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Tea tree oil comes from steam distillation of the leaves of the tea tree. The tea tree grows on the swampy southeast coast of Australia. The aboriginal people of Australia have traditionally used tea tree oil as an antiseptic (germ killer) and an herbal medicine.
What plant is tea tree oil from?
Tea tree oil, also known as melaleuca oil, is an essential oil that comes from steaming the leaves of the Australian tea tree.
Is tea tree oil a eucalyptus?
Both melaleuca and eucalyptus are commercial sources of essential oils. Tea tree oil comes from tea tree (Melaleuca alternifolia), hardy in USDA zones 8 through 11. Eucalyptus oils, used in fragrances, industry and in medicine, come from a number of eucalyptus species.
Does tea tree oil come from the same plant as tea?
Tea tree oil, or melaleuca oil, comes from the leaves of Melaleuca alternifolia, AKA. narrow-leaved paperbark; a tree or shrub native to Australia. In contrast, the tea plant: Camellia sinensis, makes one of the most popular beverages in the world. These two plants are entirely unrelated.
What tree is tea tree from?
Tea tree oil comes from the leaves of Melaleuca alternifolia, a small tree native to Queensland and New South Wales, Australia. Although Melaleuca alternifolia is known as the tea tree, it should not be confused with the plant that produces leaves used to make black, green and oolong tea.
Where does tea tree oil originate?
Background. Tea tree oil comes from steam distillation of the leaves of the tea tree. The tea tree grows on the swampy southeast coast of Australia. The aboriginal people of Australia have traditionally used tea tree oil as an antiseptic (germ killer) and an herbal medicine.
Why is it called tea tree?
The name tea tree is used for several plants, mostly from Australia and New Zealand, from the family Myrtaceae, related to the myrtle. The use of the name probably originated from Captain James Cook’s description of one of these shrubs that he used to make an infusion to drink in place of tea.
Is cajeput the same as tea tree?
Cajeput tree is a common name used for certain classification of tree that has a white spongy bark that is flexible and can easily flake off the trunk. The Cajeput tree is of the genus Melaleuca, native to Australia and is commonly known in North America as the tea tree.
Which tea tree oil is best?
Best Overall: Tea Tree Therapy 100% Pure Australian Tea Tree Oil at Amazon. Best Budget: Sun Essential Oils Tea Tree at Amazon. Best Shampoo: Maple Holistics Tea Tree Oil Shampoo at Amazon. Best Face Wash: Era Organics Tea Tree Oil Face Cleanser at Amazon. Best for Cleaning: Best for Diffusion:.
Which is better eucalyptus oil or tea tree oil?
When it comes to antiseptic properties, none of the commercially available essential oils can match tea tree oil. Even eucalyptus oil pales in comparison. Like eucalyptus oil, tea tree oil can also help soothe dry and itchy skin by moisturising it.
What is tea tree oil good for?
People usually use tea tree oil to treat minor cuts, burns, acne, athlete’s foot, mild fungal nail infections, vaginal yeast infections, and lung problems (when they add the oil to a bath or vaporizer).
Does tea tree oil smell like peppermint?
If you’re one of those people who hates the strong scent of ordinary hand sanitizers, switch it out for a DIY one that uses tea tree oil. The smell is similar to peppermint or eucalyptus and it’s known to kill both bacteria and fungus.
What does tea tree plant look like?
Leptospermum scoparium (Tea Tree) is an upright evergreen shrub with small, aromatic (when crushed), needle-like leaves and showy flowers in late spring and summer. Borne along the stems, the blooms may be single or double, in shades of red, pink or white depending on the varieties.
Is tea tree an active ingredient?
One such product is tea tree oil (TTO), the volatile essential oil derived mainly from the Australian native plant Melaleuca alternifolia. Employed largely for its antimicrobial properties, TTO is incorporated as the active ingredient in many topical formulations used to treat cutaneous infections.
How do I identify a tea tree?
Distinguishing Features Although the tea plant is most often referred to as being an evergreen shrub, when left in the wild undisturbed it grows into a tree with a bowl-shaped canopy. The bark is rough and typically grey. The tea plant branches with alternate elliptical leaves that are leathery in texture.
Can you grow tea tree?
Growing a Tea Tree If you live where the weather is warm, you can plant melaleuca tea trees in your garden. Otherwise, growing a tea tree in a container is a valid alternative. You can position it in outdoor sun during summer, then move it inside for winter.
Who invented tea tree oil?
1922 – The scientific discovery of Tea Tree Oil was first made by Arthur Penfold in 1922. His studies determined that tea tree oil had a Ridealwalker co-efficient of between 11 and 13. This means the oil is 11 to 13 times more powerful than Carbolic acid (phenol) for killing bacteria and fungi yet non-caustic the skin.
How did Aboriginal people use tea tree oil?
The indigenous Bundjalung people of eastern Australia are believed to have used tea trees as a traditional medicine for many years in a variety of ways including inhaling the oil from the crushed leaves to treat coughs and colds, applying the leaves on wounds as a poultice as well as brewing an infusion of the leaves Nov 5, 2015.
What’s the difference between Melaleuca and tea tree oil?
Tea tree oil, also known as melaleuca oil, is an essential oil distilled from the leaves of the native Australian plant Melaleuca alternifolia. Today, tea tree oil is commonly found in cosmetics, topical medicines, and household products.
