IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,491,225
Granted Patent B2
US 12,491,225 · App. 17/478,441 · Granted Dec 9, 2025

Antiviral compositions and methods

Inventors: Richard Dale Lamb (Balaton, MN); Tom M. Lattimore (Good Thunder, MN)
Assignee: Ralco Nutrition, Inc.
A61K36/53A01N27/00A01N31/08A01N35/02A01N65/22A01N65/24A61K31/05A61K31/11
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,491,225
App. No.
17/478,441
Granted
Dec 9, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

In general, embodiments of the present invention provide antiviral essential oil compositions, and methods of making and using the same. Essential oil compositions can include one or more essential oils, such as thyme essential oil, oregano essential oil, and/or cinnamon essential, optionally in combination with one or more emulsifiers. Essential oil compositions can be in the form of an emulsion and have droplet sizes less than about 25 microns. The use of these compositions in organisms and systems provides beneficial antiviral effects, among others.

Claims (31)

1 . A method of making an antiviral and antibacterial essential oil emulsion, the method comprising:

agitating one or more liquid emulsifiers selected from the group consisting of arabinogalactan, tannin compounds, and combinations thereof;

contacting the one or more liquid emulsifiers with one or more essential oils comprising thyme essential oil during ongoing agitation to form an emulsion, the contacting occurring at a temperature of about 100° F. to about 110° F.; and

adding a stabilizer to the emulsion to form droplets with an average droplet size of less than about 25 microns;

wherein a ratio of the one or more liquid emulsifiers to the one or more essentials oils is between about 3:1 and about 1:3, and wherein the average particle size of the one or more essential oils in the emulsion is about 25 microns or less; and

wherein the antiviral and antibacterial essential oil composition results in at least a 0.25 log reduction in a virus or bacteria at least ten minutes after exposure to the composition.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more essential oils is a natural essential oil or synthetic essential oil.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more essential oils includes at least one essential oil from the Lamiaceae family or Lauraceae family.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more essential oils further include at least one essential oil from Origanum genus, Cinnamomum genus, Lavandula genus, Mentha genus, Rosmarinus genus, Salvia genus, Monarda genus, Liteas genus, Pimenta genus, Syzygium genus, Laurus genus, Umbellularia genus, Cymbopogon genus, Rosmarinus genus, Pimpinella genus, Zingiber genus, Citrus genus, Eucalyptus genus, Melaleuca genus, Gaultheria genus, Cannabis genus, Nigella genus, Trachyspermum genus, or Rosa genus.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more essential oils are selected from the group consisting of oregano essential oil, cinnamon essential oil, lavender essential oils, Mexican bay leaf essential oils, West Indian bay tree essential oils, Indonesian bay leaf essential oils, bay laurel essential oils, California bay laurel essential oils, lemon grass essential oils, spearmint essential oils, peppermint essential oils, rosemary essential oils, sage essential oils, anise essential oils, ginger essential oils, bergamot essential oils, eucalyptus essential oils, melaleuca essential oils, cannabis essential oils, marjoram essential oils, orange essential oils, rose essential oils, and combinations thereof.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the one or more essential oils includes one or more of the following compounds: cinnamaldehyde, geraniol, para-cymene, limonene, sabinene, alpha-pinene, gamma-terpinene, citronella, thymol, carvacrol, carvone, borneol, cinnamaldehyde, eugenol, isoeugenol, vanillin, safrole, allicin, allyl isothiocyanate, monoterpenes, sesquiterpenes, diterpenes, triterpenes, linalool, alpha-terpineol, 1,8-cineole, beta-caryophellene, limonene, delta-3-carene, beta-myrcene, linalyl acetate, cinnamyl acetate, eugenol acetate, beta-pinene, terpinen-4-ol, alpha-caryophyllene, sabinene, camphene, phenylpropanoid, methyl eugenol, chavicol, methyl chavicol, alpha phellandrene, safrole, cinnamyl acetate, allicin, and allyl isothiocyanate.

7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the stabilizer is selected from the group consisting of arabinogalactan, tannin compounds, high molecular weight polysaccharides, and combinations thereof.

