Thyme (Thymus vulgaris) essential oil - safety and usage information coming soon.

There are so many uses for this oil, that we don’t have room for them all! Our favorite is putting a few drops on a cotton ball and placing in our granddaughter’s ear for any earaches or possible infections. If she won’t leave it there, which is always a possibility with kids (she’s now almost 3 years old!), just put a couple drops of the tea tree essential oil in about 1/2 tsp of olive oil (any veggie oil – NOT MINERAL OIL!) and dip a Q-tip in the oil and swab around the inside of the ear – gently please. The vapors alone will begin to work on the earache. This oil is also great for insect bites, bee stings and we’ve read that it works on snake bites. It should be a part of your medicine kit, hiking and camping kit. We don’t ever go camping without both the Tea Tree and Lavender essential oils and I have some good stories to tell about how useful they’ve been. I’ll have to write a blog about that soon!

In the past everyone advised using Tea Tree neat, which simply means undiluted and directly on the skin. Research is coming back now that Tea Tree can be a sensitizer, so test it first and dilute it if necessary. This oil is a well-known acne eliminator, but again, our advice is don’t overuse it. We like to recommend switching back and forth from Tea Tree to Tamanu oil, available on our site as well.

Tea Tree essential oil is well-known for its ability to clear up problem skin. Wingsets Aromatherapy includes tea tree in almost all of their products because of its antibacterial, antifungal and antiviral properties. We customize our formula’s at times for those who need less or those who need more tea tree or for that matter any of our other skin renewing essential oils. We recommend that after washing your face each morning and before going to bed that if you have any bumps or spots, you apply tea tree by simply dropping just a few drops on your finger and applying it directly to the problem spot. Let it air dry. We’ve found that cotton balls simply soak up most of the oil and can leave fibrous material on the face. We also recommend that those who have combination skin use the tea tree in the same manner and put it on your T-zone (the nose area and for some the forehead). We offer tea tree 100% essential oil in our product line, but if you buy it elsewhere please be aware that some companies do adulterate their essential oils with additives that will actually make your skin worse. We learned this the hard way.

See our Twitter profile for lots of different uses for Tea Tree essential oil.

Peppermint essential oil is widely used and because of this, often misrepresented as being completely safe. It is safe when used diluted and with knowledge of cautions that apply to this oil. I was happy to see that the National Association of International Aromatherapists (NAHA) has felt it necessary to post a position statement on their website due to adverse events caused by perhaps well-meaning sellers of essential oils who know little to nothing about safely using essential oils. Here is NAHA's statement:

Peppermint (Mentha x piperita): relieves nausea, analgesic for muscular aches and pains, relieves/reduces migraines, energizing, antispasmodic, do not use on children under 30 months of age

NAHA Safety Note for Peppermint Essential Oil:

- Avoid use on children under 30 months of age. The nasal mucosa is an autonomic reflexogen organ, which has a distance action to the heart, lungs and circulation and may lead to sudden apnoea and glottal constriction.

- Direct application of peppermint oil to the nasal area or chest to infants should be avoided because of the risk of apnea, laryngeal and bronchial spasms, acute respiratory distress with cyanosis and respiratory arrest. (The Longwood Herbal Task Force)

- Do not apply undiluted peppermint essential oils to the feet, particularly on infants and children under the age of 12.

- Inhalation of larges doses of menthol may lead to dizziness, confusion, muscle weakness, nausea and double vision. (Natural Standard Research Collaboration, Peppermint oil. Evidence based monograph 2005; Medlineplus)

The information below has been taken from the European Medicines Agency: ASSESSMENT REPORT ON MENTHA X PIPERITA L., AETHEROLEUM

- When used orally, it may cause heartburn, perianal burning, blurred vision, nausea and vomiting. Heartburn is related with the release of the oil in the upper GI tract, which relaxes the lower oesophageal sphincter, facilitating the reflux. The same occurs in the cases of hiatal hernia. This particular undesirable effect is minimized by an appropriate pharmaceutical formulation.  **Peppermint essential oil should always be in an enteric-coated tablet or capsule for internal use.

- People with gallbladder disease, severe liver damage, gallstones and chronic heartburn should avoid the intake of peppermint oil.

- Menthol and peppermint oil caused burning mouth syndrome, recurrent oral ulceration or a lichenoid reaction, by contact sensitivity in the intra-oral mucosa, in sensitive patients.

- When applied on the skin, it may cause allergic reactions, as skin rashes, contact dermatitis and eye irritation.

- Use in infants or children is not recommended, when inhaled, taken by mouth or if applied on open skin areas, on the face or chest, due to the potential toxicity of the product.

- Peppermint oil should be used with caution. Doses of menthol over 1 g/Kg b.w. may be deadly.

For further research articles see:

A near fatal case of high dose peppermint oil ingestion- Lessons learnt

Acute allergic contact dermatitis of the lips from peppermint oil in a lip balm.