When traditional drugs begin to fail, doctors and scientists often return to natural remedies to look for new answers. This is true in the case of tea tree oil. Bacterial infections like MRSA have proven tricky for doctors to cure due to their resistance to antibiotics, but tea tree oil's anti fungal and antibacterial effects on the skin may serve useful at preventing these infections from spreading in health care settings. In the home, tea tree oil works like an over-the-counter antibiotic or anti-fungal cream, healing and preventing further infection for ailments like cuts, scrapes, athlete's foot and skin yeast infections. In rare cases, it's effects are unpleasant, especially in those with certain allergies.
Antifungal Effects
Scientists have been studying tea tree oil's effects on yeast and other fungal infections for some time. The oil is used by natural health practitioners and home remedy enthusiasts to cure fungal related dandruff as well as skin, toenail and vaginal fungal infections. According to Medline Plus, while some celebratory tests have shown encouraging results, it's still unclear as to how effective tea tree oil is at managing fungal infections.
Antibiotic Effects
Tea tree oil has an antibiotic effect on skin. It is commonly used to treat minor skin infections, scrapes and cuts due to it's demonstrated ability to kill bacteria. Scientists were able to demonstrate the extent of tea tree oil's antibiotic effects in a 2009 study published in the "Journal of Applied Microbiology." Tea tree oil applied to wounds in rats prevented rats from contracting serious bacterial infections, specifically group A streptococcus. Scientists are currently studying the oil's ability to prevent drug resistant MRSA infections in health care settings.
Contact Dermatitis
For a small percentage of users, tea tree oil has an allergenic effect on skin called contact dermatitis. These rashes range from red, itchy skin patches to severe and painful blisters, according to the American Cancer Society. If you're allergic to plants in the myrtle family, like cloves, allspice or pine, you're likely to experience contact dermatitis from tea tree oil. This applies to pure tea tree oil preparations and products such as lotions and creams that contain tea tree oil.
References
- "Journal of Applied Microbiology:" Inhibition of Group A Streptococcal Infection by Melaleuca Alternifolia (tea tree) Oil Concentrate in the Murine Model, 2009
- "BMC Infectious Diseases:" A Randomized Controlled Trial of Tea Tree Oil (5%) Body Wash Versus Standard Body Wash to Prevent Colonization with Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) in Critically Ill Adults: Research Protocol: 2008
- Medline Plus: Tea Tree Oil
- American Cancer Society: Tee Tree Oil
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