Tea Tree Oil - Not Related to Tea, But Interesting On Its Own

In my recent top 5 post, I noted that tea tree oil was the number two search result starting with "tea". I actually just bought some tea tree oil, and, although it is not related to tea in any way other than by name, I thought, having had it come up on my blog as well as finding its way into my medicine cabinet, it would be worth writing about.



Tea tree oil, shown above, is colorless and watery, with a slightly herbal, anti-septic sort of odor. Although it is called an oil, it mixes more readily with water or alcohol than with true oils.

What exactly is "tea tree oil"?

Tea tree oil refers to the essential oil of a plant, Melaleuca alternifolia, which is in the Myrtle family, related to lemon myrtle, but not closely related to the tea plant, not even in the same order. Wikipedia has a good article on tea tree oil as well as an article on the species.

Uses of tea tree oil:

Tea tree oil is used primarily as an antiseptic. It has antibacterial and antifungal properties, which have been well-established through scientific study, and it also has antiviral properties. It can also be used against infections caused by parasites, such as mites or lice.



There is solid science backing many of these uses, and the oil has been found to be as effective as a number of synthetic drugs; the Wikipedia article has numerous links to scientific studies, and google scholar turns up a lot more (thousands of results) than can be found on that page. The chemical responsible for many of tea tree oil's antimicrobial properties is called Terpinen-4-ol; this chemical, pictured above, is also present in other plants, and is the main component of the essential oil of nutmeg.

Points of caution when using tea tree oil:

Tea tree oil is toxic if eaten or taken internally. This issue is especially a matter of concern for pets, as many pets groom themselves (involving licking) and can poison themselves by licking an area of their skin to which tea tree oil has been applied. A certain portion of people react allergically or with skin irritation to its application. When I purchased this product, it came with a sensible warning to, before using it, apply a small amount of oil to a healthy test area on the forearm, and wait 24 hours to assess whether you have a reaction.

Why did I buy it?

One thing that I have been doing, gradually, over the course of many years, is phasing out the use of synthetic chemicals in personal care products, and replacing them with natural products. There are compelling reasons to use natural products over synthetic products, both from a personal health perspective, and from the perspective of environmental sustainability.

Herbal products tend to be safer (although this is not always the case) than synthetic drugs:

In terms of health, a lot of natural products are much safer than synthetic drugs, at the doses required to be similarly effective. This safety can be measured in terms of lower rates of side effects and toxicity. I see this pattern all the time in the course of researching herbs on RateTea, such as hibiscus, which is as effective as, and much safer than, certain prescription anti-hypertensive medications. (RateTea, in case you have not noticed, has a growing collection of articles on specific herbal teas, with extensive sections on the health and medicinal properties of a number of herbs.) The body of scientific research for most herbs is smaller than the body of scientific research on most drugs, in part because of the absence of the profit motive, and in part because of a historical (and hopefully, waning) focus in Western society on synthetic drugs. However, as time goes on, the body of research supporting herbal products is continually growing, and we are learning more about their safety and efficacy. Tea tree oil is one product which has been fairly well-studied, and is considerably safer than a number of other topical antimicrobial agents.

Synthetic drugs can be persistent in the environment and damage ecosystems:

Synthetic drugs, including common over-the-counter ones, can be persistent in the environment. For example, clotrimazole, a common ingredient in over-the-counter antifungal creams, and triclosan, a common anti-microbial agent used in many personal care products, have been found to act together as marine pollutants, harming communities of microalgae and disrupting aquatic ecosystems. I picked these two examples because they are typically used for the same purposes as tea tree oil, so the natural oil would make a good alternative or substitute to these products. Incidentally, these two synthetic drugs are not without concerns about their safety and impacts on health.

Naturally occurring chemicals are not always safer or less persistent, but as a general trend, they tend to be more likely to break down. Part of this is because naturally-occurring chemicals have existed for years, so organisms have already evolved ways to break them down.

What do you think?

Have you ever used tea tree oil, or any products containing it? Do you have any opinion on it or any relevant experiences to share? Do you think about the persistence of chemicals in the environment when choosing what sorts of products to buy? Do you make an effort to use natural products in place of synthetic drugs wherever possible?

My Favorite Tap Water: Cleveland, Ohio

Water quality is important in influencing the outcome of a brewed cup of tea. As I explained a long time ago, I recommend avoiding using bottled water for brewing tea. There are compelling reasons to use tap water instead, both from the standpoint of health and safety, and in terms of promoting sustainability and efficient resource use.

Even though I always use tap water to brew tea (sometimes filtered tap water, but always water that originates at the tap and never bottled water), I have definitely preferred the water in some places to others. My favorite water that I've ever tried was the tap water in Cleveland, Ohio, which is taken from Lake Erie, pictured below:



Beer, like tea, is also greatly influenced by water quality. This is one reason why the beers brewed by brewing companies like Iron Hill Brewery, which brew beers on-site at each of their brewpubs, taste different in different locations. I find it no coincidence that my favorite beers in the world, those produced by Great Lakes Brewing Company, are also produced with Lake Erie water. Lake Erie water gets a bad rap, because of the long history of pollution in and around Cleveland, and it may not be the cleanest or safest tap water to drink, but when it comes down to it, I think it tastes great.

When I lived in Cleveland, I did drink tea, but I was not as into it as I am now. I have not had much of an opportunity to brew tea using Cleveland's tap water, so I can't say how it performs for brewing tea. But I know that when I have visited, even just filling up a cup of tap water at someone's sink, it tastes so good; it's one of the many things I miss about living in Cleveland.

