I was trying to find out more about Grass Shoots, a plastic bag amnesty program in London, whatever that means and instead came back with a piece by Sarah Dryden on Natural Healing Head-To-Toe With Australian Tea Tree Oil (New Consumer, UK, December 3, 2008).
She starts by asking us "what do the aboriginal people of Australia, World War II soldiers
stationed in the tropics and a modern-day Clinical Aromatherapist have
in common? All know the incredible healing power of tea tree oil."
I pledge ignorance on the topic .
Cathy Wong in What is Tea Tree Oil? (on About.com) offers the following answer:
"Tea tree oil is an essential oil obtained by steam distillation of the leaves of Melaleuca alternifolia, a plant native to Australia.
Historically, the leaves were used as a substitute for tea, which is
how tea tree oil got its name. The part used medicinally is the oil
from the leaves."
Getting back to Sarah Dryden's article, she offers a very very long list of things that Tea Tree Oil is said to be a solution for from dandruff to acne to (hick) fungal nail infections and warts.
In my childhood I had a 'warts' problem, one of my aunt took me to a well and made me drop peas to the bottom of it as a supposed remedy.
Have you used Tea Tree Oil? Did it work wonders for you?
Just curious?
Related somehow: Slightly Greener House Cleaning Ideas courtesy of The Vinegar Institute