Tea tree oil is a natural product as it is extracted from plant leaves. It is widely believed to have excellent antiseptic abilities, as well as antifungal, antibacterial and antiviral abilities. From a very young age, I have clear memories of hanging over my kitchen sink gargling with tea tree oil to treat a sore throat. Although now I also rely on Strepsils to get me through the day, I still gargle with tea tree oil before I go to bed. I really believe that this natural product is not only immediately soothing, but also helps the problem to clear up much quicker.

To use tea tree oil it is important to dilute it first as it has been known to cause reactions and irritations when used pure. I tend to use 3 or 4 drops of tea tree oil diluted in about 30ml of hot water. Even when it is diluted in this way, you should not swallow tea tree oil as it can actually be toxic, and cause problems such as drowsiness, confusion, rashes and diarrhoea and vomiting.

Although I have not tried it personally, many people like to use tea tree oil on skin problems as well, and suggest that it relieves spots, blisters, cuts and insect bites. On one occasion I diluted tea tree oil, eucalyptus oil and peppermint oil in a large mug of very hot water and used it is a steam inhalation to help my cold. This really did work brilliantly (although I really would not recommend it if you are asthmatic), but for convenience sake and for the cost of buying the other 2 oils as well, I usually tend to just use Vicks for this purpose.

If you are fan of natural remedies then tea tree really is a great thing to have in your medicine cabinet. It has a lot of uses and as long as it is used sensibly it is safe and very effective. Tea tree has been used worldwide for a long time and is recognised by the medical profession as a useful product, and there is a reason why!

A 10ml bottle of Tea tree oil can be bought from Boots for around £4.50, and should last you a long time as you only need a few drops for most Tea tree uses. The tea tree oil is a very pale yellow in colour and has a fresh, clean scent to it.