Leung's Encyclopedia of Common Natural Ingredients Used in Food, Drugs, and Cosmetics

REFERENCES

See the General References forARCTANDER;BAILEY2;CLAUS;DUKE4;GUENTHER;LUST;MARTINDALE;

MCGUFFIN1&2;ROSE.

1. J. C. Chalchat et al.,Flav. Frag. J., 3 ,19
   (1988).


2. B. M. Lawrence,Perfum. Flav., 14 (3), 71
   (1989).


3. J. C. Maruzzella and L. Liguori,J. Am.
   Pharm. Assoc., 47 , 250 (1958).


4. J. C. Maruzzella and P. A. Henry,J. Am.
   Pharm. Assoc., 47 , 294 (1958).
   5. W. Johnson Jr.,Int. J. Toxicol., 20 ,41
   (2001).
   6. D.L. J. Opdyke,Food Cosmet.Toxicol., 13
   (Suppl.), 733 (1975).
   7. B. Schoket et al.,J. Invest. Dermatol., 94 ,
   241 (1990).
   8. J. L. Hartwell,Lloydia, 33 , 288 (1970).

CAJEPUT OIL

Source: Melaleuca cajuputiPowel (syn.

M.leucadendron,M.minor);M.quinque-

nervia(Cav.) S. T. Blake;M.alternifolia

(Maiden & Betche) Cheel (syn.M.larinar-

iifoliavar.alternifolia); and otherMela-

leuca species and subspecies (Family

Myrtaceae).

Common/vernacular names:Cajuput, punk

tree, and paperbark tree oils; tea tree oil

(M.alternifolia), oil of Melaleuca, terpinen-

4-ol-type tea tree oil.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION

Cajeput are large evergreen trees with whitish,

paper-like, spongy bark; up to about 30 m

high; native to Australia and southeastern

Asia.

CHEMICAL COMPOSITION

Cajeput oil is obtained by steam distillation

of the fresh leaves of various species ofMela-

leuca. The main sources of commercial oil

are Australian plantations ofM.alternifolia

(Australian tea tree oil) andM.cajuputisubsp.

cajuputifrom Indonesia and Vietnam. The

composition of the oil ofM.cajuputisubsp.

cajuputi is highly variable, partly due to

natural variations and to industry practice of

blending oils from different species ofMela-

leucaand even with added individual com-

pounds. Otherwise, the oil from this species

and its subspecies most frequently, but not

always, contain large amounts of 1,8-cineole

(3–60%), sesquiterpene alcohols (spathule-

nol, up to 30%; viridiflorol, up to 16%; and

globulol, up to 9%), in addition to usually

significant amounts of ledene (viridiflorene)

(up to 9%), terpinen-4-ol (up to 5.6%),

a-terpineol (1–8%), limonene (up to 5%),

b-caryophyllene (up to 4%), caryophyllene

oxide (up to 7%), anda-andb-selinene (up to

3%).^1 The oil fromM.alternifoliacontains

close to 100 different constituents. Examples

of major constituents of the leaf oil and their

quantifications include terpinen-4-ol (37%),

g-terpinene (21.2%),a-terpinene (9.9%), and

terpinolene (3.2%).^2

In 1985 a quality standard forMelaleuca

oils was established in Australia^3 (Australian

Standard,Oil of Melaleuca, ‘‘Terpinen-4-ol

Type,’’ AS 2782), which in 1996 was revised

and adopted as the International Standard

(ISO 4730). The standard calls for the oil to

contain 30% or more of terpinen-4-ol and a

maximum of 15% cineole; the terpinen-4-ol

type oil is found in various species ofMela-

leuca (M. alternifolia,M. dissitiflora, and

124 Cajeput oil