, although there are other sources from which to buy it), and it healed completely in 2 days! Your mileage may vary.

I welcome more discussion, and really, I hope this wasn't spam. I think everyone can benefit from these products. By the way, all of the company's claims about their products are solidly supported in peer-reviewed journal articles (references available upon request).

Yonah

 

[Julz]

No, it really isn't the place to discuss why Meleleuca company is "different." Every MLM is convinced their company is "different." I still feel like I got pitched.

I wish this stuff would get moderated (removed.)



(Okay you guys, you can all close your gaping mouths and wipe that incredulous look off your faces, yes, yes I did ask for post removal. That was not a typo.

: )

 

[Sanat]

Still lookin for GSE, personally. :shock: I do appreciate the qualities of tea tree oil, but I'm branching off to investigate other stuff. I think I'll try my local Whole Foods Market & see what I can find (for $$$$, lol)

 

[Sonal]

Backrubmonster is this the stuff you are looking for?
We used to have some of their liquid (for internal use) several years ago, I've never tried or known anyone who has used it for cleaning.
http://store.nutribiotic.com/pgi-customlistproducts?GSE%20LIQUID%20CONCENTRATE,2,157,=,gse
Seems kinda pricey to me for every day cleaning.

 

[vampyre4blood]

Whoa.... Yup, that's the stuff!! $290/gal?! :shock: lol. I guess I'll keep lookin.

Thanks!!

 

[DeeeeJay]

Well, maybe a little bit goes a long way?
Here is some info I found about actually cleaning with it.
http://okok.essortment.com/grapefruitsee_rbcp.htm
Where it says:

It is also a great germicidal cleaning solution for the home. Use a solution from ten drops of the extract to one quart of water and clean as normal. Besides ridding the house of germs, it also keeps it smelling clean and pure.

Or here it provides many household uses:
http://www.holistichealthtools.com/grapefruitseed-extract.html

More uses:
http://www.landofvos.com/articles/kitchen7.html

There is a product called BioKleen that has both Grapefruit seed extract and orange oils in it... and those products seem to be a bit cheaper. Not sure if that's what you're wanting though.

Hope you find what you're looking for!

 

[Neenee]

Another good use

I read a few years ago that GSE was the only thing that takes the waxes and pesticides off of fruits (e.g., apples) and vegetables. I went to several health food stores, but they only had pills/capsules, so I gave up on it.

Thanks for the product info! It does seem that a little goes a long way (concentrated!).

Yonah
http://www.oaktreept.com
http://www.TheMARoller.com

 

[Jena]

Well, maybe a little bit goes a long way?
Here is some info I found about actually cleaning with it.
http://okok.essortment.com/grapefruitsee_rbcp.htm
Where it says:

It is also a great germicidal cleaning solution for the home. Use a solution from ten drops of the extract to one quart of water and clean as normal. Besides ridding the house of germs, it also keeps it smelling clean and pure.

Or here it provides many household uses:
http://www.holistichealthtools.com/grapefruitseed-extract.html

More uses:
http://www.landofvos.com/articles/kitchen7.html

There is a product called BioKleen that has both Grapefruit seed extract and orange oils in it... and those products seem to be a bit cheaper. Not sure if that's what you're wanting though.

Hope you find what you're looking for!

YAY!!! Thanks so much for the extra info. t049 The BioKleen stuff looks great - it's funny that they mostly apply the information to boats

Yanno, while looking, I also found a product called Oxine, which is actually the same active ingredient as Oxyfresh, a stablized molecule that is actually 10x as effective as bleach?! and safe enough to drink?! woooh. You know you're a massage therapist when you geek out over non-toxic virucides. LOL

 

[HaiThangThaiTu]

Disinfectant

Sorry, going back to the hijack part of teh thread....

A health & wellness company named Melaleuca makes a wonderful disinfectant out of pure thyme oil: in fact, it is 100% thyme oil and nothing else.
>>>>>>>>
It is completely non-toxic for humans and animals.

One of the major contituants of thyme essential oil is thymol, which is sold as hospital grade disinfectant. It is a known skin irritant, and may be hepatoxic to damaged livers (as are quite a few essential oils) Thyme oil has been banned from being used in toothpaste due to causing ulcerations with continued use. That doesn't sound safe for humans to me, and certainly not safe for animals.
It's one of the essential oils used neat in YL's Raindrop Therapy, which is why I have problems with YL's Raindrop Therapy - they say the heat sensation means it is working and totally safe, chemistry says the heat sensation is a chemical burn.
There are various species and chemotypes of Thyme oil available. Maybe they use one of the milder versions (I think the carvacrol is the main concern (high concentrations found in Oregano, another YL Raindrop oil!), maybe they are removing that, but thymol is not recognised as safe either)

carvacrol http://physchem.ox.ac.uk/MSDS/ME/2-methyl-5-(1-methylethyl)phenol.html (you'll need to copy and paste to get the whole link)
thymol http://physchem.ox.ac.uk/MSDS/TH/thymol.html

Take out the thymol and carvacrol and you're not really left with anything resembling thyme oil

 

[Told You So]

I have to back Yonah on this one. I have recently joined Melaleuca and their products are awesome. The business model is pretty gresat, especially for a 2nd income for massage therapists. I also have to mention that I looked at the skepdic.com website and he had this to say about Massage Therapy:

Something that "can help" with so many disorders and dysfunctions should be very popular. According to the AMTA, Americans spend from $2 billion to $4 billion per year on massage therapy. However, "can help with" is an empty claim, and those with serious medical problems such as cardiac problems, depression, or sinusitis would do well to consult a physician.

Since massage therapy is essentially an unregulated profession, making claims that massage therapists are qualified to treat medical conditions such as allergies, infectious diseases, phlebitis, and the like, seems like quackery. This has not stopped the profession from expanding to the point where even dogs and horses can get a healing massage

 

[Silly Turtle]

YAY!!! Thanks so much for the extra info. t049 The BioKleen stuff looks great - it's funny that they mostly apply the information to boats

Someone beat me to recommending BioKleen. I use all their products, and recommend everything except the dishwasher detergent. I especially like the laundry detergent and the all purpose liquid.

Noel