Australian Tea
Tree Oil
A Review by
Robert Tisserand
The International Journal of Aromatherapy Vol.1, No 1, February 1988
The International Journal of Aromatherapy Vol.1, No 1, February 1988
With special
thanks to Christopher Dean, of Thursday Plantation and
The
Australian Tea-Tree Industry Association, for his help in sourcing material.
Tea-tree (or ti-tree) oil is distilled
from the fronds of a tree native to New South Wales ,
Australia , and parts of New Zealand .
This tree, melaleuca alternifolia, is a member of
the myrtle family, and is extremely hardy and disease-resistant. The leaves
have been employed medicinally for centuries by New South Wales Aborigines, and
the name is said to stem from a visit by Captain Cook, whose crew made a tea
from the leaves.
Tea-tree oil is water-white in
appearance, and has a fresh, spicey, agreeable odour. Until recently it was
hardly known in aromatherapy outside Australia ,
but some recent clinical trials in France have helped to highlight its
usefulness. Tea-tree oil turns out to be one of the most useful of all
essential oils, especially as an antiseptic, and yet it has not previously been
discussed in books on aromatherapy.
ANTISEPTIC
POWER
The first to recognize the unique
qualities of the essential oil was a government chemist from Sydney, A. R.
Penfold. In 1925 he announced the results
of laboratory experiments which showed that the oil was twelve times stronger
than phenol (carbolic acid) which was then the universal standard for
antiseptic substances. This led to further research and to the increasing use
of the oil in medicine, dentistry and as a home remedy.
In
1930 a report in the Medical Journal of Australia'
commented on its non- toxicity and lack of irritancy. The report noted
enthusiastically that tea-tree oil dissolved pus and left the surfaces of
infected wounds clean so that its germicidal action became more effective and
without any apparent damage to the tissues. 'Dirty wounds, such as are
frequently seen as the result of street accidents, may be washed or syringed
out with a 10% watery lotion; the solvent properties will loosen and bring away
the dirt which is usually ground in ... healing will readily take place.' in 1936 the same journal reported a very bad case of
diabetic gangrene successfully treated with tea-tree oil. In 1937 it was pointed out that one of the outstanding
features of the oil is that the presence of blood, pus or other organic matter
actually increases the oil's antiseptic powers by some 10 to 12 per cent.
During the Second World War tea-tree oil
was issued in first aid kits to army and navy units in the tropical regions. At
one point demand so outstripped supply that synthetic antiseptics had to be
substituted. This, coupled with the fervent post-war interest in antibiotic
drugs, led to a decline of interest in tea-tree, which persisted right up to
the 1970s. (2)
SKIN
PROBLEMS
In
April 1972 the results of a very thorough study were published on the use of
tea-tree oil in many common foot problems. (3) The study covered sixty patients
and concluded that the oil had relieved or eliminated foot symptoms in
fifty-eight of them. of these, results were graded as excellent in thirty-eight
cases. The problems treated included athlete's foot, corns, callouses and
bunions, hammer toes, skin peeling or cracking, fungal infection under
toe-nails and bromhidrosis.* The study took place over a period of six years,
and treatment times varied from three weeks to four years. In his conclusion
the author observes that, overall, the best results were obtained in treating
bromhidrosis, an unpleasant and embarrassing condition'. The athlete's foot
cases were found to be caused by one or more of four fungi (including Candida albicans), all of which responded to tea-tree oil.
Ringworm is a condition closely related
to athlete's foot, and almost as common. Both are caused by similar fungi.
There have been a great many reports of ringworm being rapidly cleared up with
teatree oil, and I have treated two cases, both of which were clear within
three to four days.
Dr Paul Belaiche, Professor of
Phytotherapy at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Paris Nord ,
published a number of trials using tea-tree oil in 1985. In his report on skin infections (5) he finds teatree
effective against problems due to straphylococcus, streptococcus, or candida albicans. Both acne and
impetigo are shown to be clinically vulnerable to the oil, and Belaiche reports
the most convincing results of all in the treatment of fungal nailbed
infections, frequently caused by candida.
Eight
out of eleven patients with nailbed infections showed complete recovery with
twice daily application of the oil for one to three months.
*Bromhidrosis is the medical term for
'smelly feet' and is caused by malodorous perspiration.
