“What does winter associate with you?” My winter is associated, first of all, with miracles. From indescribably beautiful landscapes to the fulfillment of New Year's wishes. And only in winter is a series of holidays that are not there at other times of the year. Winter is a lot of snow, wind, skiing, sledding, ice skating. And, unfortunately, winter is the peak of the development of human colds.
In the spring and winter, people lack vitamins and therefore the percentage of acute respiratory (cold) diseases rises sharply: from a common cold to severe forms of flu. People spend a lot of money on the treatment and prevention of these diseases. In our family, it is customary to eat more garlic and onions in the winter. My parents always told me that onions and garlic protect against flu and colds in winter and early spring. Since various microorganisms are the causative agents of colds, I decided to check whether onions and garlic (or rather the substances that they contain - phytoncides) can inhibit the development of these microorganisms, thereby preventing colds.
Research hypothesis: there is an opinion that if you use the medicinal properties of onions and garlic, you can avoid acute respiratory infections in the winter, because volatile inhibit the growth and development of pathogens.
Objective: to investigate the phytoncidal properties of onions, garlic on the development of microorganisms (molds).
Research Objectives:
- To study the literature and resources of the Internet;
- By experiment, to identify the effect of volatile on the development of molds;
- Through experiment and observation, to identify how volatile onion and garlic affect the person's resistance to colds.
Subject of research: the effect of volatile production on the development of molds.
Object of study: volatile onion, garlic, mustard.
Research Methods:
- Analysis of literary sources;
- Observation;
- The experiment.
The study of the effect of volatile on the vital activity of microorganisms
- Literature review
1.1. Phytoncides - a powerful weapon of plants
In 1928, a student at Moscow University, Boris Tokin, observed under an microscope an interesting picture: when he applied gruel from grated garlic to a glass slide and a drop of water in which infusoria floated nearby, these simple organisms died within a few minutes.
He conducted experiments with other plants and made sure that many of them, like garlic, can inhibit bacteria at a distance. Tokin explained this phenomenon by the fact that many plants emit special volatile antimicrobial substances in order to protect themselves.
Further experiments showed that volatile fractions - only the first line of chemical defense of the plant, and the second, more powerful - tissue juices. Thus, the mixing of tissue juice of onions, garlic or horseradish with a suspension of bacteria caused a quick, often instant death of the latter.
Biologically active substances formed by plants that kill or inhibit the growth and development of bacteria, fungi and protozoa, Boris Tokin called volatile (from the Greek. Phyton - plant and lat. Caedo - kill).
People have long noticed that some plants have antimicrobial properties. In ancient Rome, garlic was included in the obligatory diet of legionnaires, because, according to the Romans, in addition to healing properties, he had the ability to give soldiers strength and courage.
In Egypt, thousands of slaves were driven to build the pyramids, who were given onions and garlic daily so that they would not hurt. The ancient Greeks, as well as the Slavs in ancient and Middle Ages considered garlic an indispensable tool against the bites of poisonous snakes.
More than 800 years ago, Nizami Ganjavi wrote about the use of garlic as a remedy for gastrointestinal diseases and diseases of the oral cavity, and onions for inflammation of the tonsils. He also recommended eating boiled onions for ulcerative processes. Li Shenzhen, who lived in the 16th century, described the healing effects of garlic, onions, and other plants.
Phytoncides of some plants kill microbes (i.e., have bactericidal properties), while others only inhibit the growth and reproduction of microorganisms (i.e., have a bacteriostatic effect). Almost all plants exhibit antimicrobial activity, the differences will only be in the degree of its severity. It is more difficult for microbes to adapt to the action of volatile plants of higher plants than to antibiotics obtained from microscopic fungi. This is an important fact, indicating the promise of using volatile preparations for the prevention and treatment of diseases.
Volatile phytoncides cause various changes in the bacterial cell: suppress respiration, dissolve and destroy the surface layers and components of protoplasm. The action of a number of volatile production due to their ability to oxidize. As a result of the vital activity of plants in the environment, the amount of ozone increases, which easily decomposes into molecular and atmospheric oxygen. The latter, combining with water, forms hydrogen peroxide, which has antiseptic properties.
Phytoncides can be volatile, released into the atmosphere, they act at a distance, and can be contained in the protoplasm of cells (“tissue juices”) and act only in direct contact with the pathogen. Volatile phytoncides have a powerful effect on the air condition in forests. 1 g of pine forest per day releases about 5 kg of volatile phytoncides into the atmosphere, about 30 kg of juniper forest. In the coniferous forest (especially in the young pine forest), regardless of the geographical latitude and proximity of settlements, the air contains only about 200-300 bacterial cells per 1 m3, i.e. it is practically sterile.
