Tea Tree Oil use by Ray Sahelian, M.D. Benefit of tea tree oil
http://www.raysahelian.com/teatreeoil.html

Tea tree oil, used for centuries by Australian natives, has been popular in the health supplement industry for many years and gradually becoming known by mainstream Americans. Tea tree oil has anti-fungal and anti-bacterial activity. See nail fungus for a natural treatment for this difficult condition.

Tea Tree Oil use and potential benefits
Tea tree oil has been tested in various skin and medical conditions including acne pimples, dermatitis, gingivitis, pediculosis (lice), dandruff, genital warts, and tinea pedis (athlete's foot). There is good research to suggest tea tree oil is beneficial in athlete's foot, and I have listed some of this research below.

Tea Tree Oil Research Update
Herbal medicines for treatment of fungal infections: a systematic review of controlled clinical trials.
Mycoses. 2004 Apr;47(3-4):87-92.
Traditional medicine has made use of many different plant extracts for treatment of fungal infections and some of these have been tested for in vitro antifungal activity. This systematic review evaluates antifungal herbal preparations that have been tested in controlled clinical trials. Four electronic databases were searched for controlled clinical trials of antifungal herbal medicines. Data were extracted in a standardized manner by two independent reviewers and are reviewed narratively. Seven clinical trials met our inclusion criteria. Tea tree oil preparations were tested in four randomized clinical trials and some positive outcomes were attributed to the intervention in all trials. Solanum species (two trials) and oil of bitter orange preparations (one trial) were compared with conventional treatments. In all cases encouraging results were reported. There are few controlled clinical trials of herbal antifungal medicines. The most thoroughly clinically tested is tea tree oil, which holds some promise. All herbal remedies require further investigation in rigorous clinical trials.

Treatment of interdigital tinea pedis (athlete's foot) with 25% and 50% tea tree oil solution: a randomized, placebo-controlled, blinded study.
Australas J Dermatol. 2002 Aug;43(3):175-8.
Tea tree oil has been shown to have activity against dermatophytes in vitro. We have conducted a randomized, controlled, double-blinded study to determine the efficacy and safety of 25% and 50% tea tree oil in the treatment of interdigital tinea pedis. One hundred and fifty-eight patients with tinea pedis clinically and microscopy suggestive of a dermatophyte infection were randomized to receive either placebo, 25% or 50% tea tree oil solution. Patients applied the solution twice daily to affected areas for 4 weeks and were reviewed after 2 and 4 weeks of treatment. There was a marked clinical response seen in 68% of the 50% tea tree oil group and 72% of the 25% tea tree oil group, compared to 39% in the placebo group. Mycological cure was assessed by culture of skin scrapings taken at baseline and after 4 weeks of treatment. The mycological cure rate was 64% in the 50% tea tree oil group, compared to 31% in the placebo group. Four (3.8%) patients applying tea tree oil developed moderate to severe dermatitis that improved quickly on stopping the study medication.

Click to Read the Full Article

Fight athlete's foot, fungus & bacteria on your Yoga Mat with 100% Organic Yoga Mat Cleanser from Love My Mat.