Wednesday, June 4, 2008

Tea Tree Oil, a wonder from "down Under".

In the years since I have started using tea tree oil, the number of uses has increased.
It is an excellent antiseptic, in fact, I use it successfully on canker sores, clears up even the most aggressive in a day or 2. (To use it this way, shake a bottle of the oil, daub the end of a q-tip on the inside lid. Dry the area of the canker sore, apply and hold for several seconds, then hold the sore out and let the oil dry. I told the mother of a child about it, she tried it and only needed 2 applications to heal up a very large, open sore. Less than 24 hrs. was all it took.)
Any; acne, scrape, cut or other open wound heals quickly after application, and only a little dab will do you!
Nanc's daughter, zgirl, had a swollen gum, near a tooth that had lost it's filling. Since it was the weekend, a dentist just wasn't available. At a nearby small store, Nanc picked up some freshly made colloidal silver with a small amount of tea tree oil in it. The swelling and pain went down, and stayed down until zgirl could get into the dentist on Monday.
Also, a little bit on a cotton ball, can help dry up acne or boils before they get too big and really painful and obvious.
Here is a link with more information;
http://altmedicine.about.com/od/herbsupplementguide/a/TeaTreeOil.htm

And what the NIH has to say;
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/natural/patient-teatreeoil.html


And a special caution to cat owners;
http://www.messybeast.com/teatree.htm

15 comments:

Dr. John said...

Nanc - interesting. Did you try it on your self-diagnosed nausea-inducing ankle sprain? Just wondering. Seriously, though, go get it checked out.

Also, just remember "all natural" does not equal all safe. Uranium is natural and I don't see people trying to get too close to that.

The Merry Widow said...

Dr. John-It was I, the merry widow wrote this.
I know that care must be exercised in using anything that effects the body. Which is why I included the NIH link, and the link about cats.
You don't blithely go down the primrose path, but I have gotten help with minor problems with both tea tree oil and colloidal silver.
But then, I'm not a member of the, "If a little is good, then more must be better school"!
You also need to understand, since my husband died, we have not had health insurance, and a trip NOT taken to the doctor keeps us out of debt!
I have psoriasis and use both Olux and Dovenex...they cost about $385 per prescription, I don't visit the doctor much! And if I find a way to deal with something, maybe more slowly, but deal with it, I'm a happy camper.
When the only way to afford meat for your family is by buying it through AngelFood Ministry, you do what you have to do, to feed your family!
Alot of these tips are aimed at those who don't have a lot of "backup" in their lives, because we are there too, or have been there.
I'm not complaining about my situation, but explaining that I can't run to the doctor everytime I get a sniffle or infection.
As for Nanc, she has to travel 4 hrs. to get to the reservation medical center for treatment, she has a family, you can't just drop everything for something minor that you may be able to deal with yourself.
We are pioneer stock, we deal with things, not whine about them.
As for Nanc, Nancpop is taking her Friday, she can't drive that far on that foot.
So, I understand your hesitation and concern, and appreciate it! But we can't always do things the accepted way, and times are going to get tougher...and alternatives must be made available.
BTW-Welcome to SensibleFolks...we really are!

tmw

nanc said...

thankx for your concern, dr. john. my biggest problem with the sprain is it is surrounding an exposed nerve so ice and heat and elevation seem to be helping.

now, for the tea tree oil - WHAT A GREAT THING!

yes, zgirl's treatment with it worked wonders. thing is, you must use it and dump it - something in the transformation process with the colloidal silver that can cause prolonged effects. she's going to the dds tomorrow and the problem will be solved once and for all.

i've had people tell me that they put a teaspoon of tea tree oil into their children's shampoo and when LICE season comes around, there's are some of the only children who don't contract the nasty little buggers!

also, firsthand advice - one of my sisters took control of one of my other sister's children quite a few years ago - one of them had lice so bad that she had to take all the furniture in my niece's room and burn it - lice problem STILL not solved until she started treating EVERYTHING in the room plus her head with tea tree oil - lice GONE!

none said...

I agree completely. Teatree foot powder also works wonders for sore and tired feet.

The Merry Widow said...

I use a tea tree ointment on any heat rashes that come up, in Florida, you have heat rashes. Since heat rashes are yeast infections, it works great!
Good morning, G*D bless and Maranatha!

tmw
Keeps me far away from overuse of antibiotics and Difluken! A GOOD THING!

Brooke said...

Cool info; thanks!

Anonymous said...

I love tea tree oil! I was going to mention tea tree shampoo. It's good for the scalp.
good stuff, TMW.

Brooke said...

Question: Is it good for dry hair? I have the dryness/frizz thing whenever the humidity is up, and since I live in the Ohio River valley, that's about 80% of the time.

Danke!

Dr. John said...

Merry widow - thanks for the reply. Regarding your prescription bills, check out the website www.needymeds.com. All the major pharmaceutical companies have prescription assistance programs, for people without insurance that meet certain income requirements. Olux is on there, but Dovenex is not. Maybe other medicines you use (if you are on any others) are as well.
IT takes a little paperwork but may be well worth the $100-200 a month it may save you.

elmers brother said...

Like Pinky I like the shampoo

The Merry Widow said...

My daughter and I use a tea tree body wash, I don't let my son use it. But it helps with the acne, and rashes.
Dr. John-Thanks, that would be a huge help! Dovenex and Olux are the only 2 I use. My doctor, bless her heart, wanted to put me on Celebrex for my mild ra(I got it 2 yrs. before the psoriasis showed up), but I declined. Aspirin, hydration and constant, gentle exercise keeps me moving and free of swelling and stiffness. I may wake up a little stiff and sore(and if a thunderstorm is coming, yeow), but getting up and moving usually takes care of it...and no, I don't use tea tree oil for my ra...;-}
I'm on that site like a duck on a bug!
Good morning, G*D bless and Maranatha!

tmw

The Merry Widow said...

Dr. John-As you can see, I added that site to our Handy Links, thank you again!

tmw

nanc said...

you can just add a teaspoon of the oil to your favorite shampoo...

Dr. John said...

Merry widow - Wow, psoriasis and RA. Tough break. I have a couple of patients with RA and they are not happy campers at all, and I have one guy with psoriatic arthritis who needs 240 mg of Oxycontin a day just to function (believe me, he has tried a lot of other things). Glad to hear you are keeping things to a dull roar.

The Merry Widow said...

I had a "nice" succession; at 13 I had my first run in with sinus allergies, when I was 16 I had my first ra attack(both knees) and at 18 I was diagnosed with psoriasis!
Learning to keep it to a dull roar has taken me decades!
The 2 biggest things that helped, WATER...lots of water. I used to drink way to little, now I have trained myself to drink more, it has made a huge difference!
I mug of coffee in the morning, no sodas, but water.
Swimming and tai chi help with movement, that or walking, but the water stopped the swelling and stiffness.
Yes, I ache on occassion, but I can move, maybe more slowly, but I move!
Tomorrow I'm going to be pushing around a 60# block of dry ice to break up the glue on 30 yr. old vinyl flooring, my son will do the scraping, but I will do the ice thing! LOL!
I refuse to give up!

tmw