Essential Oil of Eucalyptus

(Eucalyptus globulus)

Botanical Name:  Eucalyptus globulus           

Plant Family: Myrtaceae

Common Name: Tasmanian Blue Gum

Origin: Indigenous to Australia.  It is now found in North and South Africa, China, India, southern Europe and California, USA

Description: A tall evergreen tree which can grow to over 100 meters.  The trunk is covered with peeling, papery bark.  The leaves on  the young plant are opposite, sessile, soft, oblong pointed and a hoary blue color.  The mature leaves are alternate, petioled, leathery, shaped like a Arabian sword.  The flowers are solitary, auxiliary and white,  with no petals and a woody calyx.  The fruit is a hard, four-celled, and many-seeded capsule enclosed in the calyx cup.

Medicinal Parts used: Leaves and essential oil.

Method of Extraction: Double Steam Distilled

Chemical composition:  The main chemical components of Eucalyptus are:

Camphene, Citronellal, Fenchene,  Phellandrene, Cineole

Oil Properties:  Eucalyptus has a clear, sharp, fresh and very distinctive smell.  It is pale clear to yellow in color and is thin and watery in viscosity.

Therapeutic Properties:  Eucalyptus oil is a strong antiseptic and lozenges made from it are useful for lung diseases, cold and sore throats.  its expectorant properties are useful in treating bronchitis.  It can also be used as a vapor bath or chest rub for asthma and other respiratory complaints.  It is said to be useful for pyorrhea and for burns, where it prevents infection,  and it also eradicates lice and fleas.  Externally, its antiseptic and deodorant qualities make it suitable for use on purulent wounds and ulcers.  Diluted in grape seed oil it can be applied to cold sores or used as a massage oil,  it can be applied to cold sores or used as a massage oil for painful joints.  A cold extract made from the leaves is helpful for indigestion and for intermittent fever.  In traditional Australian Aboriginal medicine the leaves are used as a poultices for any type of wound and inflammation.

Safety Information:  Toxic if taken internally (essential oils should not  be taken internally without the advise of a healthcare practitioner).