The origin of the Tea Tree
The Bundjabung Aboriginals were centuries ahead of Captain Cook with their knowledge that the tea from Tea Tree leaves and even the water from the lagoons - into which Tea Tree leaves had been falling for a long time - had healing power. The leaves were crushed and formed into gaskets with clay, which treated skin conditions and inflammations.
The dangerous tube web spider (funnel web spider) is found in New South Wales, with poisonous jaws like that of the black widow, which can cause a deadly bite. In 1927 and 1970, 2 people nearly died here 90 minutes after a bite. According to a 1983 report, a nasty bite in the foot of a man soon became less painful through constant application of Tea Tree to it. Although the lips and fingers of the aforementioned man were still tingling, hours later doctors in the hospital found that the poison, which was indeed from the tubular web spider, had already been defused. After a few hours of observation, the man was able to leave the hospital without any treatment. He had treated himself with Tea Tree like the Aboriginals did.
Now that physicians are realising that antibiotics and synthetic drugs are not always suitable for minor ailments due to their side effects, Tea Tree is becoming increasingly important as a natural first aid in a bottle. That the authorities took this old household substance seriously was demonstrated by the fact that every Australian soldier carried a bottle of Tea Tree oil with him during the Second World War.
Despite the convincing results, interest declined due to the tidal wave of synthetic agents and antibiotics. It was only towards the end of the 1970s that this natural resource was rediscovered and it has since attracted interest in all over the world. There are two reasons for this: the enormous interest in the functioning of essential oils and pure natural medicines in general and the fact that a distinction was made between the better and the lesser qualities of the different types of Tea Tree oil.