What is tea tree oil?

Tea tree has a long history of traditional use. Australian aboriginals used tea tree leaves for healing skin cuts, burns, and infections by crushing the leaves and applying them to the affected area.

During Captain Cook's expedition to New South Wales in 1770 the sailors saw this growing and picked the leaves and brewed a tea. This created the common name for the herb "tea tree" which is actually something of a misnomer because the Melaleuca species bears no relation to the Camellia species, the usual source of tea leaves.

Today, an aromatic oil with a fragrance reminiscent of nutmeg is steam-distilled from the Melaleuca leaves. Because the Melaleuca alternifolia grows only in Australia, which is now the major source of tea tree oil, exporting some 700 tons annually. Tea tree products are often referred to as "melaleuca oil." The pure oil is colorless to pale yellow.