The power and spectrum of the antimicrobial action of phytoncides in different plant species vary significantly. The “lethal force" of volatile garlic, onion and horseradish is widely known. They destroy many species of protozoa, bacteria, and lower fungi in just a few seconds. And volatile, secreted by a branch of bird cherry, within a few minutes kill microbes in a nearby glass. The most universal are phytoncides of conifers - pine, cypress, cedar, fir, etc.
Phytoncides are successfully used for the treatment and prevention of many diseases (phytoncidotherapy).
Plant phytoncide treatment is effective for influenza, tonsillitis and other respiratory diseases, gum and tooth diseases, pustular skin lesions, and a number of diseases of the digestive system.
In colds, inhalation of steamed sage, potato peel or oat husk has a beneficial effect.
Volatile, enhance the immunological reactions of the body, enhance the regenerative processes in the tissues. So, at one time, scientists have shown that the inhalation of volatile substances of fir
stimulates some forms of natural immunity. St. John's wort also stimulate the body’s defenses
garlic, onions, immortelle sandy and many other plants.
In special experiments, the bactericidal efficacy of onions, garlic, eucalyptus, fir, pine and many other plants was convincingly shown. Phytoncides of onions and garlic kill almost all types of pathogenic microbes. No antibiotic can compare with them in the breadth of its impact. Inhalation of freshly prepared gruel from onions or garlic (after 10-15 minutes it loses its properties) are used to treat diseases of the upper respiratory tract, acute and chronic pneumonia. It can be applied to hard-to-heal ulcers and wounds, while onion and garlic volatile products help cleanse tissues and quickly heal them. Horseradish volatile also has pronounced bactericidal effectiveness. However, it should be noted that with the internal use of these vegetables their phytoncidal activity is largely lost.
The air in the coniferous forest (especially in the juniper forest) is practically sterile, it is especially useful for patients with tuberculosis and other pulmonary diseases. For those suffering from hypertension, staying in an oak grove will be very beneficial. This is largely due to the fact that volatile oak phytoncides have a hypotensive effect. This allows you to improve the condition of patients, their sleep and, in general, increase the effectiveness of treatment.
For people with low blood pressure, it will be useful to inhale the volatile poplar pyramidal and lilac. Volatile substances of oregano, lemon balm and needles have a calming effect, inhaling them helps relieve stress and is very useful in the treatment of mental illness. It is known that among residents of the mountains, nervous system strains are much less frequently observed. This fact, apparently, is associated with the calming beneficial effect of volatile phytoncides, whose inhalation prevents overstrain of the nervous system, as a result, it wears out less, and this contributes to a long degree of longevity, since metabolic processes, the state of immunity, and all other body functions.
Peppermint phytoncides also have their own characteristics - they have a vasodilating effect and, as a result, help relieve headaches caused by the spastic state of the vessels.
In the study of other food plants, it turned out that many of them also have pronounced antimicrobial properties. So, under the influence of non-volatile phytoncides contained in the fresh juice of strawberries, blueberries, grapes, currants, plums, apples, parsley, cabbage and other berries, fruits and vegetables, pathogens for humans and protozoa quickly die. The antimicrobial effect of spices (cinnamon, pepper, cloves, hops, coriander, etc.) is quite pronounced. In connection with this, they are widely used in the preservation of products.
A good wound healing effect is exerted by some natural balms (fir, peruvian, etc.) containing essential oils, resins and aromatic compounds. They have analgesic, deodorizing (destroy bad smell), antimicrobial and wound healing effects. Juniper, sea buckthorn, fir and hypericum oil, as well as rosehip oil, have a good effect on the healing of wounds and ulcers. Eucalyptus broth, calendula tincture, volatile onion and garlic also accelerate the healing time of open lesions.
Thus, phytoncides are obviously effective biological antiseptics.
1.2. Garlic Phytoncides
In Chinese medicine, garlic was attributed a tonic effect on diseases of the digestive system, respiration, exhaustion, rheumatism, and skin diseases. In one of the popular medical books published in Russia in 1848, it is noted: “Garlic is revered as a universal preservative medicine for poison, snake bites, sticky and infectious diseases, and most of all for the plague.” British doctors, during the plague epidemic in London at the end of the 17th century, promoted garlic as a means of preventing plague.
Many peoples believed that onions and garlic heal diseases protected by demons and protect them from them. In Eastern Europe, garlic was considered a reliable means to repel vampires. To do this, they rubbed door handles and window frames, and under the ceiling hung whole garlands of garlic bulbs. For residents of Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, garlic was a kind of talisman, they tried to keep it with you at critical moments in life.