8 . A method of making an antiviral and antibacterial essential oil composition the method comprising:

agitating one or more liquid emulsifiers, the one or more liquid emulsifiers including at least one of larch arabinogalactan and a tannin compound, the tannin compound selected from tannic acid, quercitannic acid, gallotannic acid, and combinations thereof;

contacting the one or more liquid emulsifiers with one or more essential oils to form an emulsion, the one or more essential oils comprising thyme oil the contacting occurring at a temperature of about 100° F. to about 110° F.;

adding a stabilizer to the emulsion, wherein the stabilizer is selected from the group consisting of arabinogalactan, tannin compounds, polydextrose, chitin, psyllium, methyl cellulose, hydrolyzed guar, guar gum, guar gum derivatives, soy polysaccharide, oat bran, pectin, inulin, fructooligosaccharides, xanthan gum, alginate, chemically modified cellulosic, acacia, gum arabic, high molecular weight polysaccharides, and combinations thereof; and

wherein a ratio of the one or more liquid emulsifiers to the one or more essentials oils is between about 3:1 and about 1:3, and wherein the average particle size of the one or more essential oils in the emulsion is about 25 microns or less.

9 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the one or more liquid emulsifiers further include at least one of polydextrose, chitin, psyllium, methyl-cellulose, hydrolyzed guar, guar gum, guar gum derivatives, soy polysaccharide, oat bran, pectin, inulin, Fructooligosaccharides (FOS), xanthan gum, alginate, chemically modified cellulosic, Acacia, gum Arabic, and combinations thereof.

10 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the one or more essential oils is a natural essential oil or synthetic essential oil.

11 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the one or more essential oils include at least one essential oil from the Lamiaceae family or Lauraceae family.

12 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the one or more essential oils comprises essential oil from Origanum genus, Cinnamomum genus, Lavandula genus, Mentha genus, Rosmarinus genus, Salvia genus, Monarda genus, Liteas genus, Pimenta genus, Syzygium genus, Laurus genus, Umbellularia genus, Cymbopogon genus, Rosmarinus genus, Pimpinella genus, Zingiber genus, Citrus genus, Eucalyptus genus, Melaleuca genus, Gaultheria genus, Cannabis genus, or Rosa genus.

13 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the one or more essential oils comprises one or more of the following compounds: cinnamaldehyde, geraniol, para-cymene, limonene, sabinene, alpha-pinene, gamma-terpinene, citronellal, carvacrol, carvone, borneol, cinnamaldehyde, eugenol, isoeugenol, vanillin, safrole, allicin, allyl isothiocyanate, monoterpenes, sesquiterpenes, diterpenes, triterpenes, linalool, alpha-terpineol, 1,8-cineole, beta-caryophellene, limonene, delta-3-carene, beta-myrcene, linalyl acetate, cinnamyl acetate, eugenol acetate, beta-pinene, terpinen-4-ol, alpha-caryophyllene, sabinene, camphene, phenylpropanoid, methyl eugenol, chavicol, methyl chavicol, alpha phellandrene, safrole, cinnamyl acetate, allicin, and allyl isothiocyanate.

14 . A method of making an antiviral and antibacterial essential oil composition, the method comprising:

agitating one or more liquid emulsifiers;

contacting the one or more liquid emulsifiers with thyme and optionally one or more additional essential oils to form an emulsion, the contacting occurring at a temperature of about 100° F. to about 110° F.;

adding a stabilizer to the emulsion, wherein the stabilizer is selected from the group consisting of arabinogalactan, tannin compounds, high molecular weight polysaccharides, and combinations thereof; and

agitating the emulsion until a temperature of the emulsion reaches about the volatilization temperature or less;

wherein a ratio of the one or more liquid emulsifiers to the one or more essentials oils is between about 1:1and about 1:3, and wherein the average particle size of the one or more essential oils in the emulsion is about 25 microns or less.

15 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the ratio is between about 1:1 and about 1:2.

16 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the one or more liquid emulsifiers includes at least one of larch arabinogalactan and a tannin compound.

