Eucalyptus globulus oil versus bleach use as antiseptic agents in podoconiosis treatment: An interventional study in Wolaita Zone, Southern Ethiopia.

Eucalyptus globulus essential oil is widely used for medicinal purpose because of its pharmacological constituents. The present study aimed to use water emulsified E. globulus oil as an antiseptic agent in the treatment protocol of podoconiosis (non-filarial elephantiasis) and compare disease improvement upon E. globulus oil versus bleach (usual antiseptic chemical) use in the treatment protocol. An interventional study was conducted from January to March, 2012 to compare disease improvement on podoconiosis upon using water emulsified E. globulus oil versus bleach-water solution as antiseptic agents in podoconiosis treatment. Forty podoconiosis patients purposely selected and randomly allocated into intervention (E. globulus oil) group and comparison (bleach) group with matched clinical stage of podoconiosis. After the baseline data recording, home based treatment was started and follow-up had been undertaken every week for 3-month period. The data were analyzed using SPSS version 16 statistical package. The mean clinical stages of the disease among the study participants were 2.72 for the right and 2.80 for the left legs before the treatment start. Seventeen (32.5%) of patients suffered from the disease for more than 25 years. For all the outcomes measured at the end of study period, the individual treatment effects of eucalyptus oil and bleach antiseptic agents were compared and the result showed no significant difference. Hence, eucalyptus oil emulsified in water can be used as alternative antiseptic agent in podoconiosis treatment protocol.