Does Tea Tree Oil Work?

Tea tree oil is one of the world's most popular naturopathic medicines. It is used extensively in cosmetics, aromatherapy, healing salves and topical medications. But before you seriously consider using tea tree oil for medicinal purposes, it's important to ask, "Does tea tree oil work?"

Tea tree oil may work miraculously or fail miserably as a form of medicine. Its efficacy will depend entirely on why you are using it. Here's an overview of the evidence supporting tea tree oil's use in medicine.

What Tea Tree Oil Probably Works For

When used appropriately, tea tree oil appears to be a reliable treatment for athlete's foot and ringworm, two forms of infectious fungal disease. It works to both relieve symptoms and eliminate infection in people with these conditions, but it may take up to several weeks of treatment for its benefits to become apparent. 5% solutions of tea tree oil also work to eliminate acne; some preparations are as effective as prescription treatments.

What Tea Tree Oil Might Work For

Some of tea tree oil's most popular uses have not been sufficiently investigated. There is not enough evidence to confirm or refute claims of its efficacy. Tea tree oil may or may not treat vaginal yeast infections, allergic reactions to nickel, ear infections, lice, scabies, ringworm, skin infections, sore throat, cough or congestion. If you want to use tea tree oil for any of these purposes, understand that their use is experimental.

What Tea Tree Oil Doesn't Work For

Several studies have found that tea tree oil is not an effective topical treatment for herpes-family viral infections, such as cold sores, genital herpes, chicken pox or shingles. If you have any of these infections, it's unlikely that tea tree oil applications will relieve your symptoms or fight the infection any more effectively than a placebo. However, it might help to prevent secondary infections in the sores caused by these conditions.