The Wonder Oils: Tea tree, Neem and Oregano are potent, all-purpose healers

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The Wonder Oils: Tea tree, Neem and Oregano are potent, all-purpose

healer

 

 

The Wonder Oils: Tea tree, Neem and Oregano are potent, all-purpose

healers - antiseptic and antibacterial remedies from tree leaves

 

Vegetarian Times, August, 1998 by Norine Dworkin

 

 

http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0820/is_n252/ai_21052116

 

Tea tree, neem and oregano are potent, all-purpose healers.

 

The plant kingdom offers natural remedies for nearly every ailment.

But

why juggle a dozen herbal oils when a jack-of-all-trades works just

as

well. The following essential oils, tea tree, neem and oregano, are

true

multitaskers. And because they're highly concentrated--just one drop

of

essential oil equals about 30 cups of herbal tea--a small bottle

goes a

long way.

 

TEA TREE OIL (Melaleuca alternifolia)

 

Derived from the leaves of the Melaleuca tree and packed with the

active

ingredient terpinen-4-ol, tea tree oil is highly prized for its

versatility. " I realized that I could do what three-quarters of the

items in a drug store could do with one bottle of tea tree oil, "

says

Cynthia Olsen, author of Australian Tea Tree Oil Guide (Kali Press,

1997). " I won't go anywhere without it. "

 

Used by Australian aborigines for centuries, tea tree oil began

attracting wider attention when the 18th-century explorer Capt.

James

Cook discovered the lush Melaleuca groves in New South Wales. He

dubbed

them " tea trees " for the spicy tea brewed from their leaves and

brought

samples back to England.

 

Australian medical journals have documented tea tree oil's

antiseptic

and antibacterial properties since the late 1920s, and the pungent

oil

was standard issue for all Australian military first-aid kits until

the

1930s, when synthetic antibiotics began to eclipse this natural

healer.

Today, with many " supergerms " resisting even the strongest

antibiotics,

tea tree oil's popularity is again on the rise. (Plant oils are

believed

to suffocate bacteria, which is why they don't become resistant.)

Microbiologists at the University of East London are studying its

effectiveness against Staphylococcus aureus, a dangerous pathogen

found

in hospitals. A study published in 1995 in the Journal of

Antimicrobial

Chemotherapy found that a dilution of 0.5 percent tea tree oil

killed

this bacterium in test tubes.

 

 

 

For at-home use, tea tree oil is great for disinfecting minor cuts,

abrasions and burns. Parents should keep a bottle of pure oil handy

when

school starts because it makes a highly effective, nontoxic lice

remedy.

Just mix 5 drops of tea tree oil with 5 drops of eucalyptus oil and

6

drops of lavender oil in 2 ounces of almond or olive oil. Saturate

hair

and Scalp, cover with plastic and let sit for 2 hours. Then comb

hair

with special nit comb and wash. Repeat daily until lice are gone.

 

Gargling twice daily with a few drops in warm water relieves sore

throats. Rubbed on the nose and forehead, it alleviates head

congestion.

A few drops on the chest and back breaks up a phlegmy cough.

 

But tea tree oil is known as an effective acne fighter. A 1990 study

by

Lederle Laboratories and Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Great

Britain

found that a 5 percent tea tree oil gel was as effective as benzoyl

peroxide in treating acne, with less drying, stinging and redness.

Use a

commercially prepared ointment, available in natural health stores,

or

dab undiluted oil right on pimples.

 

Tea tree oil's antifungual properties also are well-documented. A

double-blind study published in the Journal of Family Practice (June

1994) found that pure tea tree oil relieved nail fungus as

effectively

as 1 percent clotrimazole, a topical antifungal drug. And in 1985,

researchers at the University of Paris studied 28 women who used tea

tree oil suppositories to combat Candida albicans, the common yeast

infection. After one month, 21 women showed a complete recovery.

Dilute

a few drops of tea tree oil in a spoonful of water, put it on a

tampon

and leave inserted for 24 hours.

 

You'll find tea tree oil in plenty of commercial first-aid and

beauty

products. You also can use the undiluted essential oil or make your

own

preparations. Before treating yourself, rub a small amount on your

inner

arm to be sure you're not allergic.

 

NEEM (Azadiracta indica)

 

Affectionately called " the village pharmacy, " India's neem tree is

practically a first-aid kit in itself. Packed with the

antibacterial,

antifungal, antiviral, antihistamine, antiseptic, spermicidal and

immune-system stimulating components nimbin and nimbidin, neem is

said

to do everything from repelling insects to preventing

pregnancy. " It's a

great family first-aid herb, " says Karta Purkh Singh Khalsa, a

Seattle-based herbalist and co-author of Herbal Defense (Warner

Books,

1997).

