Tea Tree Oil is one of my favorite natural remedies and holds a special place of honor in our house. When ever the kids have a cut, scrape, or earache, they ask for us to fix their boo-boo as they grab a bottle of this special oil and some cotton balls. I don’t know how many are familiar with Tea Tree Oil, so I’ll give you the basic run down.
Melaleuca Alternifolia, better known as tea tree oil, comes from a tree indigenous to Australia. The aborigines prized this essential oil for its curative properties. After Europeans arrived in Australia, the oil was discovered to have anti-viral, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, and astringent properties. During WWII, the Australian soldiers were issued tea tree oil as part of their gear. Australia has regulated standards for tea tree oil. When purchasing the oil, it should have more the 30% terpinene-4-ol and less than 15% 1,8-cineole.
I was first introduced to tea tree oil in 1995 by a co-worker who was a distributor for a company that sold a whole line of tea tree oil products. I had burned my hand cooking and was in a tremendous amount of pain. I had to go to work that night and my co-worker noticed my bandaged hand and asked what was wrong. I explained what happened, and he got really excited, and asked the boss to be excused. He came back shortly with two little bottles and some tissue. I was puzzled to say the least. He explained that one bottle was tea tree oil and the other bottle was Vitamin E oil. He mixed a few drops of each in a small cup and dabbed the tissue in the mixture and applied it to the burn. I was amazed! The pain from the burn was gone. I went home and when I got up the next morning, the burn was almost completely healed!
I had to find out more about this oil. The next day, I saw my co-worker again. He asked me to come his house after work so I could purchase a bottle of tea tree oil, and get some more information about the products his company carries. I took the info home and showed it to the hubby. I continued to apply the tea tree oil mixture to my burn and within a week you couldn’t even tell I had burned my hand. I was sure the burn would leave a nasty scar. We were definitely impressed.
I bought more oil to keep in the house and through research discovered a multitude of uses for this miracle oil. About a month after my first experience with the oil, my son developed an inner ear infection. He had a bad case of reoccurring ear infections, and had been on antibiotics off and on for several years. I felt he had developed an immunity to the antibiotics because they no longer appeared to help. He would be on a round of antibiotics and have to go back on them a few weeks later. My child was unhappy, and the doctor was suggesting that we put tubes in his ears. I didn’t want that to happen.
I had read that Tea Tree Oil has antibacterial properties, and the oil had been used successfully in treating ear infections. I was at my wits end so I decided to give it a try. I used a small dish to mix 1-2 drops of tea tree oil to 4-6 drops of olive oil. I then took a cotton ball, and soaked it in the mixture. I took the saturated cotton ball and made packs for his ears. He had infection in both ears so I used the cotton packs for both ears. I replaced the packs every 4-6 hours, and within 3-4 days the infection was gone! My son continued to have occasional infections, but they were becoming less and less frequent. Eventually, the infections stopped, and we have not had to use antibiotics for inner ear infections since.
I have used the oil to treat pink eye, head lice, athletes foot fungus, acne, scrapes, cuts, clogged up sinuses, sore throats, oral thrush, cold sores, shingles, and my cat’s infected paw. I have used products like toothpaste, mouthwash, shampoo, soap, and face wash that have tea tree oil in it with great success. In continued articles, I’ll explain how I used tea tree oil to treat the members of my family successfully without having to run to the doctor for every little illness that comes up.
I must include a disclaimer. You should do your research before using home remedies. Tea Tree Oil is for external use, and should never be ingested. Tea Tree Oil is very caustic and should always be mixed with a carrier oil when used externally. We made that mistake with our daughter, and she had an allergic reaction that sent her to the emergency room. We normally use olive oil as a carrier oil, but I have used almond oil and vitamin E oil with good results. There is tons of good information on the internet. It would be to your benefit to check my out antidotes before you use any home remedy. You should ask your doctor’s advice, but be warned most doctors object to natural alternatives to traditional medicine. You will have to ultimately decide the best course of action for you and your family. We went against the grain and my family is better for it. The decision is yours.
