Last summer, I had a nasty episode with a skin problem on the palm of my left hand. I finally determined it was a form of psoriasis, brought on by a truckload of stress. I tried everything — steroid creams, antibiotics, taking diet supplements like l-lysine, vitamins to promote skin health, borage and flaxseed oil — nothing helped. It oozed, blistered, cracked, and fissured. It was miserable, let me tell you.

Then I discovered the wonders of tea tree oil.

Tea tree oil is an oil taken from the leaves of the Melaleuca alternifolia, native to Austraila. It has been shown to have antifungal, antibacterial, and antiviral properties. It has a camphor-like aroma, with an undertone of woodsy. It’s very strong, so it needs to be diluted with another base oil to prevent irritation, but it really works against all kinds of infection. According to research, it even shows an activity against staphylococcus aureus, includng MRSA.

It wasn’t the only thing I used on my hand, but I’m fully convinced it was instrumental in clearing up the problem. In addition, I have used it against a vaginal yeast infection with great success. I mixed it with some personal lubricant and applied it with a tampon for two nights. Presto.

I have used it on smaller infections, such as bug bites or cuts, and it really works well. Again, make sure you dilute it with a base oil or lubricant, because it can be irritating to the skin. This Intensive Body Butter is made with it, and I love it. I use this constantly. Good stuff.

I’m not against modern medicine, but I also think we have strayed very far from the bounties Mother Nature has to offer. I have a bottle of tea tree oil, purchased at WalMart, of all places, on hand always.

Sometimes, Mother knows best.