A Tea Tree Oil Myth Is Busted

Recently, such an amazing natural remedy as tea tree essential oil has gained a great fame and popularity. I believe this product can be found in virtually every home. Why? Certainly because it offers us an amazing variety of very powerful properties and health benefits, thus there is a great number of tea tree oil uses. Known as an excellent anti-inflammatory, this essential oil can be used as acne treatment, as a great natural remedy to relieve the symptoms of respiratory system ailments, as well as a good natural solution for nail fungus. Check out more info about great tea tree oil and benefits here. This oil is widely available in numerous online shops or natural beauty shops, and it is extensively used in modern cosmetics industry.  In order to enjoy the mentioned healing powers of tea tree oil, make sure to purchase a high quality product. Also, talk to your health care specialist before testing the uses of tea tree oil since it can cause allergic reactions in some people.

Some years ago, many scientific sources published the information as a newly discovered fact that using tea tree oil for a long period of time can lead to developing antibiotic resistance, thus the natural remedy can lose its effectiveness as a treatment for a great number of health conditions. For many specialists , this sounded nothing like a myth, and a group of scientists from the University of Australia shouldered the responsibility to confirm or disconfirm this myth. They carried out some serious research work which resulted in proving that there is no way to develop the kind of resistance, especially in cases when the natural product is used in relatively small doses or low concentration. The findings of the scientific team led by Dr Christine Carson, a leading specialists at School of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, the University of Australia, were recently published in International Journal of Antimicrobial Agents.

The scientists did not want to work with the common concentrations of tea tree oil, which is 5 per cent of natural extract received from Melaleuca alternifloria, a medicinal plant which grows only in the Australian continent. In order to estimate possible effects of this natural product keeping in mind the whole multitude of tea tree oil uses, the scientists decided to test the reaction of staphylococcus bacteria to the lower concentrations this essential oil. For various periods of time, 30 strains of the mentioned bacteria were being exposed to tea tree oil of various concentrations: the ones of 0.25 per cent, the ones of 0.075 per cent. It turned out that in any combination and for any period of time (a long-term or a short-term exposure used in the framework of this experiment), the bacteria strains were always dying under effects of this natural product, and the susceptibility of the bacteria to antibiotics never changed. It mean that the previous information was simply not true.

“The balance of evidence seems to suggest you can’t make bacteria resistant to tea tree oil and you can’t make bacteria more resistant to antibiotics by exposing them to tea tree oil,” the study leader commented on the findings of her research group. Therefore, no uses of tea tree oil in low concentrations can make bacteria resistant to its effects. However, according to the researchers, the hypothesis that bacteria can get resistant to certain agents is a proven theory of microbiology, and it is impossible to claim that by some reason it does not work for the case of any of uses of tea tree oil. As the study leader says, the links may possibly remain, but they could be considered quite low, so this essential oil should be considered effective in a long-term perspective. Many experts valued the findings of Australian researchers very highly! Those who want to learn more about the details and scientific evidence related to this interesting research, you can check out this official report about the study.

Author Info: Hi! My name is Carla and I am a 5th year medical student at HYMS. I am interested in alternative medicine and I have done months researching the topic of herbal medicine. Besides, I like interviewing people and learning more about their experiences with one or another type of herbal treatments. I am willing to contribute to this site with my knowledge, and I would be happy to help you out to the best of my ability with any specific questions or problems related to alternative medicine.

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