ABSTRACT
Captain Cook is reported to have used the leaves of the tea tree to brew a spicy tea and Sir Joseph Banks, the botanist with Cook’s expedition, included samples of the plant in his collection. Exactly which plants were used is not known as the name ‘tea tree’ has been used for a number of similar plants in the genera Melaleuca and Leptospermum. Whilst essential oils from several species possess antimicrobial activity, the oil which is widely used today for its antiseptic properties is the oil of Melaleuca alternifolia.
