Virucidal effects of tea tree oil
Consumer demand for natural products such as Australian tea tree oil (Melaleuca alternifolia) is driving researchers to investigate their efficacy against respiratory viruses in humans...
47 pages
Published: 1 Jun 2004
Author(s): Lewis, Keith, Gorton, Michael
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The possibility that tea tree oil might be used as an insecticide would have significant beneficial consequences for this industry, which has experienced a major decline in production over the past four years. Much anecdotal evidence has been cited to support the belief that tea tree oil possesses insecticidal properties, but evidence in the form of documented trial results has not been generated.
In an effort to prove the reality or otherwise of the insecticidal properties of tea tree oil, three replicated small plot trials conducted in North Queensland in 2002 aimed to evaluate the insecticidal effects of tea tree oil for the control of foliar pests in potatoes and cabbages.