Manuka
Tea Tree

Manuka tea tree, Kanuka tea tree, and Melaleuca alternifolia are all called tea tree, but they are not all alike.

The Manuka plant (Leptospermum scoparium) is from the same plant family, just as is the eucalyptus or gum tree. But it is not the same as a Melaleuca tree.

The Manuka is considered largely a plant from New Zealand, although now it is grown in other places as not only a medicinal plant, but also as a landscape tree.

A Manuka shrub has beautiful flowers that are cream colored with a touch of magenta, and a wonderful aroma.

Manuka, unlike Melaleuca, makes a wonderful honey with therapuetic properties. This honey commands a high price, and many swear by it's healing properties. Here in the states it sells for as much as $15 to $20 a pound.

Tea Tree or Manuka,

Manuka has some active substances that are used medicinally. Eucalyptus is the main plant source of eucalyptol, which is used in some mouthwashes. Eucalyptol is also listed as 1,8 cineol, and it is common to most of the melaleuca, eucalyptus, and leptospermum varieties that are used for therapeutic oils.

You can read more about Manuka tea tree and Kanuka tea treesand their benefits from the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University. In it they describe some very sweet ways to treat infections in burns and wounds using Manuka honey. This was evidently a regular practice in hospitals in the 1940's and 1950's