Touted as a powerful antiseptic, tea tree oil has been used for many years to treat medical conditions ranging from acne and fungal infections to eczema and pneumonia. The American Cancer Society relays that some proponents even believe tea tree oil to function as an immune-boosting agent, recharging the lymphatic system. Despite clinically demonstrated antimicrobial properties, tea tree oil has potentially harmful side effects.
Skin Irritation
Tea tree oil may induce skin irritation and hypersensitivity reactions. In a meta analysis published in the 2006 edition of "Clinical Microbiology Reviews," researchers concluded that tea tree oil caused allergic and irritant dermal reactions in some patients. PDR Health additionally notes dryness, stinging, burning, itching, rash or redness of the skin as warning signs of an adverse skin reaction.
Gynecomastia
Gynecomastia--a condition which the National Institutes of Health explains is the excess growth or development of breast tissue in males--can be an adverse effect of tea tree oil use by prepubertal boys. A case study published in a 2007 edition of the "New England Journal of Medicine" examined gynecomastia in three boys. Researchers found that the boys' repeated topical exposure to tea tree and lavender oils found in shampoos, soaps, lotions and balms may have accounted for prepubertal gynecomastia. Researchers also performed laboratory experiments on tea tree and lavender oils and found them to possess properties similar to the feminine hormone estrogen.
Coma
The Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center warns against oral ingestion of tea tree oil due to serious adverse effects, including coma. In a 2003 edition of "Pediatric Emergency Care," a 4-year-old boy was found ataxic (lack of muscle coordination) and unresponsive within 30 minutes of ingesting a small amount of tea tree oil. Moreover, in a 2008 edition of the book "Dermatologic, Cosmeceutic, and Cosmetic Development," authors note that a man became comatose for 12 hours and semiconscious and hallucinatory for an additional 36 hours upon ingestion of a cup of tea tree oil tea.
References
- The Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center: Tea Tree Oil
- ACS: Tea Tree Oil
- PDR Health: Tea Tree Oil
- Clinical Microbiology Reviews: Melaleuca alternifolia (Tea Tree) Oil: a Review of Antimicrobial and Other Medicinal Properties
- Pediatric Emergency Care: Ingestion of tea tree oil (Melaleuca oil) by a 4-year-old boy
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