Tea tree oil more effective than chemical insecticides

Australia’s original tea tree oil comes out tops in revealing new research

New clinical research has shown that a tea tree oil based solution is more effective than chemical insecticides when it comes to treating head lice.(1)

According to researchers at James Cook University in Queensland, tea tree oil was able to achieve and maintain a 90% kill rate over a three hour period, compared to just a 82% kill rate when permethrin, a common insecticide, was used.

The tea tree oil treatment was rated number one in the independent research conducted by human parasitology expert Professor Richard Speare at the Anton Breinl Centre for Public Health and Tropical Medicine. The findings were published in journal of Medical and Veterinary Entomology.

“Studies have shown that a number of common chemical treatments are now ineffective due to increasing resistance of head lice. Coupled with the fact that many parents just don’t want to use toxic treatments on their children, natural head lice treatments are proving popular alternatives” says Dr Anthony Cunliffe, GP.

“The findings from this research highlight the efficacy of tea tree oil for both head lice treatment and prevention. Tea tree oil has been used as an effective medicine by Aboriginals for thousands of years – and unlike insecticidal chemicals, it doesn’t leave toxic residue on the scalp or hair and is gentle enough to use on children.”

About the study

The team of researchers from James Cook University evaluated six popular Australian head lice treatments and compared them against the chemical permethrin using an in vitro (test tube) experiment.

Live head lice were collected from school children dipped into the various products for one minute and then observed for three hours.

Findings

• Tea tree oil achieved and maintained a greater than 90% kill rate over the whole three-hour observation period
• Permethrin, which is widely used by the pharmaceutical industry, left 18% of lice still living after 3 hours

“For effective head lice treatment, I recommend a few drops of tea tree oil mixed with your regular shampoo and conditioner,” Dr Anthony says. “And in addition to tackling lice on the head it’s important to follow five simple steps to help avoid re-infestation.”

Top tips:

1. Check hair once a week for early detection

2. Keep long hair tied back, especially if there is an outbreak reported at your child’s school

3. Wash combs and brushes in hot water regularly

4. Ensure you inform the school when your child has lice

5. Briefly tumble dry coats, hats and scarves after use

Reference:

Tea tree oil more effective than chemical insecticides, according to research, Press Release, Monday, 17 August 2009

1 Medical and Veterinary Entomology, Volume 22 Issue 3, Pages 264 – 272, August 2008

This entry was posted on Tuesday, August 18th, 2009 and is filed under Allergies, Chemical Exposure, Pesticides, Insecticides, Therapy, Toxicology. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response or Trackback from your own site.