 

Neem's role in medicine predates the codification of India's natural

healing system, Ayurveda; indeed, its uses were well-documented in

the

ancient texts on which Ayurveda is based. Perhaps because they are

so

versatile (and they thrive under the harshest conditions) neem trees

are

cherished in India. Hindu folklore holds that one who plants three

neem

trees lives for three epochs in the " sun world " and never goes to

hell.

 

Neem oil is found primarily in topical health and beauty products,

where

its strong scent (akin to raw garlic or burnt coffee) is often

masked by

more pleasant oils. Although few studies have been done on neem oil,

4,500 years of continued use bear out its efficacy: Added to

toothpaste

and mouthwash, it prevents cavities and gingivitis; in creams

(containing at least 25 percent neem oil), it combats vaginal

infections

and sexually transmitted diseases; in soaps and shampoos, it kills

lice,

ringworm and scabies; mixed with equal parts vegetable oil and

water, it

makes a healing soak for athlete's foot; undiluted, it repels fleas,

ticks, mosquitoes and flies. And test tube and human studies done at

India's Defense Institute of Physiology and Allied Science found

that

neem oil mixed with Indian soap nut extract and quinine was nearly

100

percent effective as a spermicide.

 

But neem oil is a real standout for skin care. Ayurveda believes

that

skin conditions are the result of excess sugar in the body, so

neem's

bitterness is used to restore balance. The oil also contains fatty

acids, which build collagen, promote wound healing and maintain

skin's

elasticity. According to John Conrick, author of Neem--The Ultimate

Herb

(Hopeful Communications, 1994), neem is as effective as cortisone

for

psoriasis, Wash the affected area with neem soap, then apply a cream

with at least 1 percent neem oil. This same recipe can be used for

acne,

eczema, cuts and scrapes, minor bums and ringworm. For lice and

scabies,

use neem shampoo, then add a neem cream to the hair and scalp, leave

it

in overnight, and comb through with a nit comb before washing it

out.

(Try the same routine, minus the nit comb, for dandruff.)

 

Although other parts of the neem tree can be safely consumed (tea is

regularly made from the leaves and bark), it's best not to ingest

the

oil--long-term use has been linked with liver dysfunction.

 

OREGANO OIL (Origanum vulgare)

 

Not the herb you put on pizza and pasta, wild mountain oregano (a

highly

aromatic member of the mint family found only in the Mediterranean)

is a

potent remedy for skin and fungal conditions, chronic pain, insect

bites, even nasty summer colds. Its powerful antiseptic,

antibacterial,

antiparasitical, antiviral, analgesic and antifungal properties are

attributed to the active ingredient carvacrol.

 

For most skin problems, Cass Ingram, D.O., author of The Cure is in

the

Cupboard: How to Use Oregano for Better Health (Knowledge House,

1997),

recommends applying 1 drop of oil to the affected area or soaking a

cotton ball with oil and taping it in place overnight. You also can

treat fungal infections, insect bites and minor bums this way. " I've

never seen anything reduce inflammation or swelling for burns so

quickly, " says Ingram. " For Sunburn, it's a total lifesaver. "

 

Oregano oil also makes a good topical analgesic. According to a

study

done by the Anadolu University in Turkey and published in the

journal

Phytotherapy Research, topical applications of oregano oil worked

better

than ibuprofen and nearly as well as morphine for controlling

chronic

pain. Rubbed into the chest, oregano oil breaks up mucous during a

cold.

Applied to gums, fights plaque and gingivitis.

 

For yeast infections, a 1995 study published in the Journal of

Applied

Nutrition found that the carvacrol contained in a 1 percent

concentration of oregano oil effectively killed the bacteria Candida

albicans. One caveat: Oregano is very warming. " When the plant's

phenols

[a type of flavonoid], which are rich in oxygen, hit water, they

create

a hydrogen ion shift and produce heat, " explains Ingram, who points

out

that oregano owes its germ-fighting prowess to the heat. " The heat

reaction dehydrates germs and kills them, with no harm to the human

tissues, " he says. " Although it could be uncomfortable. " When

applying

oregano oil to sensitive areas, like the vagina or face, dilute 1 to

2

drops in a teaspoon of olive oil first.

 

 

 

 

While many herbal companies tout oregano oil's internal use, other

herbalists say it's best used topically.

 

" It contains harsh phenols, " explains Mindy Green, director of

educational services at the Herb Research Foundation in Boulder,

Colo.

" A skilled aromatherapist wouldn't encourage internal use or long-

term

use of oregano essential oil--oregano as an herb is fine. The oil is

potentially damaging to the liver and kidneys when taken at high

doses

for long periods of time. "

 

Used wisely, however, tea tree, neem and oregano oils can become

indispensable to your first-aid kit. When it comes to those minor

mishaps and beauty emergencies, remember, a little dab'll do ya.

 

Norine Dworkin is senior articles editor of Vegetarian Times.