Tea Tree Oil Applications

Today, tea tree oil is widely accepted internationally for its therapeutic properties. Continued research of tea tree oil and growth of oil production has lead to the rapid growth of a diverse range of products now available to consumer’s world wide.

History of Tea Tree

Australian Aborigines have known about the wonderful healing properties of the prized native Melaleuca tree tea for thousands of years. It was not until the 1920’s that the therapeutic properties of tea tree oil were first documented. Since that time, tree oil has been produced and marketed in Australia. Although the industry was first based on harvesting bush stands, increased demand has resulted in the production from commercial plantations cultivated with Melaleuca alternifolia plant variety.

There are currently around 4,500 ha of cultivated tea tree grown in Australia producing over 550 tonnes of oil per annum. The oil is extracted through a process of steam distillation from the mechanical harvesting of the plant material. The major parameters of the oil are described by the international standard ISO 4730-2004.

The market for tea tree oil in the cosmetic and personal health area has now reaching maturity. Most oil is still sold in its pure form and used in a variety of applications due to its anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-viral and anti-inflammatory properties.

Tea Tree Oil Properties

There is now a large body of scientific research into the efficacy and therapeutic properties of tea tree oil. As a greater percentage of the population come in contact with formulations containing tea tree oil, adverse reactions do occur in isolated circumstances. With the greater acceptance and demand in natural products, many countries are now implementing stricter regulatory regimes based on safety and toxicity factors. The tea tree industry has put in place ongoing scientific research in this area. Strategies have been developed to prepare and disseminate the findings to researchers and product developers to ensure consumer safety.

Tea Tree Oil Future

Consumers are increasingly becoming more aware of the adverse effects of certain selective ingredients in formulations and purchase products accordingly. Taking a proactive approach, the tea tree oil industry has developed a range of strategies which are currently being implemented to ensure compliance in this increasingly regulated environment.

Backed by internationally scientific research, people throughout the world have the confidence that tea tree oil based natural products provide solutions to treat, prevent and heal.

Article Source: http://www.content.onlypunjab.com

Colin Frampton has been involved in the Tea Tree Oil industry for over a decade. Establishing New Zealand’s first tea tree oil plantation (Melaleuca alternifolia)in the early 1990's the business has now evolved into the manufacture and distribution of an extensive range of natural body care products.

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