TEA TREE OIL
(Melaleuca alternifolia)
Can you believe that the oil of a bush-like tree, grown ONLY in Australia, is the most powerful antiseptic known to Man?
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Where's It Come From?
Tea Tree Oil is a volatile essential oil obtained by steam distillation of the freshly harvested foliage of an Australian Tea Tree (Melaleuca alternifolia). This small tree indigenous to the North Coast of New South Wales has been adapted to plantation production where it’s spectacular regenerative ability enables it to be harvested regularly.
The oil, a complex of over 100 naturally occurring compounds, is a clear & colorless to pale yellow liquid with a characteristic odor. INFINITY Tea Tree Oil is of the highest quality Pharmaceutical Grade available today.
What's It For?
Tea Tree Oil has been used as a natural antiseptic for over 200 years in Australia and is currently in use worldwide. The oil exhibits a wide range of activity against fungi, gram negative and gram positive bacteria.
It is used in abroad range of cosmetic and therapeutic products for its healing powers, with clinical trials proving the oil’s effectiveness against acne, tinea, vaginal infection and as a useful treatment for burns. Current in-vitro results suggest Tea Tree Oil may be useful in the treatment of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) carriage within hospitals.
Research data indicates that Tea Tree Oil does not cause toxicity due to dermal adsorption and that formulations of less than 10% will pose little risk of skin irritation. Ingestion of pure Tea Tree Oil is not recommended.
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Tea Tree Oil is steam distilled from an extremely hardy tree native to Australia - when cut down, the Tea Tree will quickly regrow from the stump. The Aborigines in northeastern New South Wales have used tee tree as a healing herb for many generations. They make a poultice of the leaves and treat skin infections, cuts and wounds.
The oil is now well known in natural medicine for its antimicrobial, anti-viral, and anti-fungal effects. Some of its immune supportive properties may be a result of its anti-depressant effects, as one's emotional well-being has a significant impact on the body's ability to resist infection. Tea Tree essential oil can also help sooth insect bites, but is even better used as an insect repellent; one aromatherapist claims Tea Tree is the best she's ever used. A must for the traveler's medicine kit.
Tea Tree essential oil has been the subject of numerous scientific studies validating its antibacterial and antiviral actions. Tea Tree has proven to be particularly efficacious in the treatment of Candida infections in many regions of the body. Some natural therapists advise 'spiking' vaginal suppositories with a small amount of the oil; others indicate to take one drop at a time 3x a day for 'Thrush', where the Candida fungus has infected the throat.
The essential oil has also been studied for its effect against MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus), the 'superbug' causing infections in immuno-comprimised hospital patients. This antibiotic resistant staph has been effectively treated with Tea Tree oil in some cases; however, a blend of well-known antimicrobial oils may have a better effect against this particular rare, yet dangerous, infection. Excellent choices to boost Tea Tree's potency are Geranium, Lavender, French and Oregano. (Another study noted that a Methicillin-resistant strain of staph bactiera was most suseptable to a blend of Geranium essential oil and Grapefruit Seed Extract, or GSE.)
Tea Tree Oil is found in many oral hygiene products, and its wide spectrum of action has made it traditionally useful in treating mouth sores and gums, for acne, and for herpes infections, as well as for general immune system stimulation and for support when fighting respiratory infections. Tea Tree has the wonderful property of effectively fighting infections without harming tissues. It can be used 'neat' as a treatment for small cuts and scrapes; many parents mix it 50/50 with Lavender for a soothing, natural anti-bacterial treatment for their young ones. This blend may be applied directly to injuries, and will both sooth the area and prevent infection.
After landing the H.M.S. Endeavor in Botany Bay in 1770, Captain James Cook and his party came upon a grove of trees thick with sticky, aromatic leaves that they found made a spicy tea. The 'Tea Tree', as it was called by Captain Cook, became a valued bush remedy used by early European settlers.
in 1923 an Australian government scientist, Dr. A. R. Penfold, conducted a study of tea tree Essential Oil and discovered it to be 12 times more potent as an antiseptic bactericide than carbolic acid (the standard at the time). Tea Tree oil became recognized, according to the British Medical Journal in 1933, as 'a powerful disinfectant, non-poisonous and non-irritating'.
To learn more about the use of all our essential oils, we encourage you to visit The Ananda Apothecary Forums, where you can post questions regarding specific applications of each oil. Questions in the forums are regularly answered by Ananda Apothecary staff, and other experienced aromatherapy practitioners.