The Origin and History of Tea Tree Oil

The Origin and History of Tea Tree Oil

The leaves of the tea tree have been used for medicinal purposes for centuries. In today’s times it has been noted that people may occasionally have an allergic reaction to undiluted tea tree oil and may present with itching, rashes, redness, blisters or contact dermatitis. This oil should not be used by pregnant women or breastfeeding mothers. The oil from it should not be ingested as it can cause central nervous system depression, confusion, coma, sleepiness, diarrhea and impaired immune function.

However, nowadays certain toothpastes as well as mouthwashes contain the oil from tea tree and this is accepted as these products are not ingested or swallowed. Any mouthwashes that are homemade should be avoided. If you experience symptoms from an overdose one should seek medical assistance immediately. It should be kept out of reach from pets and children.

Tea tree oil originated in New South Wales Australia and the leaves were used for healing by the aboriginal people for decades. Crushed leaves were applied to wound or the leaves were boiled and the liquid drunk. In order to heal their bodies the aboriginal people would bathe in the lagoons where the leaves of the tea tree had fallen.

The Melaleuca Alternifolia was named tea tree by Captain Cook. In the early 1900′s this plant was studies by Dr Penfold who discovered that by distilling the leaves oil was obtained and the antimicrobial was ten times stronger than any other antiseptic that was available at the time. Besides having such a powerful antimicrobial the oil was also found to be non toxic. All first aid kits during the Second World War contained this oil and was issued to Australian soldiers. After the war this oil seemed to have disappeared as antibiotics then took the lead.

It was only during the late seventies that people started to rear towards more natural products and once again the oil from the Melaleuca oil became popular. Melaleuca is also now being tested as a potential for curing antibiotic resistant bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus. Minimum requirements have been laid out by the Australian Government with regards to the purity of the oil. Nowadays the oil from this kind of tree can be found in many products from cleaning agents to shampoos as well as dental floss.

The Australian Tea Tree Industry Association has set standards for the oil which should contain the two components such as Cineol and Terpinen-4-ol and the levels of Terinen-4-ol must be around thirty to forty eight percent and the Cineol should be below fifteen percent. The lower the Cineol levels are and the higher the Terpinen-4-ol the better.

When purchasing tea tree oil and the bottle contains more than fifteen ml and does not come packed in a ribbed dark bottle then the product is not one hundred percent pure. Oil from then tea tree is light sensitive and has to be bottled in a dark bottle. Even if the bottle states that it is pure, it does not mean it’s true.

Food and drinks