Scientific Names: Melaleuca leucadendra
Common names: Cajuput tree, Punk tree, Swamp tea tree
Ayurvedic names: kayaputi
Chinese names: Bai shu you
Bangladesh names:
Arabic names: كاجيبوت (kajiput)
Rain Forest names:
Family:
Approximate Number of Species Known:
Common Parts Used: The oil
Collection:
Annual/Perennial: Perennial
Height: 30 m
Actions: Antispasmodic, diaphoretic, stimulant, antiseptic, anthelmintic
Known Constituents: cineol, Solid terpineol, several aldehydes such as valeric, butyric and benzoic
Constituents Explained:
Description: (please note: this is the general characteristics – colour, flavor etc)
Traditional Use:
Clinical Studies:
A prospective, single center, open-labeled study evaluated the efficacy of melaleuca oral solution in AIDS patients with fluconazole-resistant oropharyngeal candida infections.
Thirteen patients with AIDS and oral candidiasis documented to be clinically refractory to fluconazole, as defined by failure to respond to a minimum of 14 days of > or = 400 mg fluconazole per day. Additionally, patients had in vitro resistance to fluconazole.
Patients were given 15 ml melaleuca oral solution four times daily to swish and expel for 2-4 weeks. Evaluations were performed weekly for 4 weeks and at the end of therapy for clinical signs of oral candidiasis. Quantitative yeast cultures were performed at each evaluation.
A total of 13 patients were entered into the study, 12 were evaluable. At the 2-week evaluation, seven out of 12 patients had improved, none were cured, and six were unchanged. At the 4-week evaluation, eight out of 12 patients showed a response (two cured, six improved), four were non-responders, and one had deteriorated.
A mycological response was seen in seven out of 12 patients. A follow-up evaluation 2-4 weeks after therapy was discontinued revealed that there were no clinical relapses in the two patients who were cured.
Melaleuca oral solution appears to be effective as an alternative regimen for AIDS patients with oropharyngeal candidiasis refractory to fluconazole.
References:
Jandourek A, Vaishampayan JK, Vazquez JA. “Efficacy Of Melaleuca Oral Solution For The Treatment Of Fluconazole Refractory Oral Candidiasis In AIDS Patients.” 1998 June http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9662200
Source material:
Cajuput
Other names: weeping tea tree, weeping paper bark, swamp tea tree, white wood.
Latin name: Melaleuca leucadendra
Family: Myrtaceae
Common part used: the essential oil
These large trees are distributed all throughout Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and Tropical Australia.
The plant of the cajuput has a long trunk, pale peeling bark and drooping, irregular ascending branches, which remind one of the branches of the willow tree. The leaves are thin, pointed, and greenish grey in colour. They are alternately arranged and grow from short stalks.
Flowers are on a long spike, creamy white in colour, thin and tender. They appear in summer and autumn. The leaves have a very pleasant fragrance, which makes them especially valuable for producing oil.
Except for its aromatic odor, the oil is rich in cineol, and used both internally and externally for medicinal purposes. It is widely used as a stimulant, antiseptic and antispasmodic. As for the internal use, it is very helpful in treatment of respiratory infections, tuberculosis, sinusitis, colds and bronchitis. Being a good stimulant, it gives a warm feeling if taken internally, and increases the heart beat, making the pulse more distinctive. It also gives good results when taken internally to treat all sorts of gastric infections.
When it comes to external use, it is effective for neuralgia, rheumatism, nasal congestion, acne, gout and toothache.
It is also used externally to get rid of such persistent skin infectuion as psoriasis.
The oil of the cajuput plant has strong pain killing properties, and is used for muscle stiffness, especially during massage sessions.
It is completely safe to use this oil as the plant does not have any toxic effects and does not contains alkaloids; still at high concentrations the oil may irritate the skin. Therefore such concentrations should be avoided.