Peace, Love, and Oils! Tea Tree Oil

 

Tea Tree oil is a must-have essential oil to keep in your home because of the numerous benefits it provides to your health, home, and hair! Tea Tree Oil also called Melaleuca is a powerful, antifungal, antibacterial, and antiseptic oil.

A Brief History.

      Originally found on the swampy Southeast coast of Australia, the Aboriginal people used tea tree oil as a germ killer and herbal medicine. Tea tree oil is made by the process of steam distilling the tea tree leaves. 

Aborigines used the tea tree to fight off skin infections and bug bites. Other uses involved chewing or boiling the leaves and inhalation of the steam to relieve headaches and respiratory ailments. Although this herbal staple has been around for hundreds of years it was only in the 1920s that tea tree oil became processed commercially worldwide.

   

       Tea Tree oil is used to treat many issues including:

• insect bites
• skin blemishes
• boils
• spider bites
• athlete's foot
• dandruff 
• thrush
• lice

 

Quick Tea Tree Tips:

For an acne-free face wash mix, a couple drops of tea tree oil with a tablespoon of honey and coconut oil. Rinse with warm water.

For home cleaning, mix a couple teaspoons of tea tree oil with a quarter spray bottle of water to make an all-purpose cleaner.

Want to purify your home air of mold and allergens, add tea tree oil to your diffuser. 

For dandruff issues, add a few drops of tea tree oil to your shampoo routine once a week. 

Mix a few drops in with your laundry detergent to help kill germs in your clothes and washers.

Do not swallow tea tree oil and it is recommended that you do not apply tea tree oil directly to the skin unless it's combined with a carrier oil. Applying tea tree oil to the skin is possibly safe but if you have sensitive skin, it may cause skin irritation and swelling. If you have acne, direct application of tea tree oil to the skin can sometimes cause the skin to become dry, itchy, and feelings of a burning sensation, and redness. 

Let's start our own herbal garden!

You can possibly grow Tea Trees in Zones 8-11. Not sure where your zone is, check out the USDA Hardiness Zone here: click here for your gardening zone.

You are going to need a little outdoor room if you plan on growing tea trees. The tea tree is a small tree but grows to a height of almost 20-25 feet, with a bushy crown and white, papery bark. Although it may take some time for the tree to fully mature, it only takes 2 to 4 months for the seedlings to germinate. 

 

 

Disclaimer: The Butta Guru and Herbal Influences cannot give personal advice about an individual's medical condition. Statements are for informational purposes only and have not been evaluated by the FDA. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent disease. You are strongly encouraged to consult your medical adviser with questions about using natural products or if you are pregnant or breastfeeding.

Sources: National Institute of Health, Web-MD, Posion.org, sciencedirect.org