In the 19th century, the “magical” effect of garlic was explained by the French microbiologist Louis Pasteur. After a series of experiments, the scientist discovered the antiseptic properties of garlic juice. Later garlic volatile was investigated, but their chemical composition could not be established. It is known that allicin, a substance responsible for its specific smell, makes a huge contribution to the antibacterial activity of garlic. Allicin is able to inhibit the growth and development of bacteria, being diluted even thousands of times. Garlic volatile products kill gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, both aerobic and anaerobic, as well as various fungi. Under the influence of garlic volatile, cholera vibrio, diphtheria and dysentery sticks, tuberculosis mycobacteria, pathogens of the abdominal type, gas gangrene and other microorganisms die within a few minutes.
In medicine, phytoncide preparations from garlic bulbs are used - tincture of garlic and alcohol extract, which enhance the motor and secretory functions of the digestive tract. They are prescribed orally for intestinal atony and colitis to suppress the processes of decay and fermentation in the intestine, as well as for hypertension and atherosclerosis.
1.3 Onion Phytoncides
Ancient doctors recommended the use of onions for infections, digestive disorders, leprosy, as well as for the treatment of wounds. According to the testimony of the Greek historian Herodotus, the Egyptians bought onions and garlic in large quantities and fed the slaves who built the pyramids. During the Crusades, the Saracens returned French captives in exchange for an ordinary onion - 8 bulbs per warrior. Ancient healers believed that there was not a single disease in which the bow would not benefit the patient.
The healing properties of onions are due to the unique combination of substances contained in it. Among them, it is worth noting the onion essential oil with a characteristic pungent odor, organic acids (citric and malic); a number of vitamins and minerals, including calcium, potassium, iron, phosphorus, iodine, sulfur, selenium. However, the high efficiency of onions in a variety of diseases is due primarily to the presence of volatile products in it. They have a detrimental effect on many pathogenic bacteria, including pathogens of dysentery, diphtheria and tuberculosis, Staphylococcus aureus and Trichomonas.
Practical research
In the practical part of the work, we examined the most commonly used volatile plants in everyday life, onions and garlic. We conducted an experiment confirming the property of phytoncides to inhibit the growth of microorganisms, for example, mold fungi.
2.1. Effect of onion and garlic volatile on the development of molds
I decided to grow mold on bread, because Before, she very often noticed that if a piece of bread was left in a plastic bag for about a week, then mold appeared there. For the experiment, I took 3 pieces of black bread and dripped a few drops of water from above (water is an important condition for the life of any organism, including microorganisms). The first piece was rubbed with onion, the second - with garlic, the third - left as a control sample. Then she placed the pieces of bread in a plastic bag and put them in a warm place.
After 7 days, I saw that on the control sample there were already quite large areas with mold, on all other pieces of mold there was practically.
After 14 days: there was much more mold on the control sample; in pieces with onions and garlic, mold appeared in a larger area. Moreover, the mold was a little more onion.
After 21 days, the control sample was already fully blooming. A piece of bread with onions was more moldy than with garlic.
Conclusion: volatile onion, garlic slow the appearance of mold spores. Moreover, garlic have great phytoncide properties.
Conclusion: volatile onion, garlic slow the appearance of mold spores. Moreover, garlic have great phytoncide properties.
2.2. The effect of volatile onion and garlic on increasing the body's resistance to colds
The study involved students 3A and 4A of elementary school, who study in the same office and students 5A 5B, 6A and 6B classes, which have a cabinet system of education. The study was conducted for two weeks from January 13 to 28 of this year, when an outbreak of acute respiratory diseases was observed. In grades 5A and 5B, students wore “cans” on a thread made from Kinder surprise, and put pieces of garlic in it. In classes 3A and 4A, plates with onion and garlic slices were on the windowsills. Students in Grades 6A and 6B did not wear talismans, and in the cabinets for prevention, they did not use onions in slices.
Research data showed that children who wore “cans” and students in classes where they laid onions were significantly less affected by viral diseases. Therefore, onions and garlic, having phytoncide properties, increase the body's resistance to disease.
Conclusion
Carrying out our research, we studied the phytoncide properties of plants, found that onions and garlic are potent phytoncides and are successfully used in the treatment and prevention of many diseases. Phytoncides of onions and garlic have an effect on increasing the resistance of the human body to acute respiratory diseases. The juice of garlic and onion can be inhaled to prevent colds, especially in the autumn. Phytoncides are potent antibiotics (especially the juice of garlic, onion, radish, horseradish, etc.) and are successfully used in the treatment and prevention of many diseases. In order to be healthy and protect yourself from colds, we recommend eating these plants more for treating influenza and acute respiratory infections.