Tea tree oil has been used in Australia for hundreds of years and is now becoming increasingly popular in recent decades in complementary and alternative medicines. It is produced by steam distillation of the leaves and branches of the tree.

The main uses for this oil have historically taken advantage of the oil’s antiseptic and anti-inflammatory actions. This article discusses advances in our understanding of the antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory activities of the oil and its components, as well as their efficacy.

Antimicrobial activity:

Of all the claimed properties for tea tree oil, its antimicrobial activity has received the most attention. The first reported use of this plant was by the Bundjalung Aborigines of northern New South Wales. The crushed leaves of the tree were inhaled to treat coughs and colds or sprayed on wounds, after which a poultice was applied. Australian Aboriginal oral history also tells of healing lakes, which were lagoons into which tree leaves had fallen and decayed over time.

Antibacterial activity:

Reports on the antibacterial activity of tea tree oil appear in the literature from the 1940s to the 1980s. Then, in the early 1990s, many reports appeared in the scientific literature describing the antimicrobial activity of the oil. . All these effects confirm that the oil compromises the structural and functional integrity of the bacterial membranes. Now a wide range of bacteria have been tested for their susceptibility to a positive test result that this oil could be beneficial as an antibacterial agent.

Antifungal activity:

Extensive research has recently been completed on the susceptibility of fungi to tea tree oil. Data now shows that this oil affects a variety of yeasts and other fungi. Subsequent tests have shown that sprouted conidia (which cause the growth of common fungi) are significantly more affected by the oil than non-sprouted conidia, suggesting that the oil inhibits fungal growth, indicating that the oil could be helpful in stopping and eliminating fungal infections.

Antiviral activity:

A study was carried out with tea tree oil and eucalyptus that showed that they were capable of exerting a direct antiviral effect on HSV (herpes simplex virus), thus providing significant results for their possible application as antiviral agents in recurrent herpes infection. promising.

Anti-protozoal activity:

Studies have shown that tea tree oil has antiprotozoal activity (something that destroys protozoa or inhibits their growth and ability to reproduce). Some of the medically important protozoa include Plasmodium (the cause of malaria); Entamoeba histolytica (cause of amoebiasis, amoebic dysentery) and Trichomonas vaginalis (cause of vaginal infection); and Pneumocystis carinii (a common cause of pneumonia in immunocompromised people).

Anti-inflammatory activity:

Recent studies now support anecdotal evidence ascribing anti-inflammatory activity to tea tree oil and demonstrating the oil’s effect on a variety of immune responses.

Tea tree oil benefits:

• Heals infected skin wounds

• Treatments for acne

• Cure fungal nail infection

• Improves athlete’s foot

• Prevents lice

• Improves psoriasis

• Eliminates dandruff

• Heals gingivitis

• Reduces cough

• Improves ear infections

• Eliminate ringworm

Safety and toxicity:

Topical use is safe and adverse events are minor, self-limited, and infrequent. No evidence of irritation was observed when patch tests were performed in humans, including those who had had prior positive reactions to tea tree oil. On rare occasions, topically applied tea tree oil has been reported to cause systemic effects in pets.

In conclusion, we see a large number of studies in animals, including humans, now supporting long-held beliefs that tea tree oil has many beneficial attributes for many health conditions.