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General Description
Tea Tree Essential Oil is one of the most popular essential oils in the world of Aromatherapy. The biggest producers are Australia and China and it is highly likely that China will go onto become the biggest producer of this material over the next few years. At present though we favour Australian material as it boasts a superior natural chemistry in comparison to the Chinese material.
Until recently there where 2 main suppliers for Tea Tree, accounting for 60% of Australia’s output. More of this land is now being used to grow wheat and trial varieties of Eucalyptus which is turned into high grade writing paper! It is widely known that Tea Tree has exceptional anti bacterial, anti viral and anti fungal properties. The botanical name is Melalauca Alternifolia and along with Cajeput and Niaouli is a sub-species of the Myrtaceae family, which also includes Clove, Eucalyptus and Myrtle.
History
When Captain Cook’s expedition arrived in Australia, evidently suffering withdrawal symptoms from the cup that cheers, the crew are said to have used the fragrant leaves of melaleuca species as a substitute - hence the name Tea Tree.
Extraction
The leaves and branchlets are steam distilled; the oil is clear in colour. The major chemical constituents of Australian Tea Tree are Terpinen 4 OL (Found at levels of upto 40%) Cineole and Terpinene.
Aromatherapy Uses of Tea Tree Essential Oil
Most commonly used to treat spots, acne, skin blemishes as well as being useful to treat foot odour and athletes foot. Neat Tea Tree oil is a very effective treatment for cold sores. Dab it on at the first burning sensation that preceeds the blisters. Some people find it more effective if mixed in a little alcohol first (vodka does this well). The blisters of shingles and chickenpox can be treated in the same way.
Veruccae and warts can be eradicated by placing a single drop of neat Tea Tree oil on the centre every day and covering with a plaster. It may take several weeks to see any result, but is effective in the long run.
Tea Tree is used in skin-washes for acne, alternating it with the oils more traditionally used, such as Lavender and Bergamot. The decidedly 'medicinal' smell is welcomed especially by teenage boys who may be wary of sweeter-smelling lotions. It is also very good for the large, inflamed and often painful spots which some women tend to get around the nose and chin in the days preceeding menstruation. A single drop of Tea Tree dabbed on each spot rapidly reduces the heat and pain and clears the spots up quite quickly.
There are, of course, a good number of essential oils which are active against bacteria and viruses, but anti-fungal oils are relatively few, and Tea Tree is a welcome addition to their number. It is an effective treatment for fungal infections such as ringworm and athlete's foot but a much more important application is in controlling Candida albicans. This yeast-like organism lives harmlessly in the gut in normal circumstances, but can get out of control and proliferate, giving rise to a variety of symptoms. Tea Tree helps to control the Candida organisms not only by reducing the rate at which they reproduce, but also by strengthening the body's ability to resist them.
The immuno-stimulant effect is especially useful in debilitating illnesses such as glandular fever, and for people who repeatedly succumb to infections or who are very slow to recover from any illness. Treatment in all these cases, as with Candida infection, needs to be continued for many weeks after symptoms have disappeared, for it is the strengthening of the immune system that matters, and without this, the same, or other symptoms will eventually reappear.
As a preventive measure, Tea Tree has been used to build up the strength of patients before surgery. By using this oil in baths and massages for some weeks prior to an operation, and continuing with massage (avoiding the immediate area of the operation wound or scar) afterwards, post-operative shock can be reduced.
Safety Data
People with sensitive skins should use less than 3% in dilutions and might benefit from blending the oil with Sweet Almond before adding it to the bathwater.
