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Tea Tree Oil from Australia
Essential Oil Profile
(from Aromatherapy Course
– Home & Family with therapeutic additions)
by Jeanne Rose
Paper Bark Tree - no other common
name
Melaleuca alternifolia (Maiden & Betche) Cheel, Family Myrtaceae
(refers to black trunk and white branches and alternate leaves on the
stem)
DESCRIPTION An evergreen tree, up
to 4-7 m with a spread of 4 m, native to the northern coastal area of
New South Wales. White flowers from spring to early summer, with leaves
that are alternate, lance-shaped and narrow to a point (acuminate).
PRODUCTION METHOD
Steam Distillation— Leaves & Terminal Branches
OIL CHARACTERISTICS
A slightly yellow to colorless oil, clear through, non-viscous and
watery, not intense odor (4 on a scale of 1-10), the scent is
herbaceous, green and celery-like with subsidiary notes of wood, fungal
earth and back notes of camphor and spice. Dry down is herbaceous,
camphoraceous and fungal. Taste is mild.
PHYSICOCHEMICAL PROPERTIES @ 20°
Specific Gravity — 0.89 - .91
Refractive Index — 1.47 - 1.48
Optical Rotation — +5° to 15°
Solubility w/ethanol — clear sol'n 1 EO • 2 vol. 85%
Moisture Content— no visible water
CHEMICAL PROFILE
36.6% terpinene-4-ol
22.0%  -terpinene
11.4%  -Pinene
6.1% 1,8-cineole (up to 30% acceptable with over 30% terpinene-4-ol
present)
3.6% terpinolene
Varying amounts, up to 3% of
-Pinene,
Para-cymene, limonene,
-Terpineol,
aromadendrene, viridiflorene and
-cadinene
ESSENTIAL OIL PROPERTIES and
Class
Anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-viral, an immune stimulant,
expectorant, mild local analgesic, organic solvent and parasiticide.
USES
A large spectrum of action.
Used externally on skin for acne, sores, cuts, used internally for
respiratory problems, bacteria and parasites in the gut and vagina, used
by inhalation for problems of the sinus, throat and lungs. It is used in
cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, flavor and fragrance.
___________________________________________________
DISCLAIMER: This work is intended
for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for accurate
diagnosis and treatment by a qualified health care professional. The
author is neither a chemist nor a medical doctor. The content herein is
the product of research and some personal and practical experience.
Institute of Aromatic & Herbal Studies - Jeanne Rose©
Source: This is one of the
essential oils in the
Basic 25 Kit and in the
Aromatherapy Travel Kit.
Essential Oil Profiles were by compiled
Dawn Copeland of Chicago, Ill. with permission.
Bibliography:
Elliott
and Jones. Encyclopedia of Australian Plants 5
Franchomme & Penoël .
Aromatherapie
Rose, Jeanne . The Aromatherapy Studies Course, CH. 14.
1999. ——. 375 Essential Oils & Hydrosols. Frog. 1999.
private
communications.
Rose, Jeanne . Herbal Studies Course/ Jeanne Rose,
Institute of Aromatic & Herbal Studies, 1992.
Rose, Jeanne. The
Aromatherapy Book: Applications & Inhalations. San Francisco,
California:
Worwood, Susan & Valerie Ann. Essential Aromatherapy, a
pocket guide to essential oils and Aromatherapy.
Novato, CA. New World
Library, 2003.
©All
Rights Reserved 2002 to Course, Books, Kits and Profile.
No part of this article may be used
without prior permission from The Aromatic Plant Project.
©Author's Copyright and Jeanne Rose, info@aromaticplantproject.com |
