The main source of commercially produced tea tree oil, Melaleuca alternifolia is an efficacious natural antiseptic once heralded as 'a medicine chest in a bottle'. The genus Melaleuca belongs to the myrtle family (Myrtaceae) and includes about 250 species (including the paperbarks, some of which are cultivated as ornamentals). Most Melaleuca species are restricted to Australia. M. alternifolia bears fluffy, white masses of flowers from spring to early summer, and its narrow leaves help distinguish it from the similar species M. linariifolia, which has wider leaves and flattish-spherical fruits.

Tea tree is a member of a highly aromatic family, the myrtacea family, including myrtle, bay laurel, and sassafras for a start. These plants produce fragrant oils that both speed skin healing and kill off any bugs trying to cause skin infections. Tea tree is an excellent alternative to antibiotic cream and one that should be used to replace those nasty creams. This member of the fragrant family is native to Australia. It was used by the aborigines to treat wounds, cuts and abrasions long before the white man happened onto those shores. When the convicts made their way to the outback, they quickly learned of the wound antiseptic uses of this native plant. Like many other members of the myrtaceae family. A relatively new oil at the turn of this century, tea tree oil gained popularity during the Second World War. It was used by the British Navy to keep wounds from becoming infected. Beyond this, it was used in ammunition factories in Australia to keep workers hands free from infection following factory accidents. Early in this century doctors learned that when one applied tea tree to a wound, it did not become infected.

The main source of commercially produced tea tree oil, Melaleuca alternifolia is an efficacious natural antiseptic once heralded as 'a medicine chest in a bottle'. The genus Melaleuca belongs to the myrtle family (Myrtaceae) and includes about 250 species (including the paperbarks, some of which are cultivated as ornamentals). Most Melaleuca species are restricted to Australia. M. alternifolia bears fluffy, white masses of flowers from spring to early summer, and its narrow leaves help distinguish it from the similar species M. linariifolia, which has wider leaves and flattish-spherical fruits.

Tea tree is a member of a highly aromatic family, the myrtacea family, including myrtle, bay laurel, and sassafras for a start. These plants produce fragrant oils that both speed skin healing and kill off any bugs trying to cause skin infections. Tea tree is an excellent alternative to antibiotic cream and one that should be used to replace those nasty creams. This member of the fragrant family is native to Australia. It was used by the aborigines to treat wounds, cuts and abrasions long before the white man happened onto those shores. When the convicts made their way to the outback, they quickly learned of the wound antiseptic uses of this native plant. Like many other members of the myrtaceae family. A relatively new oil at the turn of this century, tea tree oil gained popularity during the Second World War. It was used by the British Navy to keep wounds from becoming infected. Beyond this, it was used in ammunition factories in Australia to keep workers hands free from infection following factory accidents. Early in this century doctors learned that when one applied tea tree to a wound, it did not become infected.