The Wonders Of Tea Tree Oil
There are so many great herbal preparations and remedies that can be used for all sorts of things and on both people and animals. I always use Tea Tree Oil on my dog when he gets a cut or something to avoid the $100+ vet bill for them to give me some antibiotic ointment or a pill for something minor. Yes, I will go to a vet if it seems major or if my home remedies don’t do the trick in a day or 2.
So, my dog Sammy all of a sudden had a big lump on the side of his nose the other day and we thought, oh no, it ’s a tumor! and then on closer inspection, it was an infected bite or cut. I think it was a bug bite like from a spider that he probably got outside. And, lucky for me, it was in a spot he can’t obsessively lick at so whatever I put on there would really sink in and work. I cleaned it out and put like 4 drops of Tea Tree Oil right on it and he hated it bec. let’s face it, the smell is strong and not that pleasant. It can be used right on a wound without a carrier oil like other essential oils (except lavender) need. Another great thing about it. I also gave Sammy a capsule of Transfer Factor to boost his immune system which was fighting off the infection. It is the transfer factor molecules themselves extracted out of colostrum (mother’s first milk before her real milk comes in). These molecules are extracted out of bovine colostrum and being that we are all mammals, are interchangeable between us. It’s amazing stuff, really.
So, the next day after treating the wound twice that day, the infection went down by at least half. I squeezed out any puss that would come out, washed it and reapplied the same treatment but this time I added an herbal “anti-everything” and soothing skin salve over the tea tree oil. The next day (today) the infection is completely flat and gone (yay!) but there is still a wound so I put more tea tree and salve over it to speed the surface wound healing.
I’ve seen tea tree dry out and kill off a puss-filled wound on pets and on people over the years. I think it’s something everyone should have on hand in their medicine cabinets bec. it’s dirt cheap, you need just a few drops on the wound and it doesn’t sting or burn or anything on a cut. It really gets in there and kills off the pathogens and speeds the healing of the infection or prevents getting an infection if you or your kids or pets have a cut. If the dog licks it, he likely won’t do it again bec. it does have a strong, kind of numbing taste to it. They hate it!
You can use it in your mouth bec. it is numbing and is great for mouth wounds or tooth problems, too. I wouldn’t recommend this for a kid, though. My husband and I have both used this on canker sores with great success. It is not used for the eyes, though.
October 14 2007 12:10 pm | Health and herbal remedies and pets
October 15th, 2007 at 12:22 pm
it’s also great if you have an ear piercing that gets sore, helps it clear up fast, and smells lovely!
October 15th, 2007 at 2:55 pm
Too cool!! I use it to combat mildew
I read on Martha Stewart of all places that you should avoid TTO while pregnant. I assume it’s bco the estrogenic effects but I can never find to what level you’re supposed to avoid it. Frustrating!
October 15th, 2007 at 9:30 pm
Nicole,
I have never heard a warning against using it topically for a wound or sore or fungal infection even if the person is pregnant and I double checked my reference books (PDR for herbal meds is one) and still it’s ok. You should not ingest this, ever but can topically apply to a mouth sore. A few drops on a wound a couple times a day for a few days is not enough to affect a pregnancy. Besides, there are no warnings that I could find regarding that at all. I wonder where Martha got her info on that. Even the NIH doesn’t have a warning on it for pregnancy.
October 15th, 2007 at 10:07 pm
very interesting about using it on pet wounds. one of my dogs has a sore on her leg and she just licks the hell out of it, which i think, prolongs the healing process. wonder if i should try it. does it sting going on?
i use TTO in my laundry for my cloth dipes, but that’s the only use i’ve had for it so far. thanks for all the info.
October 18th, 2007 at 9:18 am
Thanks for looking into it for me! Who knows about Martha Stewart
October 18th, 2007 at 9:36 am
Amy – it doesn’t sting going on unless it’s a very deep wound (needs stitches). Otherwise, it feels like oil and smells very strong. Once your dog licks it, she won’t like it and it really can penetrate and kill off the pathogens in the wound. Works very fast, too.