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Tea Tree Australian Essential Oil
Description: Tea tree oil is taken from the leaves of the Melaleuca alternifolia which is native to the northeast coast of New South Wales, Australia. The oil is claimed to have beneficial cosmetic and medical properties (including antiseptic and antifungal action).
Color & Consistency: Pale to light-yellow, thin liquid.
Strength of Aroma: Medium.
Common Uses: Abscesses, blisters, cuts, warts, pimples, burns, insect bites and stings, cold sores, dandruff, herpes, oily skin, rashes, acne, blackheads, verrucae, wound healing, athlete's foot and ringworm. Relieving coughs and colds, catarrh, sinus infections, throat infections, fever, flu, bronchitis, asthma and whooping cough. Easing uro-genital infections such as vaginitis, cystitis, pruritis and urethritis. Gum inflammation or bleeding, mouth ulcers and bad breath, and oral thrush. Vaginal thrush.
Blends with: blends particularly well with
Cinnamon, Clary sage, Clove, Geranium, Lavender, Lemon, Myrrh, Nutmeg, Rosewood, Rosemary and Thyme.
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Note: Middle.
Aromatic Scent: Medicinal, fresh, woody, earthy, herbaceous. Pungent having a warm, spicey odor.
History: Australian Abororiginies have used oil extracted from the tree's needles for hundreds of years. Of the over 100 compounds contained in the oil, terpinen-4-ol is responsible for most of the antimicrobial actions. In 1923, Dr. A.R. Penfold discovered that Tea Tree oil was 13 times stronger as an antiseptic bacteriacide than carbolic acid, considered the universal standard in the early 1900's. By 1930, Tea Tree Oil was being applied to pus-filled infections. It dissolved the pus and left the surface of the wounds clean and without apparent irritation to the surrounding healthy tissues. Many antiseptics are harsh on delicate tissue or are hampered by the presence of pus and other organic matter. Tea tree oil is very effective in the presence of pus and it does not harm healthy tissue. Instead, it promotes the growth and repair of healthy tissue, which lessens the chance of scarring. According to researchers at the Department of Research, Lombard, USA, the oil works by activating white blood cells, the body's first line of defence.
Cautions: No known toxicity. |
