We have all heard of the famous British explorer Captain Cook who In 1770 landed Botany Bay near the site that eventually would become known as Sydney, Australia. During this period of discovery he came across what was then known as the "Healing Ground" area, named by the aborigines, it was an area filled with trees. There Cook observed the aborigines as they applied crushed leaves, gathered from these trees, to open wounds and also used those same leaves to brew tea.

Tasting the tea he found it spicy and refreshing and it was he who gave the Melaleuca Alternifolia tree its common name "The Tea Tree". Captain Cook and his crew would later on take samples of the tea tree back to England for further study but nothing ever became of those studies and thus the amazing medical properties of the Melaleuca Alternifolia remained undiscovered to those outside of Australia.

Many years later, Dr Dennis Considen, a surgeon, recognized the medical properties of the tea tree but due to lack of training and equipment the powerful potential of the oil remained dormant yet again for the next 150 years.

In 1923 Dr A. Penfold, an Australian chemist studied the tea tree oil in depth after distilling it and found that the oil had significant antiseptic as well as bactericidal properties. He presented his findings in the year 1925 to the Royal Society of new South Wales & England and in 1930 one of the first medical references to the qualities of tea tree oil was published in the medical journal of Australia.

When World War 2 broke out the melaleuca oil was an essential part of every Australian first aid kit. Later on in 1960 further studies were conducted in an attempt to rediscover and recertify the effects of the tea tree oil and so it begun, the tea tree was the hit of the century and the Australian government had to set standards for the development of acceptable quality oil which included at least 35% terpinen 4-ol and no more than 10 % cineole. Eventually the standards would change slightly to accommodate room for further proliferation.

Today, Melaleuca oil is recognized and sold world wide. It has undergone extensive research and has proven its multiple medical benefits. A good quality oil today would have at least 35% terpinen 4-ol and no more than 10% cineole which is the 1967 standard.

Finally, Melaleuca has been re-recognized as an extremely effective cure for a variety of medical conditions. Who would have ever thought that a tree would have such a long and complex history?

So, the answer is YES, Health, wellness & a tea tree do connect. Infact, hey have connected so well that some companies have used melaleuca oil in many of their products to establish a successful health line.

AS for myself, being a health care professional and anti-polypharmacy, I have been privileged to learn and gain from the multiple benefits of the tea tree as I do consider it to be a discovery beyond all medical discoveries.

So, to all of you who have not heard of it or tried it....to say you are losing out is an understatement.