Welcome March 

Essential Oil of The Month

Eucalyptus

PLANT HISTORY

The tallest deciduous tree, reaching up to 465 feet, produces one of the most powerful essential oils on the planet, Eucalyptus. The eucalyptus trees, from the myrtaceae family, are cultivated primarily in Egypt, Algeria, Spain, Portugal, India, China and South Africa. Its native home is in Australia where about 75% of all trees are Eucalyptus. It is the main food source for the famous Koala.

Over 700 varieties of this species exist with only a handful that produce essential oils used by Aromatherapists. Eucalyptus globulus, uec. Radiata, euc.citriadora and euc. Pipertoniferum contain individual chemical make-up contributing to its own unique therapeutic value.

The pale blue-green color of the leathery leaves shimmer a slight silver when touched by light. This captivating shimmer of silver seen in the tree shares similar spiritual healing properties as the color and mineral of silver used in ancient civilizations.

The word eucalyptus is derived from a Greek word meaning “well covered”. This may refer to the membrane that covers the bud of the small white flowers before they bloom. It may also refer to the therapeutic protection the essential oil provides us.

The oil is held in tiny sacs within the leaf itself and takes about 50 pounds of steam distilled plant matter to yield 1 pound of essential oil. Out of the “top ten” essential oils to have on hand, eucalyptus is considered to be in the top four by many healing practitioners. The others being Lavender, Tea Tree and Peppermint.

The tree provides shelter, food and homes for a multitude of the Australian animal kingdom. Almost 50% of the mammals and 1/5 of the bird population reside in the protective tree.