About Tea Tree Oil Monograph

A tea tree oil monograph for the home

Latin Name: Melaleuca alternifolia

Common Names: tea tree oil, tea tree, Australian tea tree oil, tea tree essential oil, melaleuca oil

This tea tree oil monograph provides basic information about tea tree oil—common names, usefulness and safety, and resources for more information.

Source: https://nccih.nih.gov/

Basics Research Results Dosing Safety Wildcrafting References PubMed

Tea Tree Oil Basics

Tea tree oil comes from the leaves of the tea tree and has been used as a traditional medicine for cuts and wounds by the aboriginal people of Australia.
Today, tea tree oil is often used externally for various conditions such as acne, athlete’s foot, lice, nail fungus, cuts, and insect bites.
Tea tree oil is obtained by steam distillation of tea tree leaves. It is used topically (applied to the skin), and is an ingredient in a variety of skin products.

Tea Tree Oil in Health Research

Only a small amount of research has been done on the topical use of tea tree oil for health conditions in people.

Tea Tree Oil Research Summary

A limited amount of research indicates that tea tree oil might be helpful for acne, nail fungus, and athlete’s foot.

Tea Tree Oil Safety

Tea tree oil should not be swallowed. Taking it orally can cause serious symptoms such as confusion and ataxia (loss of muscle coordination).
Most people can use topical products containing tea tree oil without problems, but some people may develop contact dermatitis (an allergic skin rash) or skin irritation on the parts of the body where the product was used.

Tea Tree Oil References

Jack AR, Norris PL, Storrs FJ. Allergic contact dermatitis to plant extracts in cosmetics. Seminars in Cutaneous Medicine and Surgery. 2013;32(3):140-146.
Tea Tree Oil. Natural Medicines Web site. Accessed at naturalmedicines.therapeuticresearch.com on April 28, 2015. [Database subscription].

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PubMed Articles About

Source: National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI)[Internet]. Bethesda (MD): National Library of Medicine (US), National Center for Biotechnology Information; [1988] – [cited 2018 Apr 5]. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/

Garima, S., Ajit Kumar, P., Marcy, DM., Sakthivel, R., Bhim Pratap, S., Nachimuthu Senthil, K., (2021) Ethnobotanical survey of medicinal plants used in the management of cancer and diabetes.

To conduct an ethnobotanical survey and document the traditional anticancer and antidiabetic plants used by the local tribes of Mizoram, Northeast India.

Chen, Y., Qin, J., Tao, L., Liu, Z., Huang, J., Liu, W., Xu, Y., Tang, Q., Liu, Y., Chen, Z., Chen, S., Liang, S., Chen, C., Xie, J., Liu, J., Chen, L., Tao, J., (2023) Effects of Tai Chi Chuan on Cognitive Function in Adults 60 Years or Older With Type 2 Diabetes and Mild Cognitive Impairment in China: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is associated with the progression of cognitive dysfunction. Physical activity benefits cognition, but no evidence from randomized clinical trials has shown whether tai chi chuan has better long-term benefits than fitness walking in cognitive function for patients with T2D and mild cognitive impairment (MCI).

Borse, SP., Chhipa, AS., Sharma, V., Singh, DP., Nivsarkar, M., (2024) Management of Type 2 Diabetes: Current Strategies, Unfocussed Aspects, Challenges, and Alternatives.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) accounts for >90% of the cases of diabetes in adults. Resistance to insulin action is the major cause that leads to chronic hyperglycemia in diabetic patients. T2DM is the consequence of activation of multiple pathways and factors involved in insulin resistance and β-cell dysfunction. Also, the etiology of T2DM involves the complex interplay between genetics and environmental factors. This interplay can be governed efficiently by lifestyle modifications to achieve better management of diabetes. The present review aims at discussing the major factors involved in the development of T2DM that remain unfocussed during the anti-diabetic therapy. The review also focuses on lifestyle modifications that are warranted for the successful management of T2DM. In addition, it attempts to explain flaws in current strategies to combat diabetes. The employability of phytoconstituents as multitargeting molecules and their potential use as effective therapeutic adjuvants to first line hypoglycemic agents to prevent side effects caused by the synthetic drugs are also discussed.

Chen, YK., Liu, TT., Teia, FKF., Xie, MZ., (2023) Exploring the underlying mechanisms of obesity and diabetes and the potential of Traditional Chinese Medicine: an overview of the literature.

Obesity and diabetes are closely related metabolic disorders that have become major public health concerns worldwide. Over the past few decades, numerous studies have explored the underlying mechanisms of these disorders and identified various risk factors, including genetics, lifestyle, and dietary habits. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has been increasingly recognized for its potential to manage obesity and diabetes. Weight loss is difficult to sustain, and several diabetic therapies, such as sulfonylureas, thiazolidinediones, and insulin, might make it harder to lose weight. While lifestyle changes should be the primary approach for people interested in lowering weight, drugs are also worth investigating. Since some of the newer glucose-lowering medications that cause weight loss, such as glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) and sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2i), are additionally utilized or are under consideration for use as anti-obesity drugs, the frontier between glucose-lowering medication and weight loss drugs appears to be shifting. This review provides an overview of the literature on the underlying mechanisms of obesity and diabetes and the prospect of TCM in their management. We discuss the various TCM interventions, including acupuncture, herbal medicine, and dietary therapy, and their effects on metabolic health. We also highlight the potential of TCM in regulating gut microbiota, reducing inflammation, and improving insulin sensitivity. The findings suggest that TCM may provide a promising approach to preventing and managing obesity and diabetes. However, further well-designed studies are needed to confirm the efficacy and safety of TCM interventions and to elucidate their underlying mechanisms of action.

Watanabe, S., Okoshi, H., Yamabe, S., Shimada, M., (2021) Lam. in Diabetes Mellitus: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Plant-derived phytochemicals have been interested in as nutraceuticals for preventing the onset and progress of diabetes mellitus and its serious complications in recent years. Lam. is used in vegetables and in herbal medicine for its health-promoting properties against various diseases including diabetes mellitus. This study aimed to examine an effect of on diabetic hyperglycemia and dyslipidemia by meta-analyzing the current evidence of diabetic rodent models. Peer-reviewed studies written in English from two databases, PubMed and Embase, were searched to 30 April 2021. Studies reporting blood glucose or lipid levels in diabetic rodents with and without receiving extracts of were included. Forty-four studies enrolling 349 diabetic rodents treated with extracts of and 350 diabetic controls reported blood glucose levels. The pooled effect size was -3.92 (95% CI: -4.65 to -3.19) with a substantial heterogeneity. This effect was likely to be, at least in part, modified by the type of diabetic models. Moreover, diabetic hypertriglyceridemia and hypercholesterolemia were also significantly improved in diabetic rodent models treated with .

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