http://www.care2.com/greenliving/20-great-uses-for-tea-tree-oil.html
20 Great Uses for Tea Tree Oil
By Mickey Z., Planet Green
In 2006, the world consumed more than 3.5 billion gallons of oil per day. A lot of that oil has caused environmental damage and conflicts between nations. But there is one type of oil that’s green, sustainable, healthy, and–as far as I know–has never been the rationale behind a major military intervention: tea tree oil.
Tea tree oil, explains the UWA Tea Tree Oil Research Group, is the essential oil steam distilled from the Australian plant Melaleuca alternifolia (unique to Australia and native to Northern New South Wales). Tea tree oil is usually clear to very pale golden in color and it exudes a fresh, camphor-like scent.
Kathi Keville of HowStuffWorks.com says this oil is often called a “medicine cabinet in a bottle” and is “effective against bacteria, fungi, and viruses and stimulates the immune system.” Here are 20 ways to use this magical formula for health and for the home.
But first, two important notes, courtesy of Sheila Shaigany:
*Make sure it comes in a dark glass bottle with a dropper. This will prevent light from shining in and reducing the oil’s potency.
*Do NOT ingest it orally.
*Editor’s Note: This article does not replace medical advise.
20 Great Ways to Use Tea Tree Oil
For Health
1. Use a dab to treat acne.
2. An anti-fungal for treating Athlete’s Foot, eczema, various yeast infections, etc.
3. An antiseptic to be used on cuts and burns.
4. An anti-viral: it may lessen the symptoms of colds and flu. Try using a few drops in the bath.
5. Add to a vaporizer to loosen chest congestion.
6. Add a small amount to shampoo to destroy head lice.
7. A small amount added to your bath can help with persistent body odor.
8. Treating sinus infection.
9. For dandruff and dry scalp.
10. In the form of aromatherapy, tea tree oil is used to treat colds, persistent coughs, acne, toothaches, and sunburn.
For Cleaning
11. To create an all-purpose cleaner, combine 2 teaspoons of tea tree oil in 2 cups of water in a spray bottle.
12. Another version would be 14 ounces of water with 1 ounce of Murphy’s oil soap and 10 drops of tea tree oil.
13. Mix the above solution with kosher salt to scrub bathtub and bathroom tiles.
14. Add a few drops to dishwasher dispenser, then fill with a green dishwashing soap.
15. A few drops added to each load of laundry leave your clothes smelling cleaner.
16. Control mold with a tea tree oil/water spray.
17. Remove mustiness with that same tea tree oil/water spray.
18. To keep germs at bay, spray it on high chairs, car seats, and other high traffic spots.
19. 15 drops in a quart of water can be an effective insect repellent.
20. Be sure to take some with you when hiking and camping to put directly on insect bites or blisters.
Planet Green is the multi-platform media destination devoted to the environment and dedicated to helping people understand how humans impact the planet and how to live a more environmentally sustainable lifestyle. Its two robust websites, planetgreen.com and TreeHugger.com, offer original, inspiring, and entertaining content related to how we can evolve to live a better, brighter future. Planet Green is a division of Discovery Communications.
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56 comments
add your comment »Very useful information...lots of uses I was unaware of learn sometime new everyday...
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for carol -- 20+ years ago i had a lentigo removed from my face [a lentigo can be a pre-cursor to skin cancer]. the wound got gross, so a friend recommended tea tree oil -- which was still new to the US. i used it -- the wound got grosser for a day or 2 then cleared up beautifullly!
for judy - my husband and i use tea tree prodocts from melaleuca.com. we have been using them since 2003 and have never had a problem either with the products or with our cats -- who like to lick, lick, lick, lick, lick us all the time [and i use tea tree in all the skin care products that i make].
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Does anybody have any good info about the effect of tea tree oil on pets? I used products from a distributor that contained tea tree oil in the past, but my cat had a very bad reaction to the scent, going into a rage and trying to tear me apart when I used the first aid gel or hand lotion. It also struck me as having a scent that was not "camphor-like" but more like petroleum.
I will say that it effectively treated my eczema, but I had to stop using it because of the effect on the cat. Anybody else had problems like this?
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A caveat: I used tea tree oil on some basal cell spots on my face and ended up with cellulitis. My forehead swelled up like a balloon. The doctor said I had an allergic reaction, but it's possible that the oil was a bad batch, since I don't have any other allergies and had never reacted to tea tree oil before that instance.
For the basal cell carcinoma, after seeing a doctor, I researched and found that raw garlic placed over the spot will cause a local inflammation and draw out the cancer. It should be used overnight for no more than four days, using antibiotic cream and a bandage during the day.
Be careful using tea tree oil and consult your doctor if you have a sudden reaction to any substance.
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t y rutilia for the interesting info on tea tree oil. have had a ganglion cyst for years. will try it there.
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Hi,
Another informative post! The article is usefull for me. I’ll be coming back to your blog. Thanks.
yohimbe
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Tea tree oil shrinks ganglion cysts and draws out boils. My whole family uses it. It saved my daughter from having surgery on her ganglion cyst.
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I've been using Tea Tree oil for the last 20 years. I used to have horses & like most owners, had many different wound treatment aids on had. Once I started using TT oil tho, I gave away all the other stuff!!! NOTHING worked as good!! I mixed one ounce of TT with 8 oz of olive oil & kept that in the barn & it was ALL I ever used on any scrapes, cuts etc. And it's the only thing I have in my house to use on me & my dogs & cats!! Like they say, it's "a medicine cabinet in a bottle"!!
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I really love this thing... It's perfect then it's necessary to act quickly. It's almost magical Health Potion! ^_^
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i LOVE tea tree oil. use it every day.
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