Essential Oil Spotlight: Tea Tree Oil

Tea tree oil has more uses than most plant oils and is also one of the safest in that it is one of few that doesn’t need to be diluted in a carrier oil. It’s also one of few that is safe for use with young kids. 

I have been using tea tree oil for well over 20 years. In my family, extended included, it has been used as an antiseptic on cuts and bruises, added to shampoo bottles to help cure psoriasis of the scalp, mixed with olive oil and put on a baby’s scalp to treat cradle cap, put on a cotton swab and brushed over cold sores, used to treat fungal infections such as toe nail fungus, used to dry out warts, added to general kitchen and bathroom cleaning products to kill mold and germs, used to dry out and kill the infection behind pimples, and used in a blend with lavender and put on the bottom of the foot and under the nose to help boost the immune system. I have even mixed a couple drops of tea tree oil with some laundry detergent and used it in a load of wash when my husband has forgotten to take his wet towels out of his swim bag!

Tea tree oil has also been used in the treatment of the MRSA virus, athlete’s foot, toothaches and ringworm. “The antiseptic action of tea tree is thought to be one hundred times more powerful than carbolic acid – and yet it is non poisonous to humans! The Aborigines have been using this indigenous Australian tree in their medicines for centuries”(Worwood).

If there’s one oil to have in the medicine cabinet, tea tree oil is it! 

Image from: http://www.newhealthadvisor.com/tea-tree-oil-for-cold-sores.html