Oils from garlic and several other common herbs and medicinal plants show strong activity against the bacterium that causes Lyme disease. According to a study by researchers at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, these oils may be especially useful in alleviating Lyme symptoms that persist despite standard antibiotic treatment.

The study, published in the Journal of Antibiotics, included lab-dish tests of 35 essential oils that are pressed from plants or their fruits and contain the plant's fragrance, or essence.'