Manuka Oil Information

New Zealand Manuka Oil information

Manuka, Kanuka and Australian Tea Tree are wild plants that grow naturally throughout New Zealand and Southern Australia, and which can be broadly divided into the following groups:

New Zealand Tea Tree or Manuka (Leptospermum scoparium)
New Zealand Kanuka (Kunzea ericoides, formerly Leptospermum ericoides)
Australian Tea Tree (Melaleuca alternifolia)

All these species contain oils which have generally been referred to as Tea Tree oil.

For more than two centuries there has been anecdotal evidence supporting the ability of this group of tea tree oils to provide relief from various bacterial and fungal skin complaints.

Recently however, there has been considerable research undertaken to verify the effectiveness of New Zealand tea tree or Manuka oil, compare it with other Tea Tree oils, and to identify which chemotype within the Manuka species is most active against a number of organisms.

Four major chemotypes were found to be present in New Zealand tea tree Manuka oil.

They are Monoterpene rich oils, Sesquiterpene rich oils, Triketone enriched oils and Methyl Cinnamate enriched oils.

Te Araroa

Further more, the Triketone levels in the Manuka oil where we source ours from on the East Cape of New Zealand were found to be four to five times higher than the average of the oils collected from other locations in the North Island.

NB : All Earths Organics Gardeners products only contain New Zealand East Cape Manuka Oil.

What is greatly significant about the Triketone chemotype is that this compound is highly effective against a number of gram positive bacteria and fungi.

This specific East Cape Manuka oil has also been shown to be up to 30 times more effective against gram positive bacteria than Australian Tea Tree oils.

References:
In a study to ‘Define North Island Manuka Chemotype Resources’ undertaken in 2001 by M. Douglas, R. Anderson, J. van Klink, N. Perry and B. Smallfield, four major chemotypes were found to be present in New Zealand Manuka oil in foliage collected and analysed from 132 plants from 44 sites throughout the North Island.

Dr. Noel Porter, Crop & Food Research Lincoln, Dr. Jeff Reid, Crop & Food Research Hawke’s Bay.

Superior antimicrobial effectiveness of East Cape Manuka Chemotype

The active ingredient that is highly effective against gram positive bacteria and fungi is the Triketone rich chemotype containing Leptospermone, Iso-leptospermone and Flavesone. These natural compounds are present in East Cape Manuka Oil at concentrations of 25 to 30 %. (Determined by % peak area of GC-FID)

This Manuka oil from the East Cape region of New Zealand has been found to be more active than any other Tea Tree oil against pathological bacteria e.g. Staphylococcus, Listeria, Enterococcus, and some fungi e.g. Trichophyton and Microsporum as well as having anthelmintic (internal parasite) and insecticidal activities.

The unique activity of the East Cape Manuka oils against gram positive bacteria e.g. Staphylococcus Aureus and its antibiotic resistant strain MRSA has been conclusively proven to be due to the presence of Triketones in the East Cape Manuka oil.

Production / harvesting and plant characteristics

While Manuka, Kanuka and Tea Tree plants are widely distributed throughout New Zealand and Southern areas of Australia, the geographical area which produces Triketone rich Manuka oil is relatively small, often includes steep hillsides and is remote geographically.

Because the Manuka plant grows in the wild, and is not cultivated in commercial plantations it is not sprayed with chemicals nor is its growth stimulated with chemical fertilizers.

In this sense it can be considered to be grown organically, although it is probably more accurate to describe it as ‘collected from the wild’.

To ensure continuing production of the resource, only small quantities of leaf material can be harvested from each plant, and it can only be harvested every second year.

Studies continue into selection of superior plant material for propagation and establishment in plantations. However there is wide variation between individual plants in both growth habit and oil production, further compounded by the slow growth of the species.

Therefore commercial production from plantations of Manuka is considered to be many years in the future.

Steam distillation method used to extract Manuka oil.

To produce Manuka Essential oil, young foliage is cut from the Manuka bushes and shrubs in the wild populations, bagged and taken to the distillation plant.

There it is chopped and compressed into cartridges that are loaded into the still pot. The oil is then extracted by passing steam through the plant material.

Because the Triketone rich oils of the East Cape Manuka chemotype are less volatile than other Tea Tree oils, steam extraction takes up to five hours.

Once the oil is separated from the plant material by the steam, it is cooled so that it returns to liquid. The distillation equipment must be carefully adjusted to achieve the best compromise between good oil yields and high extraction costs.

Smaller commercial quantities and a longer production process inevitably lead to higher production costs so this special Triketone rich oil is more expensive than other more abundant, more accessible and more easily extracted Manuka and ‘Tea Tree’ oils.

This unique oil is utilized in all the Earths Organics Gardeners range of products providing beneficial properties to assist in protecting and healing hardworking hands.

To understand just how effective the products actually are we suggest clicking on our “compliments” link and seeing what many satisfied customers from around the world have to say.

Alternatively you could visit a local stockist or order on line

Enjoy