For obvious reasons, antibiotics are much in the news. The question of antibiotics is also of interest to cancer patients, whose immune systems may be compromised by illness and treatment. New strategies for fighting microbes are urgently needed. "We need to look for novel approaches to anti-microbial agents," said Dr. Christine Carson of the University of Western Australia, Perth, who attended a conference on the topic hosted by the Australian Society for Microbiology this month. One such approach is an Australian botanical product, tea tree oil. This has been used for centuries as an antiseptic by the aborigines. They rub the plant's oily leaves on their skin to treat wounds, repel insects or fight infections. Tea tree oil has been sold in health food stores for external use for about 80 years now. It is now finally being taken seriously by scientists. Tea tree oil is very complex, containing about 100 components. Seven chemicals called terpenes constitute 80 to 90 percent of the oil. Tea tree oil is active against many germs, including streptococci, E. coli, and various fungi, such as Candida. In a study of 30 patients who had infections that were resistant to a common antibiotic, one-third were completely cured by tea tree oil compared to just 13 percent who received conventional treatment. In another rigorous trial of various treatments for herpes cold sores, tea tree oil was as effective as the synthetic drug acyclovir. After just 10 minutes exposure to tea tree oil, there were profound changes in bacterial cells leading to their destruction. Scientists still don't understand exactly how that happens. Here is another example of how the medical establishment is reexamining outdated attitudes towards folk remedies and alternative medicine. Some of these treatments have a strong empirical basis. Treatments that were once dismissed as nonsense or even quackery, are now been justified through rigorous scientific testing. Information Remember we are NOT Doctors and have NO medical training. This site is like an Encylopedia - there are many pages, many links on many topics. Support our work with any size DONATION - see left side of any page - for how to donate. You can help raise awareness of CAM.