Botanical Name: Eucalyptus globulus

Method of Farming: Conventional

Country of Origin: Spain

Extraction: Steam distillation of the fresh or partially dried leaves and mature branches.

Characteristics: Colorless to pale yellow with a strong, fresh, camphorous odor and woody undertone.

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

Origin of eucalyptus oil: The Australian Blue-gum can sometimes reaches a height of 100 meters (300 feet), making it one of the highest trees in the world. There are over 500 species of Eucalyptus trees and they have blue-green long, narrow, tough leaves, creamy white flowers and smooth pale bark.

The ‘eu’ and ‘kalypto’ means ‘well’ and ‘covered’ in Greek, referring to the cup-like membrane that covers the flower bud and is thrown off as the flower expands. The Australian Aborigines calls the Eucalyptus ‘kino’. One of their uses for it was to cover serious wounds with the leaves.

Eucalyptus was introduced to Europe in 1788, and the first oil exported to England was called ‘Sydney peppermint’. It was extracted from Eucalyptus peperita which is a more industrial type of oil.

The Eucalyptus uses a lot of water while growing, thus it drains land where usually malaria was found, making it a healthier climate for living.

Extraction: Eucalyptus oil is extracted from the fresh or partially dried leaves and young twigs.

Chemical composition: The main chemical components of Eucalyptus are: Camphene, Citronellal, Fenchene, Phellandrene and Cineole.

Precautions: Eucalyptus oil should be used with care and people with high blood pressure and epilepsy should avoid it. Excessive use of the oil may cause headaches.

Therapeutic properties: The therapeutic properties of Eucalyptus oil include: analgesic, anti-rheumatic, anti-neuralgic, anti-spasmodic, antiseptic, balsamic, decongestant, deodorant, diuretic, expectorant, insecticide, rubefacient and stimulant.

Uses: Eucalyptus has a cooling and deodorizing effect on the body, helping with fevers, migraine and malaria. For the respiratory tract, it helps with coughs, asthma, throat infections, sinusitis and catarrhal conditions. It soothes inflammation and eases mucus, clearing the head from the stuffiness of colds and hay fever.

Eucalyptus oil is useful as warming oil when used for muscular aches and pains, rheumatoid arthritis, sprains and poor circulation. In skin care it can be used for burns, blisters, herpes, cuts, wounds, skin infections and insect bites.

Eucalyptus oil can boost the immune system, and is helpful especially in cases of chicken pox, colds, flu and measles.

Summary: Eucalyptus oil is very helpful when used for headaches, fevers, on the respiratory tract, muscular aches and pains and in skin care. It has a soothing and calming effect on the whole body and helps with the immune system. The oil is also effective against bacteria - especially staphylococci.

Burners and vaporizers: In vapor therapy Eucalyptus oil be used for: frequent sneezing, hay fever, flu, respiratory problems and as insect repellant.

Blended massage or in the bath: Eucalyptus oil can be used in blended massage oil, or diluted in the bath to assist with: arthritis, asthma, bronchitis, mucous congestion, colds, headaches, rheumatism, sinusitis, catarrh, fatigue and muscular aches and pains. Used neat or dab on with a bud: Eucalyptus oil can be used neat on the skin for insect bites or wounds, but care should be taken when doing so.

Gargle: Diluted Eucalyptus can be used as a gargle for a sore throat

German Chamomile is most often used for medicinal purposes, and is usually administered as a tea. It can also be administered as a compress for external healing and as a bath for babies.

Here are a few uses:

• Soothes and relaxes at bedtime.
• Relieves restlessness, teething problems, and colic in children.
• Relieves allergies, much as an antihistamine would.
• Aids digestion when taken as a tea after meals.
• Relieves morning sickness during pregnancy.
• Speeds healing of skin ulcers, wounds, or burns.
• Treats gastritis and ulcerative colitis.

Other Uses

• Makes a relaxing bath or footbath.
• Lightens fair hair and conditions complexion. Make a rinse by simmering 2 teaspoons dried flowers in 8 ounces of water for 15 minutes.
  Potpourri (dry flowers face down).

Aromatherapy is the art of using the fragrant essential oils derived from plants to treat ailments of the mind and body. The magnificent scent of these oils evokes a variety of different responses by stimulating the olfactory and other sensory organs, which are linked to the areas of the brain which control emotions. It means that these essential oils have a direct bearing on the human constitution, body and mind. A chain of chemical reactions, initiated by this invisible stimulation then takes place, effecting a physical or emotional change in the body.

Aromatherapy is an innovative way to improve the quality of life that incorporates all principles of body and mind. Aromatherapy has already become a part of our lives, although many of us have not associated the name with the actual experience. Each human being has an emotional response, both pleasant and unpleasant, some happy and others sad, to certain scents.

So the idea behind aromatherapy is, initially, to find those scents and oils, unique but different for each individual, those evoke positive sensory feelings and emotions. The next step is to introduce those essentials into our daily life to enhance well-being. Natural scents and oils keep us connected to the earth, sparking memories and emotions. They also bring back forgotten memories, emotions and lost luster in our lives. 

Pure essential oils are extracted from many parts of the plant (flower, leaf, resin, bark, root, twig, seed, berry, rind and rhizome) and the extracted oils are used to relax, replenish, balance and rejuvenate body, mind and spirit.

Aromatherapy is both an art and a science that involves the basic constitution of our body. All these objectives are skillfully achieved by blending required parts of different oils and then creating a balmy complex that is used to create a heavenly experience.

How ever, the results of aromatherapy are very individual specific and vary from person to person. While experts display general agreement about the actions of certain oils, aromatherapy texts vary differently in their descriptions of the properties and characteristics of an essential oil.

The basic fact is that the same aromatic oil influences no two persons in this world in exactly the same way and manner. What is more, the same oil depending on surroundings, time or mood can significantly affect even the same person differently.

If you need to experience the real magic of these essential oils, you will have to use one of those applications in any part of daily life.  Reactions to fragrances are highly individual and specific. Here is small guideline to help you try evaluating some aromas of essential oils:

As you inhale deeply an essential oil for the first time, try and describe the aroma:
* Is it sharp and stinging?
* Is it subtle and smooth
* Is it balanced and tuned?
* Is it light or heavy?
* Is it warming or cooling?
* Is it sweet, spicy, woody, floral, fruity, etc.?

These are some of the basic sensory feeling you can experience on inhaling aromatic oils. Now try and describe how you perceive the aroma:
* Do you like or dislike it?
* Do you associate the aroma with any of your previous personal experiences?
* What emotions do you have that are connected to these experiences? Is it possible to remember them?
* Does the aroma produce those emotions now? Is it repetitive?
* Does the aroma affect your awareness: does it rejuvenate, energize or relax?

Aromatherapy is a science that cannot be comprehended so easily; the whole human race has tried to understand its undying mystery since time immemorial. How ever, its magical properties have always mesmerized us with a sense of awe and suspense.