5 replies to this topic

[PoGo]

The florist put a few sprigs of eucalyptus in some roses that my husband gave me.
I'm wondering if it would be a good thing to save the sprigs and if so, how to do it?
Do I strip the leaves off or save the whole sprig?
Do I dry them in the dehydrator or just hang upside down in a cool room?
Once dried, if need be, then what do I use them for?
Any suggestions are welcome!

The sprigs look like this.

[Lois]

The oil is the component used in most medicinal cough drops etc.
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About eucalyptus
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eucalyptus

Eucalyptus is a diverse genus of trees (and a few shrubs), the members of which dominate the tree flora of Australia. There are more than 700 species of Eucalyptus, mostly native to Australia, with a very small number found in adjacent parts of New Guinea and Indonesia and one as far north as the Philippines. Eucalyptus can be found in almost every part of the Australian continent, adapted to all of its climatic conditions; in fact, no other continent is so characterized by a single genus of tree as Australia is by eucalyptus. Many, but far from all, are known as gum trees; other names for various species include mallee, box, ironbark, stringybark, and ash.
Eucalyptus oil is readily steam distilled from the leaves and can be used for cleaning, deodorizing, and in very small quantities in food supplements; especially sweets, cough drops and decongestants. Eucalyptus oil has insect repellent properties (Jahn 1991 a, b; 1992), and is an active ingredient in some commercial mosquito repellents (Fradin & Day 2002).
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More about eucalyptus:
http://www.oilofeucalyptus.com/uses.htm
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[Mother]

I've used these floral arrangement eucalyptus in pot pourris. They dry well just by letting them set or hang in a warm dry spot. You can put them in a dehydrator but they are pretty strong smelling when dried that way. Nice if you have a cold maybe. They actually will keep for a long time if you do just nothing. I have some in floral arrangements that I've had for years and other than dusting them they look fine. They are starting to shed though.

I don't, however, use them medicinally as often they are sprayed with chemicals to help them stay fresh looking longer, either by the florist or by the suppliers and sometimes even by the growers. It might be better to use known safe sources for medicinal purposes.

[PoGo]

Good info, ladies. Thank you.

[MamaTiger]

You can throw the sprigs/branches under your house to prevent fleas if you have dogs or such.

[The Raven]

I have found that Eucalyptus Oil is good for getting rid of ringworm on the body (tinea corporis). I would clean and dry the affected area and then moisten it with a saturated cotton swab twice a day.