Spotlight On: Cajeput

Botanical Name: Melaleuca cajeputi  or Melaleuca leucodendron

Type of Plant: Evergreen tree

Method of Extraction: steam distillation of the leaves and twigs

This is an oil you may not have heard of before.   Cajeput has an astringent, camphor-like scent, similar to it’s more famous cousin, Tea Tree, but it’s not as overwhelming.  

It has many of the same applications as Tea Tree does, like fighting upper respiratory infections (cold, flu, sinuses).  It’s also good for pain such as neuralgia or arthritis, but it should be well diluted for any skin application.  Cajeput is a little more irritating to the skin than Tea Tree, or its other close cousin, Niaouli.

The scent of this oil reminds me more of Vicks Vapo Rub than any other oil.  For this reason, it’s the first oil I go to when I have an adult client complaining of chest congestion.  I do not use this oil on young children.

I recently had a friend with a very intense sinus infection.  She complained of constant pressure and pain, as well as an “itching” feeling inside her nose.  I made her a blend of Cajeput, Eucalyptus globulus, Lemon, Niaouli and Lavender and directed her to massage it into her sinuses every morning and night (being very careful not to get it inside her nose, or in contact with any mucus membranes).  She reported back after about a week that her infection was clearing and the pain lifting!