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Yes to ethanol 70%. Say NO to fancy herbal extracts or essential oils!

March 10th, 2020 by Dr. Hannah Sivak

Question: What’s worse than not having hand sanitizer during a viral epidemic/pandemic? Answer: A “fake” hand sanitizer, one that does not kill viruses but gives you a (false) sense of security. True, some essential oils have activity against certain viruses in certain circumstances (plants have to defend themselves against viruses), but this does not mean that the essential oil in question provides protection against infection by any virus. I know how hard it is to get hold of hand sanitizer.  It is also hard to get hold of rubbing (isopropyl) alcohol.  Incidentally, vodka is about 40% ethanol, it will not do the trick. Gin is even lower than that. If…

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