Is Myrtol Standardized a New Alternative Toward Antibiotics?

GeloMyrtol^® and GeloMyrtol^® forte, also known as Myrtol^® standardized, is an herbal medical product (phytomedicine) obtained by a multistep distillation procedure from essential oils. The major biological marker of in vivo and ex vivo activity of Myrtol^® standardized is the monoterpenes, d-limonene, 1,8-cineole and alpha-pinene. Myrtol^® standardized is estimated to have antioxidative, anti-inflammatory and antibacterial potential while many studies confirmed its secretolytic and bronchospasmolytic effects. As such, the medication is proposed to be initiated in several acute and chronic infections of the upper and lower airway system as acute and chronic rhinosinusitis, acute and chronic bronchitis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. This review intends to give an insight into several prescription indications of Myrtol^® standardized, all involved mechanisms and potential advantages toward antibiotic therapy, especially in cases when bacterial infection is uncertain.