Tea Tree Oil and Its Many Applications

The essential tea tree oil is renowned for its therapeutic properties. It is native to New South Wales, Australia steam distillation of leaves of the Melaleuca alternifolia is a method to extract the oil of tea trees. The 100 compounds in the oil are terpinen-4-ol which makes up the bulk of the antimicrobial properties.

The oil of tea tree is transparent to very green or yellow-tinged essential oil that has a pleasant camphoraceous scent. The leaves were previously used to replace tea, which is why the oil was named.

One must not mix Tea tree oil with Tea Oil (the spice and cooking oils are derived from seeds pressed from the tree Camellia oleifera).

The Tea Tree oil was widely used in Australia as an antiseptic that was potent long before any research was conducted. The Tea Tree dried leaves are utilized for traditional remedies by inhaling the oils to treat cough and cold, and applying them to injuries.

It wasn't until 1920 that the oil's use that oil became widespread. The series of papers looking at antimicrobial properties written by Arthur Penfold led to its popularization. It was extracted by impromptu, portable, wood-fired plant stills, and the material was cut by hand at the time of extraction. The oil demand was large until World War II and ebbed after the war mostly because of the development of powerful antibiotics and the demand for natural products. However, interest in natural essential oils rekindled in the 1970s and 80s, and demand has risen for cosmetic and medicinal applications. Recent studies of the period support the usage the tea tree oil for cosmetics and other ailments.

Here are a few glimpses of the benefits of this amazing oil:

It is Tea Tree Oil Acne: A study conducted at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Department of Dermatology proved Tea Tree oil to be extremely effective in the treatment of moderate acne.

Inhaling tea tree oil can help breathe more easily due to "breaking up congestion". It also helps reduce the symptoms of cold, flu sore throat, and systemic fungal infection.

Dandruff: Tea tree shampoo significantly reduced the symptoms of dandruff following 4 weeks of use. The results were revealed in a study conducted on 126 subjects who had moderate to mild dandruff. It is because of its capability in treating Malassezia furfur, which is the most typical cause of dandruff.

Athlete's Foot: a study to treat foot problems for athletes was conducted and the combination of 50% tea tree oil solution as well as placebo was employed. After two treatments every day for four weeks, the tea tree oil was proven to be much more efficient than a placebo.

Toenails and Fungal Infections: Another study revealed that tea tree oil was just as effective in treating fungus infections of the toenails as the antifungal standard treatment of one percent clotrimazole.

The oil of tea tree can also be effective against candidiasis and vaginal diseases.

Also, it can be utilized as a bathing additive, and it can also help reduce the number of bacteria that can be found in pools and spas.

• Tea Tree oil can be also used in cosmetics to make shampoo and tea tree soap.

• It is also employed in the treatment of blepharitis and eye irritation.

• It can also be employed in mouthwashes that can help treat gum disease and bad breath.

• It also works for treating minor wounds insect bites, burns, and ear infections.

• Is Tea Tree oil diluted solution also sold to treat fungal and bacterial diseases in fish that are kept as pets?

These are only a few of its benefits and the list goes on. It is a wonderful gift from Mother Nature that we can use for numerous applications.