Tea Tree Oil Has Many Health Benefits

Tea tree oil is an oil that is extracted from the Melaleuca tree. The name, however, is a falsehood, the Melaleuca tree is actually a paper bark tree. The Melaleuca tree itself is native to New South Wales in Australia. The color of the oil is a pale golden with a camphoraceous Oder.

Medicinal Benefits of the Oil

There are many medicinal uses for tea tree oil. Crushing the leaves and inhaling the oils helps to treat coughs and colds. The leaves can also be applied to the skin and a poultice applied to help heal a wound. An infusion can be created also from the oil, which will help with throat and skin aliments.

Arthur Penfold’s Discovery

After finding that the oils worked as an anti-microbial in the 1920’s to 1930’s by Arthur Penfold, people only used the oil instead of using both the oil and plant materials. After the findings, there was a study that showed that the oil was eleven times more effective then Phenol.

Once Arthur Penfold made this discovery, the oil was mass produced until World War 2, when the oil was not in as much demand as before. It was replaced by antibiotics and this started the decline in herbal remedies. The oil began to regain popularity in 1970 when a renaissance brought more favor into herbal remedies.

During the 1970’s and the 1980’s, tea tree oil was commercially planted. These commercial plantations led to mechanical production of oils, increasing inventory of product in a shorter amount of time. Over 98 compounds are found within the oil.

It Has Many Other Uses

Today, the oil is seen as an anti-biotic in Australia. There is also evidence to show it is also anti-fungal, which, if 5% of the oil is put in shampoo, it will also help with dandruff. There is also a study showing that 5% of the oil can be used to fight acne. It was compared with a placebo and showed very promising results.

Tea tree oil can also be used to help with insect bites, bee stings, and sunburns. But it is not limited to these aliments; minor burns, boils, poison ivy, and even ear infections have been listed as possible uses for the oil. There are some reports that suggest you can use the oil in your fish tanks to reduce bacterial and fungal infections in your fish. But the oil should not be put inside a person's ear.

It is also said to help with lice, and yeast infections. There are many qualities in the oil produced that are not available in some other essential oils that can help a person on this level. As to current date, there are several other conditions that can be helped by using tea tree oil. However, you should consult the label to see dosing and usage instructions before you begin actual use of the product.

Considerations and Uses

For the most part, tea tree oil should only be taken externally. The raw oil should never be used on household pets as the results can be severe illness or even death. This is evident primarily in cats. Another caution is to not mix or use both the oil or Lavender oil at the same time on a person. There is no research to actually prove an adverse reaction, however, there are unsubstantiated reports that mixed, they can cause Gynecomastia.

It is not recommended using less then 4% of the oil to kill bacteria. Below the 4% mark, it may not kill bacteria or fungus. Another downfall is that it can also make the bacteria or fungus have a higher resistance to normal antibiotics.

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