The power of essential oils for hay fever - Eucalyptus
Whenever we develop a new product, every ingredient is extensively researched and selected for its scientifically backed and longstanding use in traditional medicine.
Breaze Hay Fever support products are based on a functional aromatherapy formulation of 10 essential oils and botanical ingredients. Each plays an important role and together they’re proven to help you breathe easier and sleep better when hay fever and allergies strike.1
In this series, we take a closer look at our functional ingredients to explain the history, heritage and science behind each, and to show how it earned its place in our award-winning formulation.
Eucalyptus Oil Eucalyptus Globulus
Also known as gum tree, eucalyptus is an evergreen tree native to Australia whose essential oil is distilled from its characteristic waxy, silvery green leaves. Naturally rich in a compound called 1,8-cineol or eucalyptol, this component gives eucalyptus essential oil its therapeutic properties.
Popular as a foliage element in bouquets, its distinctive, stalky, green aroma is instantly recognisable as the smell that greets you when you walk into any florist shop.
In indigenous Australian culture, eucalyptus trees are revered as sacred symbols of healing and endurance and, long before Europeans arrived in Australia, Aboriginal Australians had been using eucalyptus for thousands of years to treat disease and infection. Traditional healers also used eucalyptus leaves to dress wounds and in steam baths to treat respiratory conditions and to ward off colds. Teas made of eucalyptus leaves were also used to reduce fevers. Eucalyptus was also widely used in other traditional medicine systems, including Chinese, Indian (Ayurvedic), and by the ancient Greeks.
Later, in 19th century England, eucalyptus oil was used in hospitals to clean medical instruments and in the 1850s, French chemists Pierre-Joseph Pelletier and Joseph Bienaimé Caventou isolated and identified its key component, 1,8-cineole (or eucalyptol). This pivotal discovery allowed them to demonstrate its antiseptic and expectorant properties, making eucalyptus oil a valuable tool for treating respiratory conditions and by the late 19th and early 20th centuries, it was widely used in treatments for coughs, colds, and other respiratory conditions. The oil's antiseptic properties made it a common ingredient in cough syrups, throat lozenges, and even in some disinfectants.
This traditional use and knowledge has laid the foundation for a broader acceptance of eucalyptus in modern medicine. These days eucalyptus is one of the most widely researched essential oils recognised for its anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, anti-viral and antioxidant properties. A meta-analysis of over 100 research studies documents its potential to treat many conditions from respiratory disease, gastrointestinal illness, diabetes and herpes to oral health, pain relief and anxiety disorders.2
We use eucalyptus in the Breaze Hay Fever formulation for its decongestant and anti-inflammatory properties. Inflammation of the airways and lungs is a key aspect of hay fever. One clinical study shows inhaling eucalyptus essential oil can reduce inflammation by interrupting inflammatory pathways3 while another showed that asthma sufferers could reduce their corticosteroid medicines by up to 36% when taking a cineol supplement4
Sources:
1 Breaze user trial 2020 82% of users said that Breaze helped with hay fever symptoms
2. A systematic and comprehensive review on current understanding of the pharmacological actions, molecular mechanisms, and clinical implications of the genus Eucalyptus - ScienceDirect
Participants trialling eucalyptus capsules were able to reduce corticosteroid asthma medication use by up to 36%
mass utilization of E. globulus in the wood and pulp industry and as a result, the ‘waste' leaf is used to produce oil.