Cajuput

November 26th, 2007

Botanical Name: Melaleuca leucadendron (LINN.)
Family: N.O. Myrtaceae

Synonyms: Cajeput. White Tea Tree. Swamp Tea Tree. White Wood.Weeping tea tree or weeping paper bark.Hillock Bush, Cajuput, Red-Flowered Paperbark, Red Honey Myrtle, Dotted Melaleuca, Melaleuca hypericifolia
Part Used: The oil.
Habitat: East Indies, Tropical Australia. Imported from Macassar, Batavia, Singapore, Queensland and N.S. Wales.Indigenous to Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Northern and Western Australia.

Description: - A large tree with pale peeling bark and slender drooping “willow-like” branches. The leaves are thin and pointed. Thin, creamy white flowers appear in spikes in summer and autumn. The tree has a long flexible trunk with irregular ascending branches, covered with a pale thick, lamellated bark it is soft and spongy and from time to time throws off its outer layer in flakes; leaves entire, linear, lanceolate, ash colour, alternate on short foot-stalks; flowers sessile, white, on a long spike. The leaves have a very aromatic odour and the oil is distilled from the fresh leaves and twigs, and is volatile and stimulating with an aroma like camphor, rosemary, or cardamom seeds; taste bitter, aromatic and camphoraceous. Traces of copper have been found in it, hence the greenish tint; it should be stored in dark or amber-coloured bottles in a cool place. Cajuput oil is obtained from Melaleuca leucadendron, Roxburgh, and the minor Smith, but several other species of Melaleuca leucadendron are utilized such as M. hypericifolia, M. veridifolia, M. lalifolia, and others. The Australian species M. Decussata and M. Erucifolia are also used.

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The oil is fluid, clear, inflammable, burns without residue, highly volatile. The trace of copper found may be due to the vessels in which the oil is prepared, but it is doubtless sometimes added in commerce to produce the normal green tinge when other species have been used which do not impart it naturally.

Properties:
Stimulant, antiseptic, with a camphor-like aroma. It is used to expel intestinal parasites and is anti-spasmodic and promotes sweating.

Constituents: The principal constituent of oil is cineol, which should average 45 to 55 per cent. Solid terpineol is also present and several aldehydes such as valeric, butyric and benzoic.

Medicinal Action and Uses:

Therapeutic uses
Internal use
Herbalists use cajuput internally to treat bronchitis, tuberculosis, colds, sinusitis, gastric infections and roundworms.

External use
It is used with great effect for rheumatism, gout, neuralgia, acne, nasal congestion, sinusitis, toothache, chilblains, and skin diseases.

Antispasmodic, diaphoretic, stimulant, antiseptic, anthelmintic. Highly stimulant, producing a sensation of warmth when taken internally, increasing the fullness and rapidity of the pulse and sometimes producing profuse perspiration. Used as a stimulating expectorant in chronic laryngitis and bronchitis, as an antiseptic in cystisis and as an anthelmintic for round worms, also used in chronic rheumatism. Applied externally, it is stimulant and mildly counter-irritant and is usually applied diluted with 2 parts of olive oil or turpentine ointment. Used externally for psoriasis and other skin affections.

Cajuput oil is a volatile obtained by distillation from the leaves of the myrtaceous tree Melaleuca leucadendra, and probably other Melaleuca species. The trees yielding the oil are found throughout the Malay archipelago, the Malay Peninsula and over the hotter parts of the Australian continent; but the greater portion of the oil is produced from Celebes Island. The name â€œcajuputâ€ is derived from its Malay name, â€œkayu putihâ€ or “white wood”.

The oil is prepared from leaves collected on a hot dry day, which are macerated in water, and distilled after fermenting for a night. This oil is extremely pungent, and has the odor of a mixture of turpentine and camphor. It consists mainly of cineol (see terpenes), from which cajuputene, having a hyacinthine odor, can be obtained by distillation with phosphorus pentoxide. The drug is a typical volatile oil, and is used internally in doses of 2 to 3 minims, for the same purposes as, say, clove oil. It is frequently employed externally as a counter-irritant. It is an ingredient in some liniments for sore muscles such as Tiger Balm.

The oil is an excellent hemostarie (wound healing).

Aromatherapy and essential oil use:
The oil has antiseptic and pain killing properties. It furthermore has anti-rheumatic, anti-spasmodic, balsamic, decongestant, expectorant, insecticide, and stimulant properties.
For muscle stiffness, acne, psoriasis, neuralgia and gout it is a good oil to include in a massage mixture.

Adulterants: The oils of Rosemary and Turpentine, impregnated with Camphor and coloured, are said to be used. Spirit of Cajeput, B.P., 5 to 20 minims. Oil U S P., 3 to 10 minims. Oil, B.P., 1/2 to 3 minims.
Safety precautions and warnings :
It is considered a safe herb as well as a safe oil, but the essential oil may irritate the skin at high concentration.

PLEASE NOTE: The essential oil may be subject to legal restriction in certain counties.

Disclaimer:
The information presented herein is intended for educational purposes only. Individual results may vary, and before using any supplements, it is always advisable to consult with your own health care provider

Resources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cajuput_oil
http://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/c/cajupt04.html

http://www.ageless.co.za/herb-cajuput.htm

http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/417276/

http://www.indianetzone.com/1/aromatherapy_oil.htm