Eucalyptus Kangaroo Island Essential Oil

Description

Eucalyptus – Kangaroo Island Essential Oil

Botanical name:  Eucalyptus cneorifolia                                                            

Ingredients: 100% v/v pure essential oil of Kangaroo Island Eucalyptus.

Kangaroo Island Eucalyptus Essential Oil Aroma

Typical, fresh Eucalyptus aroma, with a gentle honey note.

Kangaroo Island Eucalyptus Essential Oil Benefits

Known for its anti-septic prowess and helping to ease breathing when it may be challenged. Use in massage oil for relief from tired muscles. Create clean, fresh air and surfaces throughout the home and use to overcome bad odours.

Kangaroo Island Eucalyptus Essential Oil Uses

In a bath, foot bath, sauna, cloth vacuum bag, floor washing water, add to clothes washing, bathroom cleaning, stainless steel cleaner, remove stains, use neat to remove sticker residue from glass, or band aid residue from the skin. Removes Biro/texta and grease marks from clothing, assists in removing chewing gum.

MORE INFO

Directions and More Uses

Aromatherapy Oil
2 to 4 drops in an oil burner or vaporiser, 2-5 drops into a bath.

Blend Kangaroo Island Eucalyptus essential oil with

Essentially Australia Oils: Eucalyptus Australiana Essential oil, Fragonia Essential oil, Honey Myrtle Essential oil, Kunzea Essential oil, Lemon Myrtle Essential oil, Lemon Scented Gum Essential oil, Rosalina Essential oil, Tea Tree Essential oil

Massage

10 to 25 drops per 100ml of carrier oil.

Main Actives

Contains up to 70% cineole, also contains alpha-pinene, alpha-terpinene, myrcene, tetradecane, phellandendrene.

Precautions

Do not ingest.
Keep out of reach of children.
Store below 30 degrees and away from sunlight.

Other Common Names

Kangaroo Island Narrow-Leaved Mallee, ‘KI’ Eucalyptus.

Natural Occurrence in Australia                   

The Kangaroo Island eucalypt occurs almost exclusively along  the western half of the island. It grows in traditional mallee style woodland country and can occur as a pure mallee forest on the island. There are a handful of trees on the mainland directly across Backstairs Passage on Cape Jervis, around Deep Creek Conservation Park and a few trees around the towns of Goolwa and Victor Harbour.

Mallee trees have a massive and extensive root ball system, just under the surface of the soil. This acts as a defensive system against fire and also acts a reservoir for moisture and nutrients for the tree, in what is very low nutrient soil system.

The eucalypt grows to around 10 metres.

The tree tends to flower from November to April. Mallee trees have multiple stems, with some suggesting the tree is upside down in the ground.

Kangaroo Island Eucalyptus Essential Oil Characteristics

Clear, colourless to pale yellow; watery consistency; true clinical Eucalyptus aroma, with some vegetative, spicy, honey like back notes.

Research

Research was carried out by F H Fauldings in the 1920’s on Kangaroo Island Eucalyptus and they soon incorporated the oil into one of their main product developments in South Australia.

Extraction and Farming Method

Kangaroo Island Eucalyptus essential oil is extracted via steam distillation of the leaves and green branchlets. The tree is sustainably harvested from the two plantations established on Kangaroo Island in 1938.

History –Kangaroo Island Eucalyptus

Traditional Usage

Indigenous people made use of this oil for cuts by wrapping the leaves around the wound. The leaves were also boiled or smoked on a fire and the oil vapours inhaled for treating colds and flus.

Early European Usage

Kangaroo Island Eucalyptus trees were harvested for their essential oil from the 1880’s onward. Production peaked during the 1930’s and employed over 600 people. FH Fauldings established two plantations in 1938. However, by the 1950’s sheep farming began to dominate and KI Eucalyptus oil production wilted away.
Settlers found the root ball an excellent source of long burning firewood. Sadly a lot of Kangaroo Island woodland and countryside was cleared, initially by man and bullock teams. Later, they were bulldozed by tractors to make way for sheep farming.

Present Day Usage

Today the trees are largely left intact. The two original plantations were revived in 1991 and are now regularly harvested and maintained for essential oil production.

Typical Chemical Profile of Eucalyptus Kangaroo Island Essential Oil

1,8-cineole,                         60-75%
alpha-pinene                         1-9%
phellandendrene                 1-10%
myrcene                                 5-15%
alpha terpinene                     1-5%

Relative Density: @ 20 C 0.920 to 0.940
Refractive Index @ 20 C 1.464
Optical Rotation +0.3