17 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the one or more essential oils comprises at least one of oregano oil, and cinnamon oil.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jun 26, 2024
From: LATTIMORE, TOM M.; LAMB, RICHARD DALE
To: RALCO NUTRITION, INC.
Reel/Frame 067847/0276 →
Continuity (4)
Continuation 16724779 · Dec 23, 2019
Continuation 15327112
Provisional Application 62027592 · Jul 22, 2014
Related Publication 20220016194A1 · Jan 20, 2022
References Cited (68)
US 2479403A · Powers · 1949 [cited by applicant]
US 3628968A · Noznick et al. · 1971 [cited by applicant]
US 6355684B1 · Squires · 2002 [cited by applicant]
US 6399356B1 · Bernhardt et al. · 2002 [cited by applicant]
US 6541042B1 · Frater-Schroder et al. · 2003 [cited by applicant]
US 6680074B1 · Morice · 2004 [cited by applicant]
US 6703056B2 · Mehansho · 2004 [cited by examiner]
US 7048953B2 · Vail, III et al. · 2006 [cited by applicant]
US 8158687B2 · Yaghmur · 2012 [cited by applicant]
US 8507734B2 · Chen et al. · 2013 [cited by applicant]
US 10512664B2 · Lamb et al. · 2019 [cited by applicant]
US 20020155194A1 · Mehansho et al. · 2002 [cited by applicant]
US 20050014827A1 · Schur · 2005 [cited by applicant]
US 20060018867A1 · Kawasaki et al. · 2006 [cited by applicant]
US 20070036831A1 · Baker · 2007 [cited by applicant]
US 20070154504A1 · Coats et al. · 2007 [cited by applicant]
US 20090004308A1 · Frehner et al. · 2009 [cited by applicant]
US 20090186096A1 · Kritzman et al. · 2009 [cited by applicant]
US 20110076306A1 · Rodriquez · 2011 [cited by applicant]
US 20110150995A1 · Joshi · 2011 [cited by applicant]
US 20120093952A1 · Frehner et al. · 2012 [cited by applicant]
US 20120219602A1 · Flack et al. · 2012 [cited by applicant]
US 20130004617A1 · Zhang · 2013 [cited by examiner]
US 20130131121A1 · Tsuchida et al. · 2013 [cited by applicant]
US 20130252909A1 · Kraus et al. · 2013 [cited by applicant]
US 20140030203A1 · Dombeck · 2014 [cited by applicant]
US 20200197470A1 · Lamb et al. · 2020 [cited by applicant]
US 20240139271A1 · Lamb et al. · 2024 [cited by applicant]
CA 2695157A1 · 2009 [cited by applicant]
JP 56015831 · 1981 [cited by applicant]
WO 9842188A1 · 1998 [cited by applicant]
WO WO9908536A1 · 1999 [cited by examiner]
WO 0221930A1 · 2002 [cited by applicant]
WO 200221930A1 · 2002 [cited by applicant]
WO 03018042A1 · 2003 [cited by applicant]
WO 2007094000A2 · 2007 [cited by applicant]
WO 2008155536A1 · 2008 [cited by applicant]
WO 2012076717A1 · 2012 [cited by applicant]
WO WO2014135650A1 · 2014 [cited by examiner]
Reichling, et al. Essential oils of aromatic plants with antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, and cytotoxic properties—an overview. Forschende Komplementärmedizin, 2009, 16(2):79-90 (Year: 2009). [cited by examiner]
R. Dabbah, V.M. Edwards, and W.A. Moats, Applied Microbiology, Antimicrobial Action of Some Citrus Fruit Oils on Selected Food-Borne Bacteria, vol. 19, No. 1, Jan. 1970, p. 27-31. (Year: 1970). [cited by examiner]
G.A. Van Aken. “Polysaccharides in Food Emulsions,” Chapter 15 of Food Polysaccharides and Their Applications, edited by Alistair M. Stephen, Glyn O. Phillips, and Peter A. Williams, Boca Raton, FL: Taylor & Francis Gro… [cited by examiner]
K. Bohme , et al. “Antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal activity of essential oils: Mechanisms and applications.” Antimicrobial compounds: Current strategies and new alternatives. Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer Berlin … [cited by examiner]
A. Smith-Palmer, J. Stewart, and L. Fyfe. “Antimicrobial properties of plant essential oils and essences against five important food-borne pathogens,” Letters in Applied Microbiology 1998, 26, 118-122 (Year: 1998). [cited by examiner]
“Notice of Allowance Received for Canadian Patent Application No. 2,955,981, mailed on Jul. 7, 2022”, 1 page. [cited by applicant]
