Eucalyptus Oils are extracted from Eucalyptus leaves through the pure distillation process of the Eucalyptus Leaves. They have great aroma and also the aroma of the particular species that is used. Eucalyptus Oils are classified into three broad categories depending on their composition and the main end use:

• Medicinal
• Perfumery
• Industrial

Among all these Medicinal is considered to be the most important depending on production and trade. It is characterized by a high Cineole content. The industrial oil is loosing its importance and is diminishing in the market these days.

Medicinal oils are neat and are also sold in pharmacies and also in other retail outlets in the form of lozenges, sprays, ointments, and cough sweets. They are also sold in formulation with other oils. They can also be used as inhalants and chest rubs for the people who face breathing difficulties. It has the capacity to ease the throat and provide relief from pains and aches. The most recent application of these oils is anti-plaque solutions in dental hygiene. Although employed for medicinal purposes, the pleasant flavour and fragrance properties of cineole-rich eucalyptus oils play an important role in their acceptance and utilization on such a large scale. Eucalyptus oil is also used as a general disinfectant, cleaner, and deodorizer about the house.

World production and trade in eucalyptus oils is dominated by China, which is the largest producer of both cineole-rich medicinal oils about 70 percent of world output and trade and perfumery oil. It is not possible to quantify accurately total world demand for eucalyptus oils. The weakness of production statistics and of domestic consumption statistics in the producing country markets, especially for such a large producer and consumer as China, makes published trade statistics of limited value for analytical purposes. Furthermore, several importing countries such as Portugal, Spain, and Australia are also producers and processors of eucalyptus oils and re-export much of what they import. It should be noted that medicinal and perfumery oils are not distinguished in trade statistics.

Changes and disruptions in Chinese patterns of trade and domestic usage of eucalyptus oils since 1989 have caused a fall in domestic off take and an expansion of exports, the latter driven by a desire to earn foreign exchange. Although increasing, the world market for eucalyptus oil is not growing rapidly, and with no major new uses for it which could absorb large volumes, opportunities for new producers are likely to rest mainly with meeting local or regional needs rather than trying to compete in the wider international market.

Under intense price pressure from Chinese oil, primary production in Portugal and Spain has decreased in recent years although both countries remain significant exporters of eucalyptus oil products. The balance of the starting oil is imported, chiefly from the China.

Southern Africa is a major producing region for eucalyptus oil, most of it from South Africa but a significant proportion from Swaziland. In South America, Chile and Brazil are the major producers, with smaller amounts coming from Bolivia, Uruguay and Paraguay.

Australia, the home of Eucalyptus and eucalyptus oil production, has declined in importance. However, in the face of increasing production elsewhere in the world, the introduction of mechanized harvesting has enabled the Australian industry to become more efficient and it remains an important supplier of refined and finished eucalyptus oil products based partly on its own production and partly on imports of crude or partially refined oil.

The main value of Eucalyptus oil lies in its medicinal uses and its cineole content. This largely determines the price it fetches. National and international standards exist which specify the minimum cineole content expected of such oils and this is normally 70 percent. The intrinsic composition of the oil is largely determined by the species of Eucalyptus that is distilled and for a few species the crude oil from the primary distillation of the leaves easily exceeds this minimum requirement. For most eucalypts which are exploited, however, the crude oil has to be rectified to increase its cineole content.

Cineole-rich oils used strictly for medicinal purposes must satisfy national or international pharmacopoeia and this may introduce further requirements for compliance, although this will be a task for the rectifier of the oil rather than the primary producer. Crude Eucalyptus oil, for example, suffers from the disadvantage of containing a few percent of isovaleraldehyde and this adversely affects its odour. In order to meet pharmacopoeia standards the aldehyde content must be reduced by rectification.

The aroma characteristic is important for perfumery oils but it is also left to the buyer for assessment and the people have to decide whether the oils are acceptable or not. The present standards exist for Eucalyptus oil and these usually specify that the aldehyde content calculated as citrinellal should not be less than 70 percent..

Several hundreds of species of Eucalyptus have been shown to contain volatile oil, though probably fewer than 20 of these have ever been exploited commercially for oil production. Today, fewer than a dozen species are utilized in different parts of the world, of which six account for the greater part of world production of eucalyptus oils.

The variability if Eucalyptus Oils have already been discussed and their advantages have also been reported. Adequate attention must be given to the benefits and proper seeds must be selected for planting. If it is over emphasised and hasty planting is done then the quality of yield will result in failure.

 

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