Activity of Plant Essential Oils Against Demodex folliculorum and Demodex brevis

Abstract

Infestation with Demodex spp. is an increasingly common dermatological and ophthalmic problem. Preparations for daily cleaning of eyes and the surrounding area (gels, soaked wipes) contain mainly tea tree oil or terpinen-4-ol. To date, the use of other essential oils supporting the fight against demodicosis is limited due to insufficient number of clinical trials. The aim of this review is to present the most commonly used medicinal plants and their active ingredients used in the treatment of infestation with Demodex folliculorum and Demodex brevis, with particular emphasis on tea tree oil. PubMed, Embase and Google Scholar databases were searched for the selection of scientific literature. (JNNN 2020;9(4):160–165) Key Words: Demodex brevis, Demodex folliculorum, essential oil, parasitic disease, tea tree oil