Tea tree oil

What is tea tree oil?

Tea tree oil properties

Tea tree oil recipes

Tea tree oil warnings

References

What is tea tree oil?

Tea tree oil (TTO, melaleuca oil) is a colourless to pale yellow colour essential oil made by distilling the fresh leaves of the melaleuca alternifolia plant, a native of the northeast coast of New South Wales, Australia. TTO has a fresh camphor / eucalyptus-like smell, causing the eyes to water.

The indigenous Bundjalung people of eastern Australia use "tea trees" as a traditional medicine by inhaling the oils from the crushed leaves to treat coughs and common colds. They also sprinkle leaves on wounds, after which a poultice is applied. In addition, tea tree leaves are soaked to make an infusion to treat sore throats or skin ailments.

Tea tree oil properties

• TTO is an antiviral, (1) antibacterial and antifungal that most people can use on the skin when diluted properly.
• A powerful treatment for skin fungi, bacteria and skin parasites such as demodex mites, scabies mites and lice. TTO contains several active ingredients, including (in order of potency) Terpinen-4-ol, a-Terpineol, 1,8-Cineole and Sabinene. Terpinen-4-ol still has some killing effect at a concentration of only 1%, and is an effective ingredient in mite creams, especially in combiniation with terpinolene. (7)
• An antibiotic treatment for Staphylococcus aureus, including MRSA (2).
• A paper published in 2013 confirmed that tea tree oil does not contribute to antibiotic resistance. (6) The same researchers at the university of West Australia have also been studying the anti-cancer properties of TTO.
• Acne. Topical application of 5% tea tree oil has proved equivalent to 5% benzoyl peroxide. Although slower to heal the acne, being a natural treatment it does not have the side-effects of benzoyl peroxide.
• Dandruff. Shampoo with 5% tea tree oil has been shown to be an effective dandruff treatment due to its ability to kill malassezia furfur, the fungus most commonly causing the condition (3).
• Nail fungus. A study found that 100% tea tree oil applied to the infected nail, and combined with regular removal of the infected and damaged nail by filing and cutting, was comparable to the drug clotrimazole in its effectiveness against the onychomycosis fungus, the most common cause of nail fungus disease (4).
• Herpes cold sores, chicken pox, shingles blisters. Preliminary research shows that tea tree oil may have topical antiviral activity, making it an effective treatment for these ailments (5).

Tea tree oil recipes

• Skin oil for gentle treatment of a wide range of infections
  5 parts coconut oil
  5 parts castor oil
  1 part tea tree oil
• Skin oil for daily treatment of mite infections
  3 parts macadamia oil
  1 part tea tree oil
• Skin oil for aggressive weekly treatment of mite infections. NOTE: this is a strong blend that should only be used with great care, and after testing for sensitivity
  1 part macadamia oil
  1 part tea tree oil
• Additive to skin oil / shampoo / soap. Add a couple of drops of tea tree oil to each handful of soap, skin cream or shampoo.

Tea tree oil warnings

Do not swallow tea tree oil. If taken, symptoms can include drowsiness, confusion, hallucinations, coma, unsteadiness, weakness, vomiting, diarrhoea, stomach upset, blood cell abnormalities, and severe rashes. Do not get tea tree oil in the eyes.

Test before using. Try a little TTO on the skin before using it. If you find it too strong, dilute it with other oils like coconut or macadamia. About 6% of people display skin irritation to undiluted tea tree oil. If the TTO is diluted 100:1, then only about 0.13% of people display a reaction to it.

However, at concentrations below 4% (ie when diluted with another oil by more than 25 times), the TTO may fail to kill bacteria, and may allow the bacteria to develop resistance to TTO. So the minimum strength of pure TTO should be 5%, and it should preferably be stronger.

Pets. Full strength tea tree oil is toxic to dogs and cats.

Hormone disruption. Tea tree oil contains a high level of hormone disruptors. TTO should not be used with children, particularly pre-pubescent boys. Studies show that topical application of TTO on the skins of boys can cause gynecomastia (enlarged breasts). There is no reason why it should not have the same effect on men.

The hormone disruption effects of TTO probably also affect girls and women - it's just that few if any studies have been done. If you start using tea tree oil, play close attention to your body and any possible changes or symptoms over the following days or months.

Children, pregnant women and those who are breastfeeding should not use TTO without medical supervision because little is known about any other possible side-effects on the fetus, infant or child.

Lavender essential oil is another oil that contains significant hormone disruptors, and should be used with caution.

References

1. Schnitzler P., Schon K., Reichling J. 2001. Antiviral activity of Australian tea tree oil and eucalyptus oil against herpes simplex virus in cell culture. Die Pharmazie 56 (4): 343-7.

2. Kimberly Beauchamp. Tea Tree Oil and Staph. Journal of Hospital Infection, 2004, 56:283-286)

3. Satchell A., Saurajen A., Bell C., Barnetson R.S. Treatment of dandruff with 5% tea tree oil shampoo. Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, 2002, 47 (6): 852-5.

4. Buck D.S., Nidorf D.M., Addino J.G. Comparison of two topical preparations for the treatment of onychomycosis: Melaleuca alternifolia (tea tree) oil and clotrimazole. The Journal of family practice, 1994, 38 (6): 601-5.

5. Bishop, C. D. Antiviral activity of the essential oil of Melaleuca alternifolia (Maiden and Betche) Cheel (Tea Tree) against Tobacco Mosaic Virus. Journal of Essential Oil Research 1995, 7 (6): 641-4.

6. Natalie A. Thomsen, Katherine A. Hammer, Thomas V. Riley, Alex Van Belkum, Christine F. Carson. Effect of habituation to tea tree (Melaleuca alternifolia) oil on the subsequent susceptibility of Staphylococcus spp. to antimicrobials, triclosan, tea tree oil, terpinen-4-ol and carvacrol. April 2013, International Journal of Antimicrobial Agents.

7. Tighe S, Gao YY, Tseng SC. Terpinen-4-ol is the Most Active Ingredient of Tea Tree Oil to Kill Demodex Mites. Transl Vis Sci Technol. 2013 Nov;2(7):2. Epub 2013 Nov 13. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24349880.