Hi'iaka's Healing Herb Garden

Tea Tree—Excellent for the Skin

The tea tree (Melaleuca alternifolia) is a native Australian plant that provides us with many healthful uses. Also called Australian paperbark, this tree grows in subtropical areas, including Hawai‘i.

Tea tree in bloom at Hi‘iaka's Garden

The Melaleuca genus contains 236 species, all of which occur in Australia. A species called Melaleuca quinquenervia was introduced to Florida in the early 1900s to drain swamps and has become a serious invasive plant in the Everglades. 10 species of Melaleuca are listed on the University of Hawai‘i’s Weed Risk Assessment protocol: Most are unresearched but M. quinquenervia is reportedly established here. However, it is considered threatened in its native Australia.

Australian aboriginals have used tea tree leaves for centuries to treat skin cuts, burns and infections. In the past, a tea was made from the leaves—tea tree oil got its name when Captain Cook brewed a strong tea for his sailors. But never drink tea tree essential oil. Today, you can buy tea tree oil in small bottles at natural food stores. This essential oil is made from tea tree leaves and is used medicinally for many purposes, primarily topical.

Cold sores, the blisters of shingles and chicken pox, warts, acne, large inflamed spots and diaper rash are just some of the conditions that tea tree oil is said to help.

The oil is active against bacteria, viruses and fungi. It’s also effective for fungal infections such as ringworm, athlete's foot, bedsores, thrush and dandruff. Acne, vaginitis, cold sores and gum disease are other conditions it can help. I put three drops of tea tree oil in my rinse water every morning after I brush my teeth, and always get great dental check-ups, which I attribute to this practice.

Tea tree oil is soothing and disinfecting, and also penetrates into the lower skin layers with its anti-inflammatory, disinfectant, pain killing and wound-healing properties. It helps the skin to heal by encouraging the formation of scar tissue. If you have sensitive skin, introduce the oil with caution by mixing it with a carrier oil or lotion.

In addition to helping heal skin conditions, tea tree oil is a great household cleaner. Here are a few of the many uses of tea tree oil:

Household Cleaner: Shake 10 drops of tea tree oil into a 12 ounce spray bottle, and then add 2 TB. of vinegar and 1 tsp. of borax. Fill with warn water and shake until borax dissolves.

Deodorizer: Put 10 drops of tea tree oil into a spray bottle and then mist your room with it.

Dishwashers: Add 10 drops of tea tree oil to your dishwasher dispenser, and then fill with dishwashing soap.

Plant Spray: Add 10 drops of tea tree oil to a 32-ounce bottle of water, and then add 16 drops of hydrogen peroxide. Mix well and mist your plant, allowing the spray to remain.

Vaporizer: To relieve stuffiness, allergies, headaches and the symptoms of flu, heat a pot of water and add 3-5 drops of tea tree oil. Keep it simmering in the room where you are or you hang your head over the hot mixture with a towel covering you and the pot.

Washing Machine: To kill germs, add 20 drops of tea tree oil to a load of laundry. It will disinfect your clothes and leave them smelling clean and fresh.

Honey

Manuka is the New Zealand equivalent of tea tree (Leptospermum spp.). Manuka honey was used for its antibacterial properties until antibiotics and other synthetic drugs replaced this use in the 1940s and 1950s. People today are rediscovering the benefits of this honey for the treatment of skin infections such as ulcers, bedsores, burns, injuries and surgical wounds. Manuka honey has been tested and shows effectiveness against E. coli, staph and Helicobacter pylori, the pathogen responsible for gastric ulcers, which is also implicated in gastric cancer.

Update on experiment

Last month I announced that I would conduct an experiment with young tomato plants to determine whether water heated in a microwave oven has an effect on the plants’ growth and general health. The seeds I started are almost two inches tall and I will begin watering two of them with microwaved water and two of them with regular catchment water when they are about four inches tall. I will report on the results as soon as anything happens.

On the Web:

hear.org/plants/
altmedicine.about.com/od/herbsupplementguide/a/TeaTreeOil.htm
lpi.oregonstate.edu/f-w98/teatrees.html