UROGENITAL
DISORDERS
In June 1962 an American report was
published in obstetrics and Gynecology on
the use of tea-tree oil in trichomonal vagin itis. (4) Vaginitis simply means
vaginal inflammation, which in this case is caused by Trichomonas, a very tiny animal microbe, a glagellate creature,
which is a common cause of greenish-yellow discharge, often foul smelling, and
soreness in the area. The study comprised 130 women, including ninety-six cases
of trichomonal vaginitis, and also several cases of thrush and cervicitis. As
controls the author treated fifty other cases with standard antitrichomonal
suppositories. The teatree oil was applied diluted by means of saturated
tampons and douches, but was not given orally. Out of the 130 patients, all
were successfully treated, and results were similar to the control group. Many
patients commented on the pleasant odour of the oil, its cooling soothing
effect and its efficiency in removing obnoxious vaginal odours. None of them
complained of any irritation or burning.
More recently Dr Belaiche conducted two
studies featuring tea-tree oil, the first of these on twenty-eight cases of
thrush (infestation of the vagina with Candidaalbicans).
Candida albicans (7) is normally present in
the vagina, but its growth is kept in check by certain baceria. A common cause
of thrush is antibiotic therapy which results in the beneficial bacteria being
destroyed, thus allowing Candida to
flourish. This results in a white discharge, often with itching, soreness and
pain - a very common condition. For this study tea-tree oil was made into
pessaries for insertion into the vagina once every night. After the first week
one patient felt vaginal burning, so discontinued treatment, but none of the
others had any similar symptoms. After thirty days the twenty-seven patients
were examined, and twenty-three showed a complete cure with no further
discharge or burning. The other four showed a moderate improvement. Belaiche
observes that tea-tree oil is as effective as several other essential oils, but
is notably less irritating: 'We have been happily astonished at the results obtained
... the essential oil of melaleuca has
entered the team of the major essential oils and emerges as an antiseptic and
anti- fungal weapon of the first order in phytoaromatherapy.'
In Belaiche's second study with teatree
oil, twenty-six female patients, with chronic cystitis were given the oil
orally over a period of six months.' (7) This was a double-blind trial, in
which half the patients were given a placebo which had the odour of tea-tree.
After six months none of the placebo group showed any improvement. Out of the
thirteen who took tea-tree oil, seven were cured after six months, which, for
such a chronic condition, is a significant result. As many have done before,
Belaiche comments in his conclusion on the very low toxicity and irritancy of
tea-tree oil.
FROM
ATHLETE'S FOOT TO AIDS
Tea-tree oil has also been used
successfully in the treatment of many other conditions and is now increasingly
employed by herbal practitioners in Australia , as it is by the
layperson. Cuts, wounds, ulcers, sores, boils, burns, ringworm, athlete's foot,
psoriasis impetigo, nappy rash, anal and genital pruritis, cold sores, lice,
urinary and vaginal infections, genital herpes, throat, bronchial and sinus
infections, bad breath, mouth ulcers, infected gums and many other conditions
have all responded remarkably well to treatment with this astonishing essential
oil.
Why is tea-tree oil so effective? its
chemical content is not dramatically different from eucalyptus or rosemary,
except that it has an unusually high content of terpinen-4-ol, an alcohol, which constitutes some 35% of the best quality oils. It is also
worth noting that a thorough analysis of the oil in 1978 (8)revealed the
presence of four constituents which have not been found anywhere else in
nature: viridiflorene, present at I %, B- terpineol (0.24%) 1-terpineol (trace)
and allyl hexanoate (trace).
There is no recorded toxicity data on
tea- tree oil, but terpinen-4-ol has
a toxicity of 4.3 g/kg, which would
indicate a toxicity for the oil of between 3 and 5, a completely safe rating. Christopher Dean reports four cases of
children swallowing up to 25 mls of
the oil with no significant side effects. in the worst instance mild diarrhoea
and drowsiness was noticed, but both passed within 24 hours. (9) Because of its lower cineol content, teatree oil is reckoned to be less toxic and less
irritant than eucalyptus oil.
Karen Cutter, a leading Sydney naturopath, has
taken 120 drops of teatree oil orally
each day for over three months to satisfy herself that her extreme
recommendations for dosage are quite safe. Karen uses tea-tree oil extensively
in the treatment of systemic candida, particularly
when associated with AIDS. Her patients frequently ingest up to 3 mls (60 drops) daily for periods in
excess of six months. Christopher Dean comments that "it has been most
instructive to see the enormous degree of success which Karen has achieved with
no apparent ill- effects over the past two years." (9)
Research has shown that tea-tree oil is four to five times stronger than the usual
household disinfectants, and yet it stings far less when applied to minor
abrasions, and of course is completely natural. Teatree oil has passed the
Kelsey-Sykes test, which is the most rigorous antiseptic test in the world
today. It has proved effective, both in
vitro and in vivo against candida albicans, straphylococcus aureus,
escherichia coli, trichophytia and streptococcus,
and in vitro against pseudomonas aeruginosa, proteus vulgaris,
pneumococcus, gonococcus, meningococcus, diphtheric bacterium, and aspergillus niger .
