Eucalyptus: Eucalyptus globulus, Mirtaceae family. In the fresh, sessile and opposite leaves, against the light, translucent spots can be seen, corresponding to the schizolysis pockets containing essential oil.
The eucalyptus is a tall tree of Australian origin, which has settled well in the Mediterranean countries (in Italy, especially in Sardinia). This plant contributes to the desertification of some areas, due to its very deep roots and with a very high transpiration capacity.
The drug is characterized by adult leaves, with a sickle-shaped shape and a length between 10 and 20 cm; dried are part of the formulation of herbal products, such as herbal teas intended to calm the inflammation of the airways, pharynx and larynx. This is because most of the activities of the eucalyptol, monoterpene characterizing the drug, as well as the essential oil, are similar to those of menthol; it is no coincidence that the two essences are often associated. The fresh drug can be distilled in a stream of water vapor to obtain the essential oil, characterized by 1-8 cineole or eucalyptol. The FUI (Italian official pharmacopoeia) reports the eucalyptus essence as a titrating medium for quality evaluation of essential drugs.
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