Tea tree

[Binary_Bark]

Understanding how the tea tree genetically differs from its close relatives may help tea growers figure out what makes Camellia sinensis leaves so special. The genus Camellia contains over 100 species -- including several popular decorative garden plants and C. oleifera, which produces "tea tree" oil -- but only two major varieties (C. sinensis. var. assamica and C. sinensis var. sinensis) are grown commercially for making tea. "There are many diverse flavors, but the mystery is what determines or what is the genetic basis of tea flavors?" says plant geneticist Lizhi Gao of Kunming Institute of Botany in China.

Previous studies have suggested that tea owes much of its flavor to a group of antioxidants called flavonoids, molecules that are thought to help plants survive in their environments. One, a bitter-tasting flavonoid called catechin, is particularly associated with tea flavor. Levels of catechin and other flavonoids vary among Camellia species, as does caffeine. Gao and his colleagues found that C. sinensis leaves not only contain high levels of catechins, caffeine, and flavonoids, but also have multiple copies of the genes that produce caffeine and flavonoids.

Caffeine and flavonoids such as catechins are not proteins (and therefore not encoded in the genome directly), but genetically encoded proteins in the tea leaves manufacture them. All Camellia species have genes for the caffeine- and flavonoid-producing pathways, but each species expresses those genes at different levels. That variation may explain why C. sinensis leaves are suitable for making tea, while other Camellia species' leaves aren't.

Read More at: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/05/170501141648.htm

 

[Thor]

I swear by this stuff for skin repair like scars and stuff.

 

[Hemi300c]

And it's great to use as a supplement in shampoo for animals as it helps prevent ticks and fleas.

 

[TribbleZA]

It helps prevent colds if you sniff it regularly. My mom swears by it

 

[absynth]

Tea Tree oil used for medicinal purposes actually comes from the Melaleuca alternifolia, which is an Australian plant.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melaleuca_alternifolia