Because tea-tree oil is relative y inexpensive, completely natural, and the problems it is used for are among the easiest to research, it would appear to have a very bright future. It has been predicted that demand for the oil will multiply some fifty times over the next few year, and it is likely to feature in many natural remedies and patent medicines for home treatment. It is not a cure-all, but is one of the most exciting essential oils to emerge in recent years.
Because tea-tree oil is relative y inexpensive, completely natural, and the problems it is used for are among the easiest to research, it would appear to have a very bright future. It has been predicted that demand for the oil will multiply some fifty times over the next few year, and it is likely to feature in many natural remedies and patent medicines for home treatment. It is not a cure-all, but is one of the most exciting essential oils to emerge in recent years.
ANTI-TOXICITY
As an interesting conclusion, the
following sheds some light on the antitoxic properties of tea-tree oil.
The venom toxicity of the black widow
spider may be matched by that of the funnel web spider found only in New South Wales , Australia . This spider first made
the news in 1927 when a
two-yearold boy was bitten by one and died within ninety minutes. Since then
five other deaths have been reported. The latest was a seventeen- year-old
pregnant woman, who died in Sydney
in 1970 after being bitten on the
breast.
The following account dates from May 1983, and comes from Harry H. Bungwahl, New South Wales .
"A rather extraordinary episode
happened to me recently involving teatree oil. I was bitten on the foot by a
funnel- web spider... it happened at night time about I a.m. He gave me a
vicious bite, and it was very painful ... I lay down on the bed and tried to
think of some way to soothe the pain of the bite, which was very severe. I then
thought of the small bottle of tea-tree oil which was in the bathroom. My wife
went and got it and applied some to the bite and there was an immediate easing
of the pain. My wife then went to ring up Taree Hospital ,
and while she was doing that I put some more tea-tree oil onto the bite which,
in a short time, stopped being panful! My son drove me to the Taree hospital -
the foot was no longer painful but my
lips and fingers were still tingling . . . the spider was identified as a
male funnel-web spider all right ... I was given no treatment but was kept
under observation for a period of four hours, and then discharged."
It is interesting that both tea-tree oil
and the funnel web spider are found only in New South Wales .
This review is based on text from Aromatherapy for Everyone by Robert
Tisserand, which is being published in the UK by Penguin Books, on April 28th
1988.
References
1. E. Humphrey,
'A New Australian Germicide', Medical Journal of
Australia, )an uary 1930, p.417.
2. A . Penfold,
'Some Notes on the Essential oil of Melaleuca alternifolia',
Australian Journal of Pharmacology, March 1937, p.274.
3. M. Walker,
'Clinical Investigation of Australian Melaleuca
alternifolia Oil for a Variety of Common Foot Problems', Current Podiatry,
April 1972.
4. E. Pena, 'Melaleuca alternifolia Oil: its use for
Trichomonal Vaginitis and Other Vaginal Infections', Obstetrics and Gynecology, vol. 19 (6) 1962. pp. 793-5.
5. P. Belaiche,
'Treatment of Skin infections, with the Essential Oil of Melaleuca alternifolia', Phytotherapie,
vol. 15, 1985, pp. 15-17.
6. P. Belaiche,
'Treatment of Vaginal Infections of Candida albicans with the Essential Oil of Melaleuca alternifolia, ibid, pp. 13-15.
7. P. Belaiche,
'Germicidal Properties of the Essential Oil of Melaleuca alternifolia Related to Urinary Infections and Chronic
Ideopathic Colibaccillus', ibid, pp. 9-11.
8. G. Swords and
G. L. K. Hunter, 'Composition of Australian Tea-Tree Oil (Melaleuca alternifolia)', Journal of Agriculture and Food
Chemistry, vol. 26, 1978, pp. 734-9.
9. C. Dean,
Private correspondence with the author, August 1987.
10. C. Dean, A
series of private laboratory tests including
Preservative
Effectiveness Test (1975) and TGA Test for Hospital Grade Dirty Conditions
(1987).
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