History of Tea Tree Oil
The history of Tea Tree Oil and where this Essential Oil came from.
In 1770, Captain James Cook of the British Royal Navy set down from the H.M.S. Endeavor at Botany Bay, Australia landing near to the eventual site of present day Sydney. From there, he traveled north through the coastal regions of New South Wales. In New South Wales he found masses of trees thick with sticky, aromatic leaves that by boiling rendered a spicy tea, but as they fell into the waters of the surrounding lagoons created waters that today are still considered magical healing waters.
History of Tea Tree Oil and It's Natives
The local inhabitants, aborigines, told him about the healing powers of these trees. The leaves of this tea tree were used for many years by the indigenous peoples of Australia. The Australian aboriginal people used tea tree leaves to treat cuts and wounds. Freshly cut leaves were applied directly to an injury, and then held in place with a mud pack. The medicinal effects of this poultice were so powerful that it helped combat infection in the wound and also overcome the potential for further infection caused by the non-sterile mud pack.
The History of Tea Tree Oil in the 19th Century
Tea Tree's effects as a folk medicine spread among Europeans as they settled Australia in the 19th century. Gradually the scientific community began to research and document the effects of the plant (Tea Tree), especially the bactericidal and germicidal properties of the oil.
The early explorers could not have known that 150 years later, Melaleuca Alternifolia (Tea Tree) as it was called by Captain Cook, would be used as a medicinal agent for cuts, burns, bites, and a host of skin ailments.
History of Tea Tree Oil from 1923
Dr. A. R. Penfold, curator and chemist at the Government Museum of Technology and Applied Sciences in Sydney, Australia, conducted a study of the leaves of the tea tree. Dr. Penfold discovered their essential oils to be thirteen times stronger an antiseptic bactericide than carbolic acid, considered the universal standard in the early 1900s.
Dr. Penfold noted Melaleuca Alternifolia is quite common, and exists in very large areas in the North Coast district of New South Wales. It yields 1.8% of an oil of pale lemon tint, with a pleasant terpenic myristic odor. This is prepared on a commercial scale, and it particularly recommended as a non-poisonous, non irritant antiseptic of unusual strength.
The History of Tea Tree Oil During the War
During World War II, an outbreak of foot-fungus became so bad that they had to hospitalize hundreds of Australian soldiers. Nothing seemed to work. One day, a medic who was an aborigine from Australia, remembered about the Tea Tree and got some of the essential oil (pure). The doctors coated the affected soldiers' feet with the pungent smelling oil, and the fungus was killed within a few days! Tea Tree Oil was so effective as a basic antiseptic, that in World War II soldiers were issued a bottle along with their first aid kit. They found it effective on all sorts of cuts, burns, scratches and infections.
The Modern History of Tea Tree Oil, It's Production and Quality Assurance
Tea Tree oil production has kept up with demand and at one point far exceeded it but more recently Australia has developed and bred trees with a combination of high yield, high quality, and a consistent product. Be aware, that there are several varieties of tea tree oil that come from different tea trees or melaleuca tree species. They include Manuka, Kanuak, and Lemon Scented Tea Tree Oils.
With modern faming methods, and the fact that the Tea Tree grows fast, there's plenty of its oil to go around. There are schools and organizations that devote valuable time and effort into developing better tea tree oil, better crops for the farmer, and research uses and medical applications for us all. So-called 'modern medicine' can't argue with the effectiveness of Tea Tree Oil on hundreds of maladies.
Make sure you buy the best quality tea tree oil, and that you know it is guaranteed to be the best. In Australia, the Australian Tea Tree Oil Industry Association (ATTIA) has a standard that to be assured that your Tea Tree Oil is 100% pure. Check to see if you are buying more than a 15 ml bottle, that's about a half-ounce in the USA, that it is packaged in a dark glass bottle. According to ATTIA, any tea tree oil packaged in a clear glass or plastic bottle that holds more than 15ml or one-half ounce is not 100% pure tea tree oil!
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