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Tea Tree Essential Oil

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Tea tree oil is an essential oil distilled from the leaves of Melaleuca alternifolia, a small tree of the myrtle family native to southeastern Australia.[1][2] It has a fresh, medicinal scent[1] and has a long history of use as an antiseptic.[2] In herbal medicine it is used for mouth and throat disorders and for skin disorders and minor wounds,[3] although evidence that it helps is limited.[4]
Type
Essential oil
Botanical name
Melaleuca alternifolia
Other names
Australian tea tree oil

The plant

Melaleuca alternifolia is one of the smaller "tea trees" of southeastern Australia, where it is native. It is easy to grow elsewhere from seed.[2] It belongs to the myrtle family (Myrtaceae).[1] The EU monograph on tea tree oil also covers oil from Melaleuca linariifolia, Melaleuca dissitiflora and other Melaleuca species.[3]

How the oil is made

The oil is steam-distilled from the leaves.[1] In the mid-20th century the leaves were collected and distilled locally in Australia, with water or steam, and the oil was not produced anywhere else.[2]

Composition

The main components of tea tree oil include terpinen-4-ol, gamma-terpinene, alpha-terpinene, terpinolene, 1,8-cineole, alpha-terpineol, p-cymene and alpha-pinene.[1] The Australian standard of 1985 required more than 30% terpinen-4-ol and less than 15% 1,8-cineole.[5] Most of the oil consists of monoterpenes and monoterpene alcohols, with a small share of 1,8-cineole.[6]

Tea tree, manuka and kanuka

The name "tea tree" is used loosely for several plants, including the tea plant Camellia sinensis, mānuka and kānuka as well as Melaleuca alternifolia.[7] Three oils sold under such names are easily confused:
  • Tea tree oil comes from Melaleuca alternifolia of southeastern Australia.[2] It is rich in terpinen-4-ol.[5]
  • Manuka oil, also called New Zealand tea tree oil,[6] comes from mānuka, Leptospermum scoparium, a plant of New Zealand and Australia.[7]
  • Kanuka oil, also called white tea tree oil, comes from kānuka, Kunzea ericoides.[8] Kānuka is native to New Zealand.[5]

The oils differ in composition. New Zealand manuka oil contains few monoterpenes, unlike kanuka oil with about 75% alpha-pinene, and almost none of the terpinen-4-ol and 1,8-cineole that predominate in tea tree oil.[7]

Scent and uses

Tea tree oil smells medicinal, fresh, woody, earthy and herbaceous. Many people get used to the medicinal note; for those who cannot, manuka oil is a milder-smelling alternative.[1] Its scent has also been described as warm-spicy, reminiscent of nutmeg, cardamom and sweet marjoram, and it found use in spicy colognes and aftershaves for men.[2]

Herbal medicine

Tea tree oil medicines are used for mouth and throat disorders and for skin disorders and minor wounds. For practical use of a tea tree oil medicine, the package leaflet, a doctor or a pharmacist is the guide.[3]

Evidence on whether it helps is limited. A small amount suggests that tea tree oil applied to the skin might help acne and athlete's foot, but more studies are needed; for other conditions, there is not enough evidence to tell. Mouthrinses containing it are promoted for gum inflammation, plaque and bad breath, but whether they work is uncertain.[4]

Safety

  • The risk of skin allergy from tea tree oil is considered low. At most 15% on the skin is recommended.[1]
  • Some authors say the oil can be applied undiluted. It is wiser not to follow this advice.[1]
  • Oil that has oxidised should not be used.[1]
  • Take extra care when using the oil with children. Do not take it by mouth.[1] Swallowing it can cause serious symptoms such as confusion, unsteadiness, inability to walk and coma.[4]
  • In laboratory tests on isolated tissue, tea tree oil, like manuka oil, weakened contractions of uterine muscle.[7]

Products containing it

Sources

  1. ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 AromaWeb, Tea Tree Essential Oil. Retrieved 8 November 2026.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Steffen Arctander, Perfume and Flavor Materials of Natural Origin, Elizabeth, NJ, 1960: Melaleuca Alternifolia.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 European Medicines Agency, Melaleucae aetheroleum: herbal medicinal product. Retrieved 8 November 2026.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, Tea Tree Oil. Retrieved 10 November 2026.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 W. Maddocks-Jennings, J. M. Wilkinson, D. Shillington and H. Cavanagh, A fresh look at manuka and kanuka essential oils from New Zealand. The International Journal of Aromatherapy 15 (2005), 141–146.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 AromaWeb, Manuka Essential Oil. Retrieved 8 November 2026.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 C. Mathew et al., Mānuka Oil—A Review of Antimicrobial and Other Medicinal Properties. Pharmaceuticals 2020, 13(11), 343.
  8. ↑ AromaWeb, Kanuka Essential Oil. Retrieved 8 November 2026.
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