Introduction of Tea Tree Oil:Australian tea tree oil or cajeput oil.

Popular Herbs. ✵The article gives records of the herb Tea Tree Oil, its English name, Latin name, common names, property and flavor, its botanical source two plant species, ①.Melaleuca alternifolia(Maiden&Betche) Cheel., with a detailed introduction to the botanical features of this plant species, the growth characteristics, and ecological environment of this plant species, the features of the herb Tea Tree Oil, its pharmacological actions, medicinal efficacy, and administration guide.

Tea Tree Oil(cajeput oil).

Tea Tree:herb photo English Name: Tea Tree Oil.
 Latin Name: Melaleuca alternifolia(Maiden&Betche) Cheel.
 Common Names: Australian tea tree oil, cajeput, cajeput oil.
 Property and flavor: specific odor and tastes.

 Brief introduction: Tea tree oil is a pleasant-smelling, pale yellow volatile oil, it is distilled from the leaves of Melaleuca alternifolia, a shrub or small tree found growing naturally in swampy or wet ground in parts of New South Wales and southern Queensland in Australia. The oil is also produced from other Melaleuca species.

 Botanical source: Common herbal classics defined the herb Tea Tree Oil as the oil of the species (1).Melaleuca alternifolia(Maiden&Betche) Cheel. It is a plant species of the Melaleuca L. genus, the Myrtaceae family (myrtle family). The oil is used medicinally. This commonly used species is introduced:

(1).Melaleuca alternifolia(Maiden&Betche) Cheel.


 Melaleuca alternifolia:shrubs Botanical description: Melaleuca alternifolia is a plant of the Melaleuca L. genus, the Myrtaceae family (myrtle family), the tree grows up to 7 meters, the leaves are simple, coriaceous, 1 to 2.5 cm long, acute-lanceolate, and sometimes slightly sickle-shaped with oil gland. The young shoots are tomentose, the older branches are glabrous. The trunk has a paperlike, whitish bark.

 Melaleuca alternifolia:flowering tree The inflorescence is a 3~5 cm long spike. The flowers are sessile with a campanulate epicalyx on which the sepals sit. The tips are 3~4 mm long. The petals are free, approximately twice as large as the calyx tips. There are numerous conspicuous stamens, in 5 bundles, approximately 2 cm long. The ovary is inferior and partially fused with the hollow receptacle. It is in 3 parts, with a thick pistil and a capitular stigma. The fruit is a woody, cylindrical capsularfruit with a diameter of 3~4 mm.

 Melaleuca alternifolia:flowering tree Ecological environment: Melaleuca alternifolia is indigenous to Australia, the plant grows naturally in swampy or wet ground in parts of New South Wales and southern Queensland.

 Characters of herbs: Tea tree oil is the essential oil extracted from the leaves and branch tips of Melaleuca alternifolia, and other Melaleuca species by aqueous steam distillation. Ideally, the leaves and shoots have first been stored for 6 weeks.

 Pharmacological actions: ①.antiseptic properties; ②.antimicrobial; ③.relieve skin conditions; ④.antifungal and anti-yeast effects, relieve yeast infections, etc.

 Tea tree oil has antiseptic properties, the oil may relieve the skin infections.

 Tea tree oil has primary germ-fighting action, weakens bacteria, and kills a variety of germs, low concentrations of tea tree oil can inhibit and kill certain antibiotic-resistant bacteria, such as Staphylococcus aureus. A study found its component terpinen-4-ol inhibits various organisms, including Bacillus subtilis, Bacteriodes fragilis, Candida albicans, Clostridium perfringens, Enterococcus faecalis, Escherichia coli, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Moraxella catarrhalis, Mycobacterium semegmatis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Serratia marcescens, and Staphylococcus aureus.

 Tea tree oil relieved skin infections such as athlete's foot, corns, calluses, and bunions, fights acne, reducing acne lesions.

 Tea tree oil fights Trichomonas vaginalis and Candida albicans, these organisms are commonly responsible for vaginal infections. But only specially prepared tea tree formulations will treat vaginal problems effectively.

 Medicinal efficacy: Tea tree oil was used by settlers in Australia for insect bites, and external ailments, and brewed tea from the leaves, the tea tree oil was used by Australian soldiers as a disinfectant in World War II (Second World War, WWII), and since the late 1970s and early 1980s herbalists in USA (the United States of America) and traditional healers paid attention to the oil, today it is widely used as a topical antiseptic and general treatment for a dizzying array of ailments from sunburns to sores, cuts, pus-filled wounds, boils, muscle aches, varicose veins, arthritis, bruises, insect bites, lice, warts, vaginitis, acne, fungal infections, mouth ulcers, and dandruff. In folk medicine, Tea tree oil is used for conditions of the respiratory tract and skin conditions, as a disinfectant, and internally used for tonsillitis, pharyngitis, colitis, and sinusitis. Externally it is used for ulcers of the oral mucous membrane, gingivitis, root canal treatment, mycosis of the nail, skin infections, ulcers, burns, and insect bites.

 Administration of Tea Tree Oil (cajeput oil): 
 
Reference: Administration Guide of Tea Tree Oil (cajeput oil)
Herbal classic books: Dosage: Externally, tea tree oil is applied in concentrations of 0.4 to 100 percent, depending on what part of the body it is applied to and for what purpose. Tea tree oil should be stored tightly sealed and protected from light.
 Contraindications, Precautions and Adverse Reactions: The oil may irritate sensitive skin, but is for the most part considered safe to use in external form. It has caused vaginal irritation in some cases. Folk use suggests that internal use is not harmful, as it has some toxic reactions many herbalists recommend against ingesting the oil.

 
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  • 1.Introduction of Tea Tree Oil:Australian tea tree oil or cajeput oil.

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