Tea Tree Oil - Nature's First Aid

Anyone who is interested in natural remedies and aromatherapy will recognize the name of this very common, very useful essential oil.  Tea Tree Oil is easily accessible, affordable, and can be used in a variety of remedies.  Besides lavender essential oil, on which I wrote an earlier blog, tea tree oil should be an essential part of your medicine cabinet or first aid kit.

Tea tree oil comes from a very small tree with cream colored flowers like bottlebrushes and soft skinny leaves.  The blossums are followed by small, woody capsules set close together.  These trees grow in marshes located in dense thickets in New South Wales, Australia.  The essential oil is obtained from the leaves and terminal branchlets through a distillation process.

The fragrance of tea tree oil is very medicinal, spicy, pungent, and masculine.  It wouldn't be used much, if at all, in the perfume industry, but it is very heavily used in natural health care.  It is to be used sparingly because heavy concentrations can prove to be irritating.  Because very few drops are used for various remedies, a small vial will last a long time. 

The first illness that is quite well known for being relieved by tea tree oil is an earache.  I was very happy to hear Kelly Ripa mention on her show, Live!With Regis and Kelly, that she regularly uses tea tree oil in a little warmed olive oil to treat her children's earaches.  A celeb who has access to lots of money and lots of expensive health care still uses an inexpensive natural health care remedy.  That should prove its effectiveness to any doubters!  The usual mixture would be one drop of tea tree oil to one tablespoon of warmed olive oil.  Place mixture in a dropper and drop a few drops into the ear canal.  Place cotton to cover the opening of the ear.  Repeat two to three times a day and the earache should be gone quickly.

The same mixture can be used in nasal passages to treat dry mucous membranes due to overuse of cold medicines,  smoky environments, and air conditioning.  It can also be used to treat sores inside the nasal cavity.

Tea tree oil is frequently used to treat early sore throats caused by colds, local irritation, trauma, and overuse. Viral sore throats which constitute 90% of the sore throat cases can also be treated with this oil.  Immediate treatment will guarantee the best results for remedy.  Using a cup of warm tea, add a tablespoon of both apple cider vinegar and apple juice, one teaspoon of honey, and three drops of tea tree essential oil. Gargle with this mixture for as long as you can three times a day.

Mouth irritations such as gingivitis, canker sores, cold sores, or sores caused by dentures or braces can be relieved by mixing two drops of tea tree oil into a cup of warm chamomile tea.  Rinse in the mouth every couple of hours during the day.  The sores should heal quickly.

Sinus infections, coughs, flu, and respiratory ailments can be alleviated by using a steam inhalant.  Into four cups of very hot water, stir in one drop of tea tree oil and one drop of eucalyptus essential oil.  Put a towel over your head and place your face about 8 inches from the water.  Breathe deeply and slowly for ten minutes.  Do this steam inhalation two to three times a day.

Tea tree oil is very beneficial for any type of skin irritation.  Place a couple of drops of tea tree oil in a tablespoon of carrier oil such as olive or canola oil.  Rub the mixture over the irritated skin such as a rash, a scrape, psoriasis, chafing, or any common type of skin irritation.  For a wart, place one drop of each tea tree oil and lavender essential oil on a round bandaid and place over the wart.  Repeat this procedure several times a day until the wart is gone.  Tea tree oil can be used sparingly by itself on the skin.  Place a small amount of tea tree oil on a pimple or on a cut to speed healing.  Its antiseptic properties are helpful for small skin irritations such as these.

Hopefully I have given you a few good usages for tea tree oil.  Use them when you are faced with the misfortune of having any of these ailments, and hopefully relief will come quickly.

Will be talking to you soon about another great topic regarding my world of aromatherapy.  Thanks for stopping by.