Tea Tree Oil

The Near-Perfect Antiseptic

The indigenous people of north-eastern New South Wales (Australia) had known about the healing and disinfecting properties of tea tree oil for thousands of years, long before the development of any pharmaceutical drugs. They applied poultices of crushed tea tree leaves to cuts and wounds and inhaled the volatile oil from the crushed leaves to alleviate congestion and respiratory tract infections.
The scientific discovery of the plant’s virtues came in 1923 when the leading state government chemist, Arthur Penfold, tested the oil of the tea tree and determined its antiseptic action was about 12 times stronger than the widely used carbolic acid. Extensive clinical trials with medical and dental colleagues in London and Sydney led to glowing reports in the distinguished scientific journals of the day.

Used In WWII First Aid Kits

Indeed, the 1930’s and 1940’s saw tea tree oil widely acclaimed as a near perfect antiseptic, so much so that during World War II Australian soldiers were issued with tea tree oil in their first aid kits. The troops also sang the praises of tea tree oil’s insect repellent and anti-fungal properties. At home, it was put to use from shampoo, toothpaste and smelly feet to boils, acne and head lice.

Sadly, this remedy from nature was forgotten for almost 30 years as cheap, synthetic antibiotics flooded the world’s medicine markets and became a way of life. The tea tree industry collapsed by the 1960’s and the oil became a rare commodity. But, in 1976, Eric White became the latter-day pioneer of the Australian tea tree industry. Convinced of its applications in modern society, Eric chose the alternately flood-washed and drought-baked Bungawalbyn Swamp, near Coraki in northern NSW, for his first crops. After four years of painstaking research and lobbying, a crown lease was granted. It arrived on a Thursday in 1976, and this was the day “Thursday Plantation” brand of Tea Tree Oil was born. It is still one of the best; the original is generally always the best. I would recommend that you always keep a bottle in your medicine cabinet; you will be amazed at how many uses you will find. This is my top anti-fungal when it comes to topical (skin or nail) applications and I believe it to be the best when it comes to vaginal thrush as well.

How Can I Use Tea Tree Oil in Yeast Infections?

One of the best things I have found with this remarkable oil is that it has many and varied applications with candida patients. It is so effective with topical (skin) applications, on the toenail with discoloured toenails or tinea, as a vaginal cleanse/douche for vaginitis (thrush) and those whitish skin patches that candida patients sometimes get.

• Toe Nail Fungus. Place one drop on each affected toe after your bath, make sure you get some oil gets under the nail affected by toe nail fungus. Apply each day. Stay with it, it can take a few weeks but watch the difference it makes!
• Ringworm. Apply the oil neat to the ringworm affected areas three times daily.
• Jock Itch. Wash the area by jock itch at least 2x daily with tea tree oil soap, use diluted tea tree oil on affected areas.
• Vaginal Pessary and Douche. Tea tree oil is one of the best things you can use when you have a vaginal yeast infection, it’s just one of those medicines that works consistently time and again. A Tea Tree Oil douche has ben used and recommended by alternative medicine doctors for over 50 years now for vaginal yeast infections, literally since the discovery of the remarkable natural anti fungal.

Use from eight to ten drops of the pure Australian Tea Tree Oil in 500 milliliters (or 1 pint) of tepid purified or distilled water. Douching in between pessary applications seems to be the best solution in ridding the vagina from the discomfort including the burning and incessant itching of a candida vaginal yeast infection. You will find this information on the tea Tree Oil pessary and douche combo repeated in chapter 5, which contains more information about vaginal yeast infections, if this is your problem then be sure to read this chapter.

You may be able to purchase a Tea Tree Oil pessary from a good health-food shop or maybe a natural drug store in your region or online (pharmacy or chemist). Incidentally, the Tea Tree Oil pessary can be used for either vaginal thrush or in the anal passage for a stubborn case of haemorrhoids as well. If you can’t get hold of the pessaries, you can make your own using a 2% solution of Tea Tree oil in a cocoa butter base, which will most effectively kill the yeast infection without disturbing the body’s natural flora.

Are There Any Other Uses For Australian Tea Tree Oil?

I have recommended and used Tea Tree oil for over thirty years, and know first hand about how powerful this natural healing product really is. Australian Tea Tree Oil (Melaleuca alternifolia) has been proven to be more effective that the New Zealand Tea Tree Oil.

Here are a few recollections of my use and recommendation of Tea Tree Oil over the years:

• I can remember when in my twenties I had a motorcycle accident that resulted in a major skin wound to my back and shoulders. Tea Tree oil was applied and all was well within four days,  allowing me to avoid a doctor’s visit with antibiotics. The healing power of this oil in truly amazing, no scarring, no pain and quick healing.
• I took a bottle of Thursday Plantation Tea Tree Oil with me on my journeys around Australia in the mid 1980’s and found it to be wonderful for insect bites and to ward off mosquitoes in general. Excellent for cuts, grazes and a good general travel medicine. This is one medicine I tell my patients never to travel without. Get the 25ml bottle of Tea Tree Oil; it is the first thing you place in your natural medicine first aid travel kit. You will find that you will be treating fellow travellers as they get sore feet or blisters, etc.
• I like to use Tea Tree Oil Toothpaste, it is most pleasant and has a very good effect on your gums and will help to keep them in top shape.
• Over the past 20 years of countless tea tree oil recommendations I have seen first hand just how powerful this amazing natural healer is first hand, severely infected patients often responding remarkably well (and even with home treatment) with the use of natural medicines like oregano oil and tea tree oil.
• I have always used Tea Tree Oil with my family and particularly with my four children – ranging from everything to cuts, skin rashes, acne, lacerations and even when my eight year old was attacked by a rather savage cat and had four major puncture wounds to his lower arm. We soaked a cloth in Thursday Plantation Tea Tree Oil and applied it. No doctor, No tetanus shot and No long waiting in the emergency department of the hospital.
• I have even used Thursday Plantation Tea Tree Oil with our three cats, saves those expensive veterinary bills. Our cat was attacked and bitten around the head, which resulted in several wounds of which a few went septic. I injected Tea Tree Oil into the wounds and let them drain. Within one week it was healed, no infection, no puss and I saved a few hundred dollars – more than I have probably spent on this remarkable potion over the years.
• I have even recommended it with patients presenting with  and have seen results here as well.

Why Use Tea Tree Oil Products for Toe Nail Fungus and Athlete’s Foot?

When put to an independent test supervised by The University of Western Australia, the Department of Microbiology concluded that Thursday Plantation Tea Tree Anti-Fungal gel performed equal to or, for the most part, better than other products tested. Products evaluated were Daktarin, DaktaGOLD, Canesten, Canesten Once Daily Bifonazole, Lamisil and Bio-Juven Foot Care Anto-Fungal Gel.
The results as seen below, clearly show that Thursday Plantation Tea Tree Anti-Fungal Gel was the most effective product against Candida albicans and second only to Lamisil against Trichophyton rubrum (tinea).

* Photograph based on relative concentration of 6.25% product on Candida albicans and 3.12% product onTrichophyton rubrum.

 

Are There Any Precautions With Tea Tree Oil?

Like any strong essential plant oil, there are precautions.

• Avoid contact with the eyes.
• Avoid internal use, use topically (externally) only.
• Do not place Tea Tree Oil in any plastic container as it may dissolve the container!
• Keep out of reach of (very young) children.