TEA TREE ESSENTIAL OIL
No house should be without this essential oil, as it is one of the most powerful immune system stimulants and sorts out most viral, bacterial and fungal infections in a snap, while it is great to clean wounds and also relieves muscle aches and pains.
Oil properties
It has a light spicy, rather pungent smell and is very pale in color with a watery viscosity.
Origin of tea tree oil
It is a small tree from New South Wales in Australia, similar to Cypress, with needle-like leaves and heads of sessile yellow or purplish flowers and grows to about 7 meters (20 feet) high and thrives in marshy areas, though it is now cultivated in plantations.
Even when this tree is cut down, it flourishes and is ready for cutting again in two years. The oil is only produced in Australia where the Aborigines used it for a long time for a variety of medicinal purposes.
In World War II, the producers and the cutters were exempt from military service until enough essential oil had been accumulated. Each soldier and sailor was issued with some as part of their kit, to treat tropical infections and infected wounds.
Tea tree oil is an ingredient of soaps, creams, lotions, deodorants, disinfectants and air fresheners. 
Extraction 
It is extracted from the leaves and twigs by steam distillation and the yield is about 1.8%.
Chemical composition
The main chemical components of tea tree oil (also referred to as ti-tree oil) are a-pinene, b-pinene, sabinene, myrcene, a-phellandrene, a-terpinene, limonene, 1,8-cineole, y-terpinene, p-cymene, terpinolene, linalool, terpinen-4-ol and a-terpineol.
Precautions
Tea tree oil is considered a safe oil, as it is non-toxic and non-irritant, but some individuals so show sensitizing to this oil, and it should be used with this in mind. It should not be used on deep wounds or near the eyes, ears, nose or internally. Please remember that it is a most powerful oil, but using it unwisely could result in problems.
Therapeutic properties 
The therapeutic properties of tea tree oil are antimicrobial, antiseptic, antiviral, balsamic, bactericide, cicatrisant, expectorant, fungicide, insecticide, stimulant and sudorific.
Uses
Tea tree oil is very important in the health of the immune system, as it acts as a immuno-stimulant and increases the body's ability to fight off any infections, while it also is used to revive the mind and body after shock.
The world over, this oil is used with great effectiveness to ward of infections of any kind, and it is active in all three varieties of infectious organisms:
·    bacteria
·    fungi and
·    viruses.
It can help with influenza, cold sores, catarrh, glandular fever and gingivitis.
A course of massage with tea tree oil before an operation may help to fortify the body and reduce post-operative shock.
Apart from the superb anti-infectious properties of tea tree oil, it is also most effective to help clear bronchial congestion, asthma, coughs, sinusitis, whooping cough and tuberculosis.
On the genito-urinary system, it can be used to help clear vaginal thrush, cystitis and genital infections in general and on the skin, it clears abscesses, acne, burns, herpes, oily skin, athlete's foot, cold sores, blemishes, diaper rash, warts, sunburn and infected wounds, while fighting dandruff on the scalp.
Summary 
Tea tree oil is one of the most powerful immune stimulant oils and helps fight infections of all kinds and helps clear the skin.
·    Burners and vaporizers
o    In vapor therapy, tea tree oil helps with colds, sinusitis, bronchitis and any other respiratory ailment and is also of use to help the mind cope after shock.
·    Blended massage oil or in the bath
o    As a blended massage oil or diluted in the bath, tea tree oil helps with all respiratory ailments, as well as arthritis, colds, dermatitis, skin infections, scalp disorders, sinusitis, viral infections, nettle rash, babies colds and coughs, bronchitis, as well as for sweaty feet.
·    In wash or applied neat
o    When it is added to the water for washing it has great value to treat abscesses, bed sores, acne, boils, lice, dandruff, wounds, as well as animal or human bites and can also be applied neat on problem areas with a cotton bud.
o    For lice - apply neat onto the scalp - leave for 40 minutes and wash the hair. This must be repeated every second day for twelve days.
o    Fungal outbreaks such as athlete's foot and nail infections (paronychia) as well as vaginal thrush and cradle cap can be treated with frequent direct application of a 2.5% dilution of tea tree oil.
o    Please remember that it is a powerful essential oil, and the neat application onto the skin must be done with care.
·    Mouthwash
o    Tea tree oil can be used as a mouthwash for gum infections, mouth ulcers, throat infections and tonsillitis, while garlic eaters believe that it reduces the smell of garlic on the breath. Although we know that the oil will definitely benefit the infectious problem, we are unsure of the success with the smell of garlic.