TreatmentUpdate80 - Vol. 8, No. 0; August 1997 Sean Hosein
Extracted from the leaves of a small Australian tree, the first documented use of tea tree oil was in the 1930s. Australian dentists used it to kill bacteria in the mouths of their patients. Doctors also began to report the oil's positive effect in treating wounds and ulcers. In the 1960s, American doctors reported its usefulness in treating boils and vaginal infections. In the late 1970s an Australian doctor wrote about the effect of tea tree oil "solutions or ointments" in successfully treating fungal infections of the feet. Much of the information on the effectiveness of tea tree oil products is anecdotal. For financial reasons, it is difficult to test these products in large clinical trials. Nevertheless, in laboratory experiments, tea tree oil effectively kills a range of bacteria and fungi (p. acnes, staph aureus, candida albicans), many of which cause skin infections. The oil is generally considered toxic if swallowed, but when diluted it can be used as a mouthwash. Some people also dilute the oil with small amounts of olive oil when applying it to the skin (K. Luby, personal communication). Tea tree oil preparations come in many forms for different uses -- creams, gels, soaps, mouthwashes, toothpaste and shampoos.
REFERENCES:
1. Carson CF and Riley TV. Antimicrobial activity of the essential oil of Melaleuca alternifolia. Letters in Applied Microbiology 1993;16:49-55.
2. Carson CF, Hammer KA and Riley TV. In-vitro activity of the essential oil of Melaleuca alternifolia against Streptococcus species. Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy 1996;37:1177-1181.
3. Altman PM. Australian tea tree oil. Australian Journal of Pharmacy 1988;69:276-278.
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