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Herb of the Week for 17th January
We can feel summer now with the humidity
and higher temperatures. In the gardens
we can see the summer blooming occurring
with the purple hues of the lavenders
contrasting beautifully with the old fashioned
roses.
Here at the herb farm a signal that summer
has definitely arrived is the blooming
of our Australian teatrees.
The gorgeous pure white bottle brush flowers
are a lovely contrast against the blue
skies. I grew these trees from seed and
always get a buzz from seeing them blooming
away high above me. These tea trees are
the Australian Melaleuca Alternifolia
and are grown to produce the marvelous
essential oil of tea tree. This oil has
so many uses.
The New Zealand oil produced from native
manuka has the same anti-fungal, anti
bacterial and antiseptic uses as the Australian
oil and because it is produced from the
trees we call tea tree in New Zealand
it can get confusing.
Tea tree oil is like a medicine chest
in a bottle and can be use for colds,
coughs, cuts, bites, pimples and many
more first aid needs.
It also has insect repellant properties
and can be used in shampoos to counteract
the head lice problem. It’s also excellent
for using on animals that have been fighting
and ended up with abscesses. Cat wounds
are particularly prone to becoming infected
and tea tree oil is excellent on these.
It is also the best anti-fungal treatment
there is and can be used as a treatment
when athlete’s foot makes an appearance.
Another of nature’s wonderful treatment
giving us healing from out gardens.
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