Melaleuca

Origin: Australasia

Family: Myrtaceae
Scientific Name: Melaleuca spp

Folk Names: Paperbark tree, honey myrtle, tea tree

Selected Varieties:

• Bottlebrush: Previously Callistemon spp
• Cajeput: Melaleuca cajeputi
• Niaouli: Melaleuca quinquenervia and M. viridiflora
• Tea Tree: Melaleuca alternifolia

Magical

Element: Water
Day: Monday
Planet: Neptune
Zodiac: Pisces

Parts Used: Leaves, bark, flowers, fruits, and essential

Magical Properties: Healing, protection, harmony, wisdom

Substitutions: Eucalyptus, or oak (Druidic Ogham equivalent)

Magical Uses

• Use paperbark to write spells, wishes, sigils on.
• The bark can also be used as an external wrapping layer when making herb bundles for smoke cleansing.

Aromatherapy

This is just a general overview of oils belonging to the Melaleuca family. For information of specific oils, see their individual pages (cajeput, niaouli/nerolina, and tea tree)

Parts Used: Leaves and twigs, sometimes also flowers
Extraction Method: Steam distillation

Scent Type: Herbaceous/Woody
Perfume Note: Middle/top

Aromatherapeutic Uses

Uplifting/stimulating, and can be used to ease colds/flus and congestion. Repels insects.

Medicinal

Active Constituents: Melaleuca oils contain a variety of terpenoids, the most abundant being terpinen-4-ol, which is thought to be responsible for most of Melaleucas' antibacterial and antiseptic activity.

Medicinal Properties:

• Anti-bacterial
• Anti-fungal
• Anti-septic
• Decongestant

Indigenous Medical Uses (of various species):

• The strong aroma is used to treat headaches, sinusitis, respiratory problems, coughs, stomach upsets, and rheumatic aches and pains.
• The leaves of various types were chewed to relieve: respiratory complaints, headaches, and other ailments.
• Decoctions of the leaves were used as antiseptic mouth wash to treat sore gums, internally to treat upset stomach and indigestion, and as an external was for sores and other skin problems.
• Leaves and stems of some melaleucas were crushed and heated to use as a poultice, or crushed and mixed with fat to make ointments or salves, to treat muscular aches and arthritis.
• Paperbark bark has been used as bandages.
• Decoctions of bark (Broom bush, M. uncinata) were used externally as washes to relieve sores burns, skin infections, and headaches.

Practical

Indigenous Uses:

• The nectar is either sucked directly from the flowers, or the flowers are soaked in water to make a sweet drink (called mangite or mungitch by the Noongar people). This liquid was sometimes fermented to make an alcoholic beverage (gep).
• The leaves were used for smoking ceremonies.
• Paperbark bark has been used for sanitary purposes, as toilet paper, and to wrap food.
• Bark that peels off in larger sheets is used as a surface to prepare food, as a container for food and water, to wrap food for cooking in coals or an earth oven, and to create temporary shelters.

Botanical

The genus Melaleuca contains almost 300 species.

Type: Evergreen shrubs/trees
Plant size: 1m-35m
Bark: Many are paperbarks, with bark that can be peeled off in thin sheets; ~20% have hard, rough bark; ~20% have fibrous bark.
Leaves: Leaves vary from 1-270mm long. Most have distinct oil glands dotted in the leaves and are aromatic (especially when crushed).
Flowers: Usually arranged on a head/spike of up to 80 flowers, resembling a brush used for cleaning bottles. Flowers are arranged in groups of 2 or 3, with 5 sepals and 5 petals, which fall off as the flower opens - the stamens have yellow tips (anthers) and the stalks (filaments) can be a range of colours (commonly white, cream, yellow, or red).
Fruit: Woody fruits, usually cup/barrel/spherical-shaped capsules, often arranged in clusters along the stems.

Etymology: Derived from the Ancient Greek melas meaning “dark” or “black” and leukos meaning “white”, apparently because one of the first specimens described had fire-blackened white bark.