History Of Tea Tree Oil

It was a captain of the British Royal Navy called James cook, who in 1770, landed in Sydney, Australia and ventured further into the coastal New South Wales where he found masses of tea trees surrounding the lagoons. There Captain James Cook was informed of the healing powers of the tea trees. The Australian aboriginal people used its leaves for healing cuts and wounds, by crushing them and directly applying them to the injury with a mud pack. Captain James Cook is believed to have given it its scientific name Melaleuca Alternifolia.

In the 19^th century, the tea tree’s role as a local medicine was appreciated by the European settlers in Australia and further piqued their interest. Interested bloomed into scientific research and documentation of the tea tree plant, especially focusing on its bactericidal and germicidal properties.

In 1923, a curator and chemist at the Government museum of Technology and Applied Sciences in Sydney, called Dr. A.R.Penfold conducted a ground-breaking study of the tea tree leaves. The study revealed the tea tree essential oil to be an antiseptic bactericide thirteen times stronger than carbolic acid, which was the universal standard then. Dr. Penfold also noted that the Melaleuca Alternifolia was quite common in the North Coast district of New South Wales.

During the Second World War, there was a bad outbreak of the foot-fungus disease among many of the Australian soldiers. The severity reached a serious level until a war medic remembered the pure tea tree oil and doctors used it to coat the feet of the effected soldiers with it. It was found to be very effective and a quick cure and the popularity of the tea tree oil soared to a higher level that the world war soldiers were issued bottles of tea tree oil along with their first aid kit. The soldiers were asked to use it on all sorts of cuts, burns, scratches and infections, which were cured with alacrity.

From then on, the production of the tea tree oil was increased manifold to keep up with the high demand. Till date, Australia has developed and bred trees of high quality and yielding pure and consistent product. There are, though, different varieties of tea trees, including the Manuka, Kanuka and Lemon scented. Modern scientific farming methods and lush crop of trees have lead to higher production. Australia has schools and organizations that focus solely on developing better tea tree oil and incorporating new and more effective methods on the basis of scientific research and study.

In Australia, there is the Australian Tea Tree Oil Industry Association (ATTIA) which sets the standard for 100% pure tea tree oil. So for consumers intent on buying tea tree oil, check to see that if you are buying more than a 15ml bottle that it is packaged in a dark glass bottle. According to the ATTIA, any tea tree oil packaged in a clear glass or plastic bottle that holds more than 15ml or one half ounce of oil is not 100% pure tea tree oil!