Tea tree oil (TTO), an essential oil extracted by steam distillation from the leaves of Melaleuca alternifolia tree, has been known for many years for its antiseptic properties. Currently, TTO is used in vaginal suppositories (VS) for the treatment of vaginal candidiasis. TTO-VS exhibits an in vitro fungicidal activity towards Candida spp., only slightly affecting some vaginal lactobacilli population isolated from patients with vaginitis (Di Vito et al. 2015). However, preclinical and clinical studies addressing efficacy and safety profile are still few and not exhaustive, especially with regard to the complex vaginal microbial environment.
