A Direct Comparison of the Antibacterial Properties of Mānuka Oil & Tea Tree Oil
Background
Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) is defined as the lowest concentration of an antimicrobial that inhibits the visible growth of a microorganism after overnight incubation. MICs are considered the “gold standard” for determining the susceptibility of organisms to antimicrobials.
TABLE 1 summarises independent MIC data for mānuka oil (Leptospermum scoparium) and tea tree oil (Melaleuca alternifolia). This data clearly shows that mānuka oil has much stronger and more broad-spectrum antimicrobial properties than tea tree oil.
Source:
Christoph, F. et al., (2000), A comparative study of the in vitro antimicrobial activity of tea tree oils with special reference to the activity of β-triketones, Plantamed (66), 556-560 << https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10985085 >>
