• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

The Herbal Resource

Information on Medicinal Herbs & Functional Medicine

  • Home
  • Herbs List
  • Herbs by Health Condition
  • Latest Posts
  • Phytochemicals
  • Our Authors

Tea Tree Oil – Herb Benefits and Side Effects

Pin232
Share1
Share
Reddit
Flip
Tweet
Share
233 Shares

Botanical Name of Tea Tree: Melaleuca alternifolia.

Other Common Names: Narrow-leaved tea-tree, ti-tree, narrow-leaved paperbark, snow in summer, melaleuca (French), Teebaum, (German), teoljebuske (Swedish).

Habitat The tea tree is native to the humid coastal areas of New South Wales and Queensland in Australia.

The tree is propagated by seeds or semi-hard cuttings during the summer. Tea tree is grown on a large scale in Australia for the extraction of the essential oil.

Description: Tea tree is a member of the Myrtaceae family (the myrtle family).

It is a small tree or shrub growing to about 7 meters high with small needle-like leaves, paper-like bark, and white or purplish flowers.

Flowering occurs in the spring, and the flowers are followed by woody seed capsules.

Plant Parts Used It is mostly the essential oil that is used in herbal medicine but sometimes the leaves and twigs have been utilized.

The volatile oil is obtained by steam distillation of the leaves and twigs of the trees yielding around 2% oil. The oil is only produced in Australia.

The oil is yellow-green liquid with an acrid odor and a hint of citrus.

tea three
Tea Tree (Melaleuca alternifolia)

Therapeutic Uses, Benefits and Claims of Tea Tree

Active Ingredients: There can be found many different kinds of tea tree oil on the market depending on the chemical composition.

Tea Tree Melaleuca alternifolia
Tea Tree (Melaleuca alternifolia) – Illustration ©The Herbal Resource

The most sought after are those that contain a large amount of monoterpene component terpinen-4-ol. It is this component that gives the oil its dominant aroma and is considered to be the most active and therapeutic ingredient.

According to an Australian standard from the year 1996, tea tree oil should contain at least 30% terinen-4-ol and less than 15% eucalyptol (1,8-cineol).

In addition, the plant contains a number of monoterpenes such as terpinene, terpinolene, pinene, paracymen, d-limonene, alpha-terpineol, and Aromadendrene.

The Australian aborigines used the crushed leaves as a treatment for burns, cuts, insect bites and skin infection.

The essential oil was used during World War II as a general antimicrobial agent and insect repellent and was a part of the first aid kits carried by the Australian soldiers.

Most of its present applications are for its antimicrobial action in skin infections and associated conditions such as dandruff.

The essential oil made from tea tree has been used as an herbal remedy to get rid of head lice.

There is clinical evidence to suggest it is of benefit for the treatment of acne and comparable to using benzoyl peroxide lotion.

Tea tree oil is also thought to be of benefit for fungal infections such as nail infections and athlete’s foot.

It is considered one the better herbal remedies for yeast infection (candida and candidiatis).

Alcohol-based and alcohol-free solutions of tea tree oil have been used for the treatment of thrush.

It is popular to use tea tree solution to protect against infection with MRSA, a strain of staph bacteria that does not respond to some antibiotics.

Tea tree oil is found in many personal hygiene products promoting healthy hair and skin

There are studies investigating the effects of tea tree mouthwash on gum inflammation and plaque.

tea tree - herbal medicine
Tea Tree – Herbal Medicine

Potential Side Effects of Tea Tree Oil

There are few risks with the proper use of tea tree. There are many reports of allergy to tea tree oil when taken by mouth or used on the skin.

Thus people with a history of allergy or a known allergy to the Myrtaceae family should avoid the oil and its products. It is not recommended for oral use or for external use on mucous membranes.

It is not recommended that tea tree products are used on burn wounds due to potential further damage to skin cells. Tea tree products may result in drying of the skin and may worsen dry skin conditions.

Although there is little information available, it is recommended that pregnant and breast-feeding mothers do not use the oil or its products.

Supporting References

Der Bio-Gärtner
Bown, Deni: Herbal. The Essential Guide to Herbs for Living. London, Pavilion Books Limited 2003.
Skidmore-Roth, Linda: Mosby’s Handbook of Herbs & Natural Supplements. St. Louis, Mosby 2001.

The following two tabs change content below.
  • Bio
  • Latest Posts
My Facebook profileMy Google+ profile

Thordur Sturluson

Thor Sturluson has a BS in Biology, majoring in Botany, from the University of Maine and a masters degree in Zoology from the Open University in London. He's an experienced Biologist with a history of working in the environmental services industry. A trained scuba diver and researcher, Thor's has a keen interest in nature conservation and animal/plant protection. His work and botany passion has made The Herbal Resource what it is.
My Facebook profileMy Google+ profile

Latest posts by Thordur Sturluson (see all)

  • What is the Difference Between Hemp and Marijuana? - June 3, 2019
Pin232
Share1
Share
Reddit
Flip
Tweet
Share
233 Shares

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Newsletter Sign-up

Subscribe to our mailing list and get interesting stuff and updates to your inbox weekly.

We respect your privacy and take protecting it seriously

Footer

  • Newsletters
  • Deals
  • Ethical Foraging – Do’s and Don’ts
  • Write for Us
  • Partner, Advertising & Commercial Relationships
  • Affiliate Agreement
  • Affiliate Disclosure
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • About Us
  • Contact Us

Categories

  • Functional Medicine
  • Grow Your Own Herbs
  • Herbs – General
  • Herbs – Scientific Evidence
  • Herbs for Specific Ailments
  • Medicinal Herb Profiles
  • Phytochemicals
  • Poisonous Plants
  • Sponsored Posts
  • Uncategorized

Follow

Subscribe to notifications

Contact Information

The Herbal Resource
523 E. 14th St.
Suite 5A
New York, NY 10009
Email: herb@herbal-supplement-resource.com

Amazon Affiliate Disclosure Statement

The Herbal Resource is a participant in the Amazon Associates Program as well as with other affiliate partners.

An affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn fees by advertising and linking to their products and services.

Looking for Something?

© Copyright 2018 The Herbal Resource · All Rights Reserved!

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Do not sell my personal information.
SettingsAccept
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled

Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.

Non-necessary

Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.