HISTORY
AUSTRALIAN TEA TREE OIL
NATURES POWERFUL HEALING TREE
The tea tree Melaleuca alternifolia is native to Australia and its habitat stretches from the mid-north coast of New South Wales to southern Queensland. This is the region where Cassegrain’s Kalara Tea Tree Oil is grown and produced. We believe the unique combination of climate, soil, water and species delivers one of the best tea tree oils in the world.
Tea tree is the generic name used to refer to many indigenous species of tree in Australia, in particular trees from the genus Melaleuca. However, the genus Melaleuca itself has over 200 recognised species in Australia alone. Just as each species is different, so too is the oil found in the glands within the leaves of these trees.1 In this context, any oil extracted from a tea tree could be called tea tree oil. However, there is one species of the Melaleuca that has proven to contain antiseptic and antifungal2 properties and has been the subject of exhaustive and continuing scientific research.
Our selection of Melaleuca alternifolia is grown on the Cassegrain Plantation, with a climate and soil quality that is ideal for this species. This allows us to farm the trees in the most environmentally sustainable way possible, using natural rainfall to irrigate the trees and maintaining a high natural resilience to pests.
THE OIL
The oil from the Melaleuca alternifolia tea tree is one of the most scientifically researched essential oils in the world. The oil is unique because it is made up of more than 113 naturally occurring components, with each component playing an important role in Melaleuca alternifolia’s efficacy.
The most plentiful of these is Terpinen-4-ol, which makes up at least 40% of Kalara Tea Tree Oil and has a vital role in the oil’s antimicrobial activity. In one scientific study, Terpinen-4-ol was compared with 100% pure Australian Melaleuca alternifolia tea tree oil and the results demonstrated that the tea tree oil was significantly more effective than Terpinen-4-ol alone3. This is due to the tea tree oil’s unique blend of over 113 naturally compounds, which work together in such a way that the tea tree oil’s efficacy is greater than the sum of its individual compound parts.
With antibiotic-resistant ‘superbugs’ now seen as a potential health threat to society, the use of natural substances such as tea tree oil to treat minor ailments is becoming more important than ever.* Tea tree oil is natural and a highly complex oil containing 115 compounds that have been shown to inhibit many antibacterial strands from developing a resistance to treatment.4
Watch how Kalara Tea Tree Oil is extracted on the Cassegrain Plantation, using a low-temperature steam distilled process that retains all the natural goodness and health benefits of 100% pure Australian Melaleuca alternifolia tea tree oil.
​
*Please note that tea tree oil should not replace any antibiotic course prescribed by your doctor. Always seek medical attention for serious infections and follow your doctor's recommendations.
References
[1] Lyn A. Craven, 1999, Tea Tree – The Genus Melaleuca, 1999, Ch. 1, Behind the Names: The Botany of Tea Tree, Cajuput and Niaouli, Harwood Academic Publishers, Australia
[2] Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation, 2007, The Effectiveness and Safety of Australian Tea Tree Oil, Australian Government, Australia
[3] Greay SJ, Ireland DJ, Kissick HT, Heenan PJ, et al. (2010) Inhibition of established Australian Infection Control, Subcutaneous murine tumour growth with topical Melaleuca alternifolia (tea tree) oil Cancer Chemother Pharmacol 65:877–88.
[4] Carson, C F, Messager, S, Hammer, K A, Riley, T V, (2005) Vol. 10 Issue 1, Tea tree oil: a potential alternative for the management of methicillin-resistant Staahvlococcus auvew (MRSA)