Teebaum - Melaleuca alternifolia (Maid. et Bet.) Cheel

Neben den ätherischen Ölen von Lavendel, Pfefferminze, Kamille und Manuka gehört Teebaumöl zu den am besten untersuchten Ölen, nicht zuletzt deshalb, weil die australische Regierung Untersuchungen zu diesem wichtigen Exportschlager lange Jahre  unterstützte. Eine recht neue siebenseitige französische Studie fasst zusammen, dass Melaleuca alternifolia entzündungshemmend wirkt, indem es die Ausbreitung von Entzündungsmediatoren (eine Art entzündungsfördernde Gewebehormone) unterbindet. Das Öl wirkt auch antioxidativ und somit gewebeschützend.
Hier die Original-Zusammenfassung, sie liest sich nicht einfach, kann jedoch den Pflegenden helfen, zweifelnde Chefs zu überzeugen; den entscheidenden Satz am Ende habe ich fett markiert (wer kein englisch kann, sollte rechts das Google-Übersetzungs-Werkzeug bemühen).

• The fungicidal and bactericidal actions of the essential oil (EO) of Melaleuca alternifolia seem well established, but their anti-inflammatory and antioxidative effects remain unclear. This study investigated in vitro the possible role of whole Melaleuca alternifolia EO as a modulator of the inflammatory/non-specific immune response by exploring the chemotaxis and kinetic radical oxygen species (ROS) production of leukocytes and cytokine secretion in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) in humans.
  The influence of Melaleuca alternifolia EO on the chemotaxis under agarose of isolated neutrophils (PMNs)was evaluated. The kinetics of ROS production by stimulated total circulating leukocytes was followed over2 h by recording the fluorescence intensity of oxidized dihydrorhodamine 123. The effects of this EO on pro-(interleukin IL-2) and anti-(IL-4 and IL10) inflammatory cytokine secretions were determined by ELISA following incubation of PBMCs with the EO for 24 h.
  Melaleuca alternifolia EO inhibited PBMC proliferation, as revealed by a reduction in IL-2 secretion by stimulated lymphocytes. This EO at 0.1% directly increased the secretion of the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-4 compared with IL-4 secretion without EO (18.5 ± 10.0 vs 3.3 ± 1, p Melaleuca alternifolia EO may not only act as an anti-inflammatory mediator through its antioxidant activity but may also efficiently protect the organism by reducing the proliferation of inflammatory cells without affecting their capacity to secrete anti-inflammatory cytokines.

[F. Caldefie-Chézet, C. Fusillier, T. Jarde, H. Laroye1, M. Damez, M-P. Vasson and J. Guillot. Potential Anti-inflammatory Effects of Melaleuca alternifolia Essential Oil on Human Peripheral Blood Leukocytes. Phytotherapy Research 20, 364–370 (2006]