Eucalyptus EO

Latin name :

Eucalyptus globulus

Botanical profile :

The eucalyptus is a tree of the Myrtaceae family and the genus Eucalyptus.

Geographic origin :

Discovered in 1792 in Tasmania, Eucalyptus is now mainly produced in Spain, Brazil, China and Corsica, after a strong production in Portugal in the 19th century.

Chemotypes :

The smell of eucalyptus varies according to the species:
Eucalyptus radiata : Possesses terpineols instead of pinenes
Eucalyptus citrismella : More lemony thanks to the presence of citronellol and citronellal with little Eucalyptol.
Eucalyptus globulus : The one with the highest Eucalyptol content.
Historically, Eucalyptus camadulensis and Eucalyptus rostrata were the first trees grown in Naples, in 1803, by monks.

Extraction process :

From July to October, at maturity, the leaves are collected when they have a deep green colour. If the owner wants, cultivation can be done by cutting down the tree to exploit the wood. Although, growing an old tree is preferable as it has more foliage. Only long leaves are collected for the distillation. Juvenile leaves are processed in other smaller crop areas such as California. The large leaves are dried to be crushed and steam distilled on a grid, above a boiling water. In some processes, the pressure can reach 5 to 10 bar in the steel tank. At the end of the extraction process, the essential oil is collected by decantation of the water. The extraction yield of the deciduous branches oscillates between 0.5 and 3%. Young leaves have a better extraction yield.
The essential oil can be rectified to remove parasite smells by adding soda. The oil can also be dried using anhydrous sodium sulphate.
Eucalyptus resinoid can be obtained by extracting the plant with organic solvent. The resulting scent is green, also closer to the sulphured smell of the blackcurrant bud and has a note of Fenugreek Absolute.

Major Components :

Elemicine (0,5- 8%)