The Hindu : Kerala News : `Wonder from Down Under'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Apr 05, 2005

Kerala

Kerala

`Wonder from Down Under'

By K. Santhosh

Chalissery Babu, a Thrissur-based horticulturist, displays the tea tree sapling in his nursery.

THRISSUR, APRIL 4. The melaleuca tree, native to Australia, is apparently the latest craze among horticulturists in Kerala.

Melaleuca grows in swampy or wet places. Of the 300-odd varieties of the tree, one (Melaleuca alternifolia) is highly valued in the international market. When crushed and distilled, the leaves of the tree yield a 100 per cent natural oil, called tea tree oil, which is an antiseptic, fungicide and a mild solvent. The oil is referred to as the `Wonder from Down Under.'

Chalissery Babu, a Thrissur-based horticulturist who claims to be among the first to have brought this tree to India, says that the oil is in great demand in the international market.

Melaleuca has needle-like leaves and pale flowers. The saplings cost Rs. 200 each in the local market. ``Horticulturists in Kerala, especially in the high ranges, have begun to show interest in the tree. I first heard about the tree from a Hosur-based scientist, Bharati Raja. I collected details from the Net and imported it from Australia. A melaleuca tree yields oil for about 60 years,'' Mr. Babu says.

The tree is believed to have been introduced to Europeans by Captain Cook, who, with his sailors, made tea from the leaves while on a voyage to Australia. An Australian scientist, Arthur Penfold, is credited with discovering the beneficial properties of the tea tree. The oil is used in shampoos, creams, skin cleansers and other cosmetics. The compounds in tea tree oil are beneficial to the skin and are non-irritating.

The oil contains several important compounds, including terpines, cymones, pinines, terpineols, cineol, sesquiterpenes and sesquiterpene alcohols. The most active component is terpineol (30 to 40 per cent), known for its antibacterial and antifungal properties.

``Although allergic reactions to tea tree oil have been reported, their incidence is extremely low. Synthetic products trigger more allergies than tea tree oil does. Australia exports the oil and oil-based products,'' says Mr. Babu.

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