Tea tree oil: Australian for skin health

Better Nutrition, August, 1997 by Nancy Dodd Cates

When you walk down the aisle of most health food stores, you'll find dozens of products containing tea tree oil. Everything from the pure oil itself to bars of soap, creams, salves, throat lozenges, tooth pastes, dental floss, dental picks, lip balms, sunscreens, and even suppositories containing this natural wonder. An essential oil, tea tree oil has been called "first aid in a bottle" or "medicine chest in a bottle" because of its variety of applications.

The August 1996 issue of Cosmetics Toiletries includes a raw materials encyclopedia directory which lists the properties of the extracted oil from the tea tree (Melaleuca alternifolia) from two commercial sources. The first source describes their product as having the following properties: "A powerfully concentrated oil with an immediate deep-penetrating action; nontoxic, nonirritating and noncorrosive to tissue; for cosmetic, pharmaceutical, skin-care, hair-care and bath/shower products; also useful in cleaning, sanitizing and disinfecting products." They list the applications as, "Treating dry scalp, aches, burns, insect bites."

The second source states: "A stable, aqueous micro emulsion ... with a clear, colorless appearance; can be mixed directly into water-base formulations or gelled using gums or thickening agents to produce a natural anti-acne or antifungal gel." The applications are: "Cosmetics, personal care, hair care, first aid, pet care, antiseptic, antibacterial, and antifungal products."

Obviously, there are many uses for tea tree oil. Karen MacKenzie has compiled a book, Tea Tree Oil Encyclopedia, with the history of research on, and uses of, tea tree oil. According to MacKenzie, she not only uses it for first aid and mixes it with other essential oils, but she makes her own toiletries with it, treats her pets, and uses it to polish the furniture, which we wouldn't encourage, necessarily.

As usual, the scientific community is running a little behind what the herbalists and naturalists have discovered, so there aren't many major studies yet, especially in the United States, to corroborate the benefits of tea tree oil. But because of tea tree oil's known antiseptic, antifungal, and antibacterial properties, it is useful in the treatment of a number of conditions - from head to toe. Tea tree oil has been used in the treatment of scalp conditions, skin conditions, vaginal yeast infections, nail fungus and associated problems, and even hemorrhoids.

Tea tree oil in toothpastes and mouthwashes is said to reduce bacteria and control gingivitis, mouth sores, and fever blisters. Other uses for tea tree oil include treatment for cradle cap and diaper rash. Used in aromatherapy, it is thought to be helpful in soothing aches, and improving breathing impairment during colds and sinus conditions. Pets also benefit from shampoos and treatments featuring tea tree oil.

Andrew Weil, M.D., in Natural Health, Natural Medicine, says that, "Tea tree oil is the best treatment I know for fungal infections of the skin (athlete's foot, ringworm, jock itch)." He also suggests, "Apply it full strength to boils and other localized infections. A 10-percent solution (about one-and-a-half tablespoons to a cup of warm water) can be used to rinse and clean infected wounds with good results. The same solution makes an effective vaginal douche for treatment of both yeast and Trichomonas infections, but some women may find it irritating," in which case discontinue immediately.

It's Australian, mate

Tea tree oil is extracted from the Melaleuca alternifolia tree, a small aromatic tree in the myrtle family; it grows naturally in only one area of the world, the swampy, low-lying land along the north coast of New South Wales, Australia. The trees have a narrow leaf from which the oil is extracted by steam. Because of the demand for the oil, large plantations are now growing tens of millions of trees in this region.

The Australian Aborigines (Native Australians) have used the medicinal properties of the tree for centuries. In the late 18th century, Capt. James Cook sailed to Australia with Dr. Joseph Banks, a botanist. Banks observed the Aborigines making poultices for skin problems from the boiled leaves of the tree and so gathered samples to take back to England for further study. It was Capt. Cook who applied the name "tea tree" after boiling the tree's leaves to make a tea which tasted similar to lemon tea.

In 1924, Dr. A.R. Penfold of the Sydney Technological Museum carried out scientific research on the oil and, after several years of study, concluded it was one of the most effective natural antiseptics and fungicides known. At about the same time, in London in 1928, Sir Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin from mold, but only continued his research until 1932. Then, for several years, penicillin was ignored.

By World War II, the medicinal benefits of tea tree oil had become known to the Australian government. Troops serving in the Pacific were supplied with first-aid kits which included tea tree oil as a protection against or treatment for jungle rot, minor burns, cuts, abrasions, insect bites, sunburn, infections, athlete's foot, and other external fungal and bacterial problems. But, due to the demands of the war, and a resurgence of interest, scientists in England and America turned to penicillin as the new wonder drug and tea tree oil was all but forgotten by the scientific community.