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Tea tree oil or melaleuca oil is a clear to very pale golden color essential oil with a fresh camphoraceous odour. It is taken from the leaves of the Melaleuca alternifolia which is native to the northeast coast of New South Wales, Australia. The oil is believed to have beneficial cosmetic and medical properties (including antiseptic and antifungal action).

The term "tea tree oil" is somewhat of a misnomer since Melaleuca alternifolia is a paperbark rather than a tea tree (genus Leptospermum). Tea tree oil should also not be confused with tea oil, the sweet seasoning and cooking oil from pressed seeds of the tea plant Camellia sinensis or the tea oil plant Camellia oleifera.

Contents 1 History and extraction 2 Medicinal Use 3 Safety 4 External links

History and extraction

Indigenous Australians have used oil extracted from the tree's needles for hundreds, and possibly thousands, of years. Currently, tea tree oil is obtained by steam distillation of the leaves. Of the over 98 compounds contained in the oil, terpinen-4-ol is responsible for most of the antimicrobial actions.

Although tea tree oil is normally extracted from Melaleuca alternifolia commercially, it can also be extracted from Melaleuca dissitiflora and Melaleuca linariifolia. Tea tree oil is defined by international standard ISO 4730 ("Oil of Melaleuca, Terpinen-4-ol type"), which specifies levels of 14 components which are needed to define the oil as "tea tree oil."

Medicinal Use

Tea tree oil has been recognized as a potent antiseptic in Australia anecdotally for much longer than there has been scientific evidence. However, recent studies support a role for tea tree oil in skin care and treatment of various ailments.

Tea tree oil is a known antifungal agent, effective in vitro against multiple dermatophytes found on the skin.^[1] In vivo, shampoo with 5% tea tree oil has been shown to be an effective treatment for dandruff due to Malassezia furfur, the most common cause of the condition.^[2]

Effectiveness of topical tea tree oil preparations for Candidiasis is supported by their ability to kill Candida in vitro.^[3]

In the treatment of moderate acne, topical application of 5% tea tree oil has shown an effect comparable to 5% benzoyl peroxide, albeit with slower onset of action.^[4]

Tea tree oil is also effective for treating bug bites, boils and minor wounds. ^[5] It has also been known to help sooth sunburns, poison ivy, ear infections, and bee stings. ^[6]

Diluted solutions of tea tree oil are sold as remedies which claim to treat bacterial and fungal infection in pet fish.

Safety

Melaleuca oil is used almost exclusively externally. Data on oral tea tree oil in humans in large quantities is sparse aside from several anecdotal reports of side effects following oral ingestion ^[7]. Symptoms may include ataxia and drowsiness.

As with many antibiotics, some believe if used in 4% concentrations or below it may activate stress reactions in bacteria which can cause them to become less sensitive to antibiotics in vitro.^[8]

There has been a recent report of tea tree oil having both oestrogenic and anti-androgenic effects. Three boys aged four, seven and ten developed breast tissue after having been exposed to shampoos and lotions containing tea tree oil or lavender oil. Reported in New Scientist[1] but originally published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Tea tree oil should not be used in the ears.^[9]

External links

• Extensive Tea Tree Oil Resources
• HerbMed
• Tea Tree Oil medical information at Mayoclinic
• Tea Tree Oil Research Group, University of Western Australia.

v • d • e Acne-treating agents (D10)
Topical agents	Azelaic acid, Benzoyl peroxide, Glycolic acid, Light therapy, Salicylic acid, Tea tree oil
Antibiotics	Clindamycin, Co-trimoxazole, Erythromycin, Sulfacetamide, Teicoplanin, Tetracyclines, Trimethoprim, Vancomycin
Hormonal	Antiandrogens, Contraceptives
Retinoids	Adapalene, Isotretinoin, Tazarotene, Tretinoin

v • d • e Antifungals (D01 and J02)
Antibiotics	Griseofulvin, Hitachimycin, Natamycin, Nystatin
Topical Azoles	Clotrimazole, Econazole, Fluconazole, Ketoconazole, Miconazole, Oxiconazole, Sertaconazole, Sulconazole, Tioconazole
Other topicals	Ciclopirox, Ethylparaben, Flucytosine, Salicylic acid, Selenium sulfide, Terbinafine, Tolnaftate
For systemic use	Amphotericin B, Anidulafungin, Caspofungin, Griseofulvin, Itraconazole, Terbinafine, Voriconazole
Other	Posaconazole, Thiabendazole, Tea tree oil