TeaTree Essential Oil
Family:
Myrtaceae
Description & Extraction:
It is a
small tree from New South Wales in Australia, similar to Cypress, with
needle-like leaves and heads of sessile yellow or purplish flowers and grows to
about 7 meters (20 feet) high and thrives in marshy areas, though it is now
cultivated in plantations. It has a light spicy, rather pungent smell and is
very pale in color with a watery viscosity. Tea tree oil is extracted from
Melaleuca alternifolia of the Myrtaceae family and is also known as ti-tree,
ti-trol and melasol. It is extracted from the leaves and twigs by steam
distillation and the yield is about 1.8%.
Blends well with:
Tea
tree essential oils normally blend well together, tea tree oil blends
particularly well with cinnamon, clary sage, clove, geranium, lavender, lemon,
myrrh, nutmeg, rosewood, rosemary and thyme.
Chemical
Composition:
The
main chemical components of tea tree oil (also referred to as ti-tree oil) are
a-pinene, b-pinene, sabinene, myrcene, a-phellandrene, a-terpinene, limonene,
1,8-cineole, y-terpinene, p-cymene, terpinolene, linalool, terpinen-4-ol and
a-terpineol.
Toxicological
Properties:
Tea
tree oil are antimicrobial, antiseptic, antiviral, balsamic, bactericide,
cicatrisant, expectorant, fungicide, insecticide, stimulant and sudorific.
Uses &
Precautions:
·
Tea tree oil is very
important in the health of the immune system, as it acts as a immuno-stimulant
and increases the body's ability to fight off any infections, while it also is
used to revive the mind and body after shock.
·
The world over, this oil
is used with great effectiveness to ward of infections of any kind, and it is
active in all three varieties of infectious organisms: bacteria
·
fungi and
·
viruses.
·
It can help with
influenza, cold sores, catarrh, glandular fever and gingivitis.
Summary:
Tea tree oil is one of the most powerful immune stimulant
oils and helps fight infections of all kinds and helps clear the skin.
Burners
and vaporizers
In vapor therapy, tea tree oil helps with colds, sinusitis,
bronchitis and any other respiratory ailment and is also of use to help the
mind cope after shock.
Blended
massage oil or in the bath
As a blended massage oil or diluted in the bath, tea tree oil
helps with all respiratory ailments, as well as arthritis, colds, dermatitis,
skin infections, scalp disorders, sinusitis, viral infections, nettle rash,
babies colds and coughs, bronchitis, as well as for sweaty feet.