Tea Tree Oil: Information on History, Uses & Benefits of Tea Tree Oil at Herbalist.com

Tea Tree Oil
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Overview:
The Tea Tree is unique to australia, and although a native of new south wales, where it flourishes in wet, swampy ground, it is also cultivated on plantations in other australian states, including queensland. 

 
Plant description:
 
The shrubby tree produces needle-like leaves, similar to cypress, with heads of pale flowers, and it generally reaches about twenty to twenty-five feet in height. It is an aromatic tree, owing to glandular dots on the leaves, which, when crushed, release it precious essential oils. the tea tree is fast-growing, and it possesses a distinctive feature in that even when the tree is cut down, it will &ldquo;re-grow&rdquo; and be ready for harvesting again in two years.
 
History:
 
Long before Captain Cook named the plant after he arrived in new south wales in the eighteenth century, the Aboriginal people had used tea tree oil to heal wounds and infections. in 1923, Dr. Penfold proved that Tea Tree oil was not only much stronger than the common antiseptic of the day, carbolic acid, but Tea Tree oil did not burn the skin. In World War II, a severe outbreak of foot-fungus hospitalized hundreds of australian soldiers with no effective treatment at hand. 
An Australian Aboriginal medic remembered tea tree oil, and after the doctors applied the infected feet with the pungent oil, the fungus was killed within a few days. during the war, the producers of Tea Tree oil were exempted from military service until there was an adequate supply to meet the demands of the military. All Tea Tree oil was issued to the army, and every serviceman was required to carry it in his first-aid kit to treat tropical infections and wounds. 
Next to <a href="http://www.herbalist.com/wiki.details/355/category/0/start/0/">lavender</a>, Tea Tree oil is one of the most popular essential oils in the world, and aside from its therapeutic value, it is an important ingredient in soaps, lotions, deodorants, disinfectants and even air-fresheners.
The essential oil that is extracted from the leaves and twigs of the tea tree is produced only in australia and has a yield of about 1.8%. 
 
Facts about Tea Tree
 
Common method of extraction: steam distilled
Color: clear with a yellow tinge 
Consistency: thin
Aromatic description: light, spicy, pungent with a myristic fragrance
Ingredients it carries: 1, 8-cineole, y-terpinen-4-ol, a-terpineol, cineole, a-pinene, a-terpenene, b-caryophyllene, linalool, p-cymene, myrcene 
Therapeutic properties: antibacterial, anti-fungal, anti-microbial, antiseptic, antiviral, balsamic, cicatrisant, expectorant, insecticide, stimulant and sudorific
contraindications: should not be applied to broken skin.&nbsp; people with a known allergy or hypersensitivity to turpentine should not use tea tree oil.&nbsp; Although tea tree oil has been used orally for infections, this usage is not recommended due to its toxicity; the essential oil should not be used internally other than in the form of an oral rinse that is not swallowed or as vaginal douche.