Definition of Glycerol from the Biology Dictionary online found at https://biologydictionary.net/glycerol_downloaded, Mar. 11, 2021. [cited by applicant]
“Engel Apotheke website entry for Caelo Thyme Oil”, downloaded Sep. 12, 2018 from https://www.engel-apotheke-aachen.de/shop/Thymianoel-ProFuma-Caelo-HV-P, 2018. [cited by applicant]
“essential oil”, Google Scholar Search particle size of emulsion, 2020, 2 pages. [cited by applicant]
“Food Additive Code Numbers,”, downloaded Apr. 14, 2018 from https://milenniumeducation.com/food-additive-code-numbers/(Year: 2018). [cited by applicant]
“Translation of WO2002/21930 at document”. [cited by applicant]
Astani, et al., “Comparative study on the antiviral activity of selected monoterpenes derived from essential oils”, Phytotherapy Research, 24, 2010, 673-679. [cited by applicant]
Bassole, et al., “Essential oils in Combination and Their antimicrobial Properties”, Molecules, vol. 17, 2012, 3989-4006. [cited by applicant]
Buzzini, et al., “Antimicrobial and Antiviral Activity of Hydrolysable Tannins”, Mini-Reviews in Medicinal Chemistry, 8,, 2008, 1179-1187. [cited by applicant]
Dion, et al., “Does larch arabinogalactan enhance immune function? A review of mechanistic and clinical trials”, Nutrition & Metabolism 13:28, 2016, 1-11. [cited by applicant]
Gutierrez, et al., “The antimicrobial efficacy of plant essential oil combinations and interactions with food ingredients”, International Journal of Food Microbiology, 124, 2008, 91-97. [cited by applicant]
Havashi, et al., “Inhibitory effect of Cinnamaldehyde, derived from Cinnamomi cortex, on the growth of influenza A/PR/8 virus in vitro and in vivo”, Antiviral Res., 74/1, Jan. 26, 2007, 1-8. [cited by applicant]
Hognadottir, “Identification of aroma active co1npounds in orange essence oil using gas chromatography-olfactometry and gas chromatography1 mass spectrometry”, Journal of Chromatography A, 998, 2003, pp. 201-211. [cited by applicant]
Hyldgaard, et al., “Essential oils in food preservation: mode of action, synergies, and interactions with food matrix components”, Frontiers in Microbiology, Jan. 2012, vol. 3, Article 12, Jan. 25, 2012, pp. 1-24. [cited by applicant]
Koch, “Inhibitory effect of essential oils against herpes simplex virus type 2”, Phytomedicine, 15, 2008, 71-78. [cited by applicant]
Liu, et al., “The antidenovirus activities of cinnamaldehyde in vitro”, Laboratory Medicine, 40/11, Nov. 1, 2009, 669-674. [cited by applicant]
Osman, et al., “Characterization of Commercial Samples of Gum arabic”, J. Agric. food Chem., 41, 1993, 71-77. [cited by applicant]
PCT/US2015/041592, “International Search Report and Written Opinion”, Oct. 29, 2015, 9 pages. [cited by applicant]
Reichling, et al., “Essential Oils of Aromatic Plants with Antibacterial, Antifungal, Antiviral, and Cytotoxic Properties—an Overview”, Forsch Komplementmed, 16, 2009, 79-90. [cited by applicant]
Renard, et al., “Structure of arabinogalactan-protein from Acacia gum: From porous ellipsoids to supramolecular architectures”, Carbohydrate Polymers, 90, May 16, 2012, 322-332. [cited by applicant]
Theisen, et al., “Tannins from Hamamelis virginiana Bark Extract: Characterization and Improvement of the Antiviral Efficacy against Influenza A Virus and Human Papillomavirus”, PLOS One, www.plosone.org, vol. 9, Issue … [cited by applicant]
Maniki et al. “Chemical Composition, Antioxidant, and Antibiofilm Properties of Essential Oil from Thymus capitatus Plants Organically Cultured on the Greek Island of Lemnos,” Molecules, 28(3), 1154, https://doi.org/10.… [cited by applicant]
Meneses et al., “Inhibitory effect of essential oils obtained from plants grown in Colombia on yellow fever virus replication in vitro,” Annnals of Cliical Microbilogy and Antimicrobials, doi: 10.1186/1476-0711-8-8, vol… [cited by applicant]
Vimalanathan et al., “Anti-Influenza Virus Activities of Commercial Oregano oils and their Carriers,” Journal of Applied Pharmaceutical Science, vol. 2, Issue 7, pp. 214-218 (2012). [cited by applicant]