Kunzea / Tick Bush / White Kunzea

Kunzea ambigua (Tick Bush or White Kunzea) is a native Australian shrub with a distinctive eucalyptus-like fragrance, found predominantly in Tasmania and coastal New South Wales. Its essential oil composition is unique — dominated by alpha-pinene, bicyclogermacrene, globulol, and ledol, a sesquiterpene profile quite different from tea tree or eucalyptus. Kunzea oil shows cytotoxic activity against multiple cancer cell lines in studies by researchers at the University of Tasmania, including breast, colon, and prostate cancers. Bicyclogermacrene — the primary sesquiterpene — inhibits cancer cell migration and induces apoptosis. Aboriginal Australians in Tasmania used kunzea as a liniment for pain, skin conditions, and inflammatory ailments. It is now commercially produced in Tasmania as a medicinal essential oil and is TGA-listed in Australia.