Melaleuca alternifolia
Myrtaceae
Names: Tea tree
Habitat: Swampy, low lying wetlands in New South Wales,
Australia.
Collection:
Part Used: Essential oil.
Constituents:
- Essential oil containing a range of terpenes and sesquiterpenes.
Actions: Anti-microbial
Indications: The essential oil of Ti Tree is an important anti-microbial
that has recently become available in North America. An undoubtedly
useful oil, it has attracted to itself the modern equivalent of
the old snake oil sales 'persons'! Claims are being made that have
a kernel of truth to them but are exaggerated for promotional reasons.
Never believe advertisements about herbs, question them instead.
The claims may be true, but get the evidence and make up your own
mind. A list of conditions that Melaleuca oil has been suggested
for include: sinusitis, the common cold, sinus blockage, laryngitis,
coughs, apthous ulcers, boils, cuts, bites, sunburn, malaria,
parasites, head lice, herpes simples, herpes progenitalis, impetigo,
psoriasis, infected seborrhoeic dermatitis, ringworm of the scalp,
ringworm, athletes foot, fungal infections of the nails, thrush,
trichomona lvaginitis.
Preparations & Dosage: The oil is for external use
and in people with sensitive skin it should be diluted with a bland
fixed oil such as almond oil. There is currently a wide range of
products on the market that contain the oil. These include toothpaste,
soap, shampoo.