Botanical atlas

Gully Gum

Eucalyptus smithii

Long before eucalyptus oil found its way into cough drops and chest rubs on chemist shelves around the world, Aboriginal Australian communities were already steeping and burning eucalypt leaves to ease fevers, clear the head, and tend to wounds. Gully Gum in particular rose to prominence with colonial settlers and, later, the pharmaceutical trade, because its oil carries an unusually high proportion of the soothing compound cineole alongside very low amounts of the harsher, skin-irritating terpenes found in many other eucalypts. That gentle chemistry earned it the nickname of a medicinal grade oil, the standard against which other eucalyptus oils were often measured. Bunches of the narrow, silvery leaves were hung in sickrooms and steeped in basins of hot water so the vapor alone could do its quiet work.

Safety.

Eucalyptus essential oil is toxic if swallowed, even a teaspoon can seriously poison a small child, so never take it internally. Avoid strong preparations near the face of infants and young children, and use caution if you have epilepsy, since concentrated cineole may lower the seizure threshold.