EUCALYPTUS - essential oil
These trees are highly valued for their medicinal properties and other uses - the bark can even be used as an adhesive. The tallest known flowering plant on earth is a eucalypt.
Eucalyptus is a diverse genus of flowering trees and shrubs in the myrtle family. Members of the genus dominate the tree flora of Australia, and include the tallest known flowering plant on Earth.
There are more than 700 species of eucalyptus and most are native to Australia; a very small number are found in adjacent areas of New Guinea and Indonesia. One species ranges as far north as the Philippines. Of the 15 species found outside Australia, just nine are exclusively non-Australian. Species of eucalyptus are cultivated widely in the tropical and temperate world, including the Americas, Europe, Africa, the Mediterranean basin, the Middle East, China, and the Indian subcontinent. However, the range over which many eucalypts can be planted in the temperate zone is constrained by their limited cold tolerance.
Eucalyptus is one of three similar genera that are commonly referred to as “eucalypts”, and many species are known as gum trees because they exude copious kino (a reddish-brown, gummy exudate produced by various species of Eucalyptus trees) from any break in the bark (e.g., scribbly gum). The generic name is derived from the Greek words ευ (eu) "well" and καλύπτω (kalýpto) "to cover", referring to the operculum on the calyx that initially conceals the flower.
Eucalyptus trees show allelopathic effects; they release compounds which inhibit other plant species from growing nearby. Outside their natural ranges, eucalypts are both lauded for their beneficial economic impact on poor populations and criticised for being "water-guzzling" aliens, leading to controversy over their total impact.
On warm days, eucalyptus forests are sometimes shrouded in a smog-like mist of vaporised volatile organic compounds called terpenoids - the Australian Blue Mountains outside Sydney take their name from this haze.
Health benefits
• Respiratory: improves respiratory circulation, expectorant (diffuse a few drops in an oil burner for colds and flu), upper respiratory tract infections (URTI's) – gargle a few drops in water, asthma, bronchitis, tuberculosis, pneumonia, COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), sinusitis, allergies
• Insect repellent / Pesticide: Head lice, intestinal bacteria and parasite deterrent
• Febrifuge: reduces fever
• Anti-microbial: skin, intestines
• Anti-septic
• Skin: wounds, cuts, burns, scrapes, abrasions, sores
• Stimulates immunity
• Anti-inflammatory: asthma, COPD, rheumatism
• Cancer: leukaemia
• Cooling and refreshing: mental exhaustion, stress, mental clarity
• Analgesia: muscles, joints, sprains, lumbago, fibrosis, nerve pain
Warning: Eucalyptus oil can be highly toxic (and fatal) if ingested and can cause severe health issues, including seizures, muscle weakness, gastrointestinal disorders, and metabolic acidosis. It is crucial to avoid ingesting pure eucalyptus oil, as taking only 3.5 mL can be fatal.
Symptoms of poisoning include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, dizziness, drowsiness, shortness of breath, bluish skin, and seizures.
Even when applied topically, eucalyptus oil can lead to serious health problems, as documented in a case of a 4-year-old girl who experienced a grand mal seizure after the undiluted oil was applied to her head to treat head lice.