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RE: Tea tree oil

Yep your right it is Melaleuca alternifolia, which is the commercial
source of TEA TREE Oil
Common names can be very misleading as we all know but it does state the
source of the oil on bottles of the concentrate

cheers
Rod Randall
Weed Risk Assessment
Weed Science Group, Agriculture Western Australia
rprandall@sp.agric.wa.gov.au
http://www.agric.wa.gov.au/progserv/plants/weeds/Weedsci.htm

                   "I weed..."

> ----------
> From: 	Elizabeth and Geoffrey Morgan
> Sent: 	Wednesday, 18 June 1997 3:41 PM
> To: 	medit-plants@ucdavis.edu
> Subject: 	Re: Tea tree oil
> 
> At 12:05 PM 6/17/97 +0100, Alessandra wrote:
> >Ciao Medits!
> >Second question: an English lady I met some time ago sang praises of
> a "Tea
> >tree" oil, which she said is a wonderful, all-round ointement, useful
> to
> >prevent cavities, to cure scratches and headaches, etc. She did not
> know
> >what plant it was, though, and this "oil" is unknown in Italian
> market. I
> >don't remember why I got the impression it could have been any of the
> >Eugenias. Any information about it?
> >
> >
> It is likely that she meant the oil of Melaleuca alternifolia, which
> is
> sold under the name of tea-tree oil here in Australia.  It is claimed
> to be
> an effective natural bactericide and fungicide. It is used to treat
> acne,
> boils, impetigo, mouth ulcers, coughs, colds, arthritis etc in humans
> and
> collar-rot in fruit trees.  It can penetrate the skin, which many
> other
> antiseptic preparations are unable to do, and this property may be
> what
> makes it effective-- but probably not innocuous for long term use.
> Someone
> will point out that the Aborigines have used it for thousands of
> years; but
> they did not use the concentrated oil, and did not use the plant
> daily.
> 
> Other melaleucas as well as leptospermums are known as tea-trees here,
> just
> to complicate things, but I am fairly sure that Melaleuca alternifolia
> is
> the one meant, because it is the one grown commercially for the
> extraction
> of medicinal oil.
> 
> Hope this helps.   Elizabeth
> Geoff Morgan , on Tasmania's sunny (but frosty this year) east coast.
>
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