Tea tree oil, also known as Melaleuca as it is extracted from the steam distillation of the leaves of Melaleuca tree, is a pale yellow oil with a pleasant smell, which some people compare with nutmeg. Historically it was used by the Aborigine people in Australia (where the plant is native) as a method of healing cuts, burn and infections. They crushed the leaves of the tree and then simply applied them to the area that was impacted.
Benefits and Uses of Tea Tree Oil
The properties of tea tree oil are such that it has antifungal, antiviral and antibacterial properties, a fairly unique trilogy of benefits. For this reason, it is considered as suitable by some health care practitioners as being useful for treating a wide range of conditions (and it is possible that it may even be able to attack diseases that may be resistant to conventional antibiotics). The components that many ascribed the healing benefits of tea tree oil to, are referred to as terpenoids. In particular, terpinene-4-ol is found to be the most prevalent in tea tree oil and it is the main suspect for being responsible for the healing effects of the oil.




There is a whole range of different conditions that tea tree oil is used to treat. These include:

• Athlete's foot
• Dandruff
• Thrush
• Acne
• Eczema
• Psoriasis
• etc

Research into the Evidence for the Effectiveness of Tea Tree Oil
Direct scientific clinical studies into the properties and effectiveness of tea tree oil have been limited although there have been a few studies that have indicated positive benefits. Some of these have been conducted at the Tea Tree Oil Research Group (as part of the School of Biomedical, Biomolecular and Chemical Sciences, University of Western Australia).

Direct examples of research include a study looking at the use of various tea tree oil solutions on people who were suffering from Athlete's foot. The researchers in this study found that the use of tea tree oil solutions of 50% and 25% were statistically better at treating the condition compared with a placebo group.

Another research group in Australia at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Camperdown studied the benefits of a 5% tea tree oil solution and a benzoyl peroxide lotion on the impact on acne of over 100 people who were affected with a mild to moderate amount of acne. Both products produced a positive result with respect to the inflammation and appearance of the acne (although the benzoyl peroxide lotion worked faster). However, the advantage of the essential oil solution was that it had significantly fewer side effects.

Tea Tree Side Effects and Cautions
Tea tree oil should never be consumed internally, either in a pure or diluted form as it may result in some impairment of the immune system, cause diarrhoea or, in most dramatic cases, it may fatally depress the central nervous system. It has been suggested that homemade tea tree oil mouthwash products should not be used.