Listing description
Tea tree oil (TTO), or melaleuca oil, is an essential oil with a fresh camphoraceous odor and a color that ranges from pale yellow to nearly colorless
and clear.
Detailed description
It is taken from the leaves of the Melaleuca alternifolia,
which is native to Southeast Queensland and the Northeast
coast of New South Wales, Australia.
Tea tree oil is toxic when taken by mouth, but is widely used in low
concentrations in cosmetics and skin washes. Tea
tree oil has been claimed to be useful for treating a wide variety of medical
conditions. It shows some promise as an antimicrobial. Tea tree oil may
be effective in a variety of dermatologic conditions including dandruff, acne, lice, herpes, and other skin infections.
History and extraction
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 Cook's description of
one of these shrubs, that he used to make an infusion, to drink in place
of tea.
The commercial tea tree oil industry originated in
the 1920s when Arthur Penfold, an Australian, investigated the business potential of a number
of native extracted oils; he reported that tea tree oil had promise as it
exhibited powerful antiseptic properties.
Tea tree oil was first extracted from Melaleuca alternifolia in Australia, and this species remains
the most important commercially. Several other species are cultivated for their
extracted oil: Melaleuca armillaris and Melaleuca styphelioides in Tunisia and Egypt; Melaleuca leucadendron in Egypt, Malaysia and Vietnam; Melaleuca acuminata in Tunisia; Melaleuca ericifolia in Egypt; and Melaleuca quinquenervia in the United States. Similar oils can
also be produced by water distillation from Melaleuca linariifolia and Melaleuca dissitiflora.
Composition and characteristics
Tea tree oil is defined by the International
Standard ISO 4730 ("Oil of Melaleuca, Terpinen-4-ol type"), which
specifies levels of 15 components which are needed to define the oil as
"tea tree oil." The oil has been described as having a fresh, camphor-like smell.
Tea tree oils have six types, oils with different
chemical compositions. These include a terpinen-4-ol type, a terpinolene type,
and four 1,8-cineole types. These various oil types contain over 98 compounds, with terpinen-4-ol the major component
responsible for antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties. A second component 1,8-cineole, is
likely responsible for most allergies in TTO products. Adverse reactions to TTO
diminish with minimization of 1,8-cineole content. In commercial production,
TTO is prepared as a terpinen-4-ol type.
Medical use
In vitro studies have shown that tea tree oil kills
methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), in nasal or
extra-nasal (topical) colonisation studies possibly comparable to treatment
with mupirocin, but
as of 2005 there appeared to be insufficient evidence to recommend it for
clinical use. A 2008 article from
the American Cancer Society says that studies
have found some promise of a possible role for the topical application of tea
tree oil as an antiseptic, but that "despite years of use,
available clinical evidence does not support the effectiveness of tea tree oil
for treating skin problems and infections in humans". A 2012 review by the NIH rates tea tree oil
as "possibly effective" for three applications, saying that "a
5% tea tree oil gel appears to be as effective as 5% benzoyl peroxide" for treating mild to moderate acne, that "topical application of 100% tea tree oil solution,
twice daily for six months, can cure fungal toenail infection in about 18% of
people who try it," and that "a 10% tea tree oil cream works about as
well as tolnaftate 1%
cream" in treating symptoms of athlete's foot, although being
less effective than clotrimazole or terbinafine.
A 2006 review of the toxicity of tea tree oil
concludes that it may be used externally in its diluted form by the majority of
individuals without adverse effect (provided oxidization is avoided). Tea tree oil is poisonous when taken
internally. Tea tree oil may be
effective in a variety of dermatologic conditions including dandruff, acne,
lice, herpes, and other skin infections. A
2012 review of head lice treatment recommended against the use of tea tree oil
on children because it could cause skin irritation or allergic reactions,
because of contraindications, and because of a
lack of knowledge about the oil's safety and effectiveness.
Safety
Tea tree oil is a commercially refined composition
of several naturally occurring chemical compounds and is hazardous if misused.
Available literature suggests that tea tree oil can be used topically in
diluted form by the majority of individuals without adverse effects. Topical
application of tea tree oil can cause adverse reactions at high concentration.
Adverse effects including skin irritation, allergic contact dermatitis,
systemic contact dermatitis, linear
immunoglobulin A disease, erythema multiforme like reactions, and systemic hypersensitivity reactions.
Tea tree oil is toxic when swallowed. According to the American Cancer
Society, ingesting tea tree oil has been reported to cause drowsiness,
confusion, hallucinations, coma, unsteadiness, weakness, vomiting, diarrhea,
stomach upset, blood cell abnormalities, and severe rashes. It should be kept
away from pets and children. Tea
tree oil should not be used in or around the mouth. There is at least one case of
poisoning reported in medical literature.
Exposure of tea tree oil to air and light results in
oxidation of some of its components. Oxidized tea tree oil should not be used. Some people experience allergic
contact dermatitis as a reaction to dermal contact with tea tree oil. Allergic
reactions may be due to the various oxidation products that are formed by exposure
of the oil to light and/or air.
In vitro testing of tea tree
oil shows that it contains chemicals which are weakly estrogenic, causing
particular concern for use with children. However, in tests, the chemicals
which show this effect failed to show absorption into the skin, and evidence of
a hormonal effect is therefore considered implausible by an EU scientific
committee
In dogs and cats, death or transient signs of toxicity
(lasting 2 to 3 days), such as depression, weakness, incoordination and muscle
tremors, have been reported after external application at high doses. In rats the LD50 is 1.9–2.4 ml/kg.
Undiluted tea tree oil can cause some hearing loss
when used in the ears of non-human animals; however, a 2% concentration has not
been shown to have any lasting effect. It is not known whether the same is true
for humans.
PRICE
$169.01/KG/LITRE
For more information:
mobile: +2348039721941
contact person: emeaba uche
e-mail: emeabau@yahoo.com
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