This is just one of my random personal opinions, however...if you want something just a tad more objective, I'd recommend reading Cities with best and worst tap water on Yahoo! Green. Cleveland ranked 72nd out of 100 on their list. However, this list was based on safety, not taste! I suspect that if the cities were ranked by taste, Cleveland would rank much higher on that list.

Update: Yahoo! took their article down for some unknown reason. Thanks to Gingko for pointing it out.

Tea on a Rainy Day - Rain Sharpens the Perception?

Today it is a rainy day here in Philadelphia. I just finished drinking a cup of Upton Tea Imports' ZG46: Ding Gu Da Fang Organic, and you can read my review of this tea on RateTea. I am currently looking out the window to rain, which is slowing somewhat.

I find rain to be rather difficult to photograph. Here's my most successful attempt today:



One thing I love about the view out my window here is the way the wire is flat enough that it accumulates a whole row of cute little water droplets whenever it rains. This occurrence is a pleasing little interplay between human edifices and nature, much like the view of the street tree against the brick building, or the tea that I drink, which is a complex product of a natural plant species that has been carefully processed by humans.

Rain enhances my appreciation of color, and of tea:

People often talk about rainy days as if they are gloomy. But I find that rain actually brings out the colors around me. Even though it is darker on rainy days, and the sky grayer, I find that the grayness and subdued lighting draws attention to colors around me, especially the colors of leafy plants and brick. Colors often look more vibrant to me on a rainy day.

Rain also enhances my appreciation of tea. I love tea on just about any day, but I particularly love tea on cool, rainy days like today.

Does rain improve your ability to enjoy tea? Or color?

Tap Water: Philadelphia vs. Delaware

Pictured here is some water from the Delaware river:



The Delaware river is widely perceived as a very dirty river, and for good reasons. Much of its length is lined with trash, rusting industrial implements, old tires, not to mention shipping industries, oil refineries. Who knows what invisible pollutants are found in it.

Tap Water in Philadelphia vs. Delaware:

When I lived in Delaware, there was also a public perception that the tap water tasted awful. I agreed. I don't know why, but it just tasted bad. It tasted like chemicals...overly chlorinated perhaps, but it was worse than the straight bad taste of slightly-too-chlorinated tap water. Keep in mind, this wasn't even water taken from the Delaware river--it was taken from a much cleaner, local source. But it still tasted awful, among the worst-tasting tap water I've ever sampled outside of East Germany (the most "sketchy" place I was bold enough to actually taste the water).

Now, the tap water here in Philadelphia tastes much better to me. No noticeable chlorine aroma, no other chemical smells. And it brews better tea. I don't notice it on the strong teas, but when I brew a more mild, delicate tea, I definitely notice a difference. It's not dramatic, but it is well-appreciated. I've especially found it helpful for the milder green teas.

While I appreciate the improvement in taste, I want to draw attention to what matters in the end: that we clean up and protect our environment, including not only water, but all natural resources and natural ecosystems. When we move into an area with cleaner air or water, it may be pleasant for us, but someone else is still breathing that air and drinking that water.

Tea for Hard Water

Hard water (water with a high mineral content, usually mostly calcium) is a common problem in many areas. While brewing tea is a matter of taste, hard water definitely affects the flavor and aroma of tea, and most people seem to agree that it has a negative impact on the quality of the brewed cup of tea. Many tea websites and tea drinkers advocate purification of water, and some even go to the extreme of suggesting use of bottled water to brew tea. For those interested in sustainability, however, this might not be the best approach--bottled water in particular uses a great deal of energy and resources in its transportation and packaging.

Is there another option? And what about those situations where you simply don't have access to good water?

Tea blended for brewing in hard water:

I recently stumbled upon two blends specifically designed for use with hard water: Yorkshire Tea for Hard Water from Taylors of Harrogate, and the Royal Alberta Museum blend from Murchie's. Yorkshire Tea's website reads: "We're actually the only tea company who still go to the trouble of blending to suit different water types." but Murchie's offering disproves this claim. Murchie's explains that the Royal Alberta Museum approached Murchie's to produce the blend for a special occasion, and Murchie's blended the tea specifically for Alberta's hard water.

With some digging I found a third such blend: Pluckley Tea from the Kent and Sussex Tea & Coffee Company. Again, this blend is specifically designed for hard water, this time the water in the Kent area.

What's the secret to these blends?

People wanting more options or seeking to achieve the same effect with single-region tea might want to know what these blends have in common. Murchie's Royal Alberta Museum blend contains mostly Assam with some Ceylon. Yorkshire Tea for Hard Water does not specify what goes into that particular blend, but their other blends contain Assam and teas from Rwanda and Kenya. Pluckley Tea is described as a blend of East African teas, mostly Kenya, and Assam.

It seems reasonable to try East African teas, and especially, Assam, if you have hard water.

I'd be curious to know if anyone has tried this out and validated this theory. Or...if anyone has even tried any of these blends (do they live up to their claims?). I would also be curious if anyone knows of any more teas specifically blended or designed for hard water. Unfortunately, these are all black teas, so I'd also be curious to know if anyone has any experience with which green or oolong teas perform better in hard water.

While using high-quality water is great, sometimes it's important to be realistic; sometimes hard water is all you have access to, and knowing which teas perform best in it could be a useful piece of knowledge.