7 Health benefits of white eucalyptus oil: uses, side effects, interactions

Eucalyptus is a plant from Australia that is now widely grown in various countries. The results of the distillation will produce eucalyptus oil which has a myriad of benefits for human health. What are the benefits?

Health benefits of eucalyptus oil

This tree, which has oval leaves, has long been used as a traditional medicine to treat infections and wounds on the skin. Its use is quite complicated because after extracting it through distillation, you have to dilute it first before using it as medicine.

Here are some of the health benefits of eucalyptus oil.

1. Relieves breathing problems

One of the most common benefits of eucalyptus oil is that it relieves respiratory problems. Eucalyptus oil can treat everything from coughs, colds, sore throats, to sinusitis.

Eucalpytus oil has antibacterial, antifungal, antimicrobial, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, and decongestant potential, making it a good ingredient and necessary in the manufacture of medicines related to respiratory problems.

A study published by Laryngoscope 2004 showed that eucalyptus that has been distilled into oil can treat non-bacterial sinusitis. Patients suffering from non-bacterial sinusitis can recover faster when given drugs containing extracts of this tree.

Inhaling eucalyptus oil vapor or applying it to the chest and throat can relieve colds and nasal congestion. This is because the antibacterial content in eucalyptus oil can eliminate bacteria in the respiratory tract.

In addition, eucalyptus oil vapor is also a decongestant which can help reduce nasal congestion and symptoms of bronchitis. In fact, because of this benefit, you may also find eucalyptus in cough drops and in inhalers.

For people with asthma, applying eucalyptus oil to the chest can have a soothing effect on the throat so that it can dilate the respiratory tract. This allows more oxygen to flow to the lungs so that breathing can proceed normally. The anti-inflammatory contained in eucalyptus also plays a role in relieving asthma symptoms.

Gargling with eucalyptus oil mixed with warm water consistently can also treat sore throats. Because of the benefits it can produce, it's no wonder that many medicines, such as cough and cold medicines, contain this oil in them.

2. Relieve pain in the joints

Research shows that eucalyptus oil can help relieve joint pain. In fact, some creams or ointments that work to relieve pain due to osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis contain eucalyptus.

Eucalyptus has analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties. The use of eucalyptus oil is recommended for those of you who suffer from rheumatism, back pain, sprains, stiff muscles, aches, and nerve pain.

Applying eucalyptus oil to a painful joint or muscle area and massaging it gently can help reduce pressure and pain in the joint and muscle.

This is because eucalyptus oil has a relaxing effect on the nervous system and muscles. Eucalyptus oil can increase blood flow to the painful area, which can reduce inflammation.

3. Protect you from insects and fleas

The strong aroma of eucalyptus oil can discourage insects from approaching it. You can apply it to your skin and insects, including mosquitoes, will stay away from you. This can prevent you from diseases caused by mosquito bites, such as dengue fever.

Apart from repelling insects, eucalyptus oil is also useful for repelling lice from your hair. Applying a few drops of eucalyptus oil to infested hair may be one of the better solutions.

4. Helps control blood sugar levels

Eucalyptus oil may be a remedy for diabetics because it can help control blood sugar levels. However, it has not been scientifically proven how eucalyptus oil can control or reduce blood sugar levels in diabetics.

Some assumptions state that eucalyptus oil can function as a vasodilator which can improve blood circulation in the body, so that this benefits diabetes patients who usually have poor blood circulation.

5. Dental care

Eucalyptus oil can be an ingredient that can be used to treat your teeth. Eucalyptus oil can relieve cavities, plaque on teeth, gingivitis (inflammation of the gums), and other dental infections caused by germs.

This is because eucalyptus oil is an antimicrobial that can protect teeth from microbial growth. Therefore, eucalyptus oil is also often found in mouthwashes, toothpaste, and other oral health products.

Research published by Journal of Periodontology demonstrated that eucalyptus oil not only kills harmful bacteria in the mouth, but also reduces the amount of plaque on the teeth. Eucalyptus oil can also reduce bad breath and bleeding gums.

6. Wound healing

Eucalyptus oil contains active ingredients such as citronellol, citronellal, and 1,8-cineole, which make it function as antibacterial. Applying eucalyptus oil to the area around the wound can protect open wounds or irritated areas from infection caused by microbes and exposure to air.

With this content, eucalyptus oil is usually added to some plaster products to treat infections or wounds on the skin. In addition, many creams for healing wounds contain eucalyptus in it.

7. Reducing bacteria in the intestine

It is not only used as a wound healing agent, but eucalyptus oil is also useful for the human digestive organs, especially the intestines.

Eucalyptus oil is one of them vermifuge , namely antiparasitic that can kill worms in the intestine without damaging the organ. This is evidenced by a 2010 study from India which showed that drinking eucalyptus oil can reduce bacteria.

Even so, further research is still needed whether there are any side effects from drinking eucalyptus oil.