98 
Origin and History. —Oil of Cajeput is distilled from the fresh leaves and twigs of various forms 
of Melaleuca, especially Melaleuca leucadendron, L., and the variety known as M. minor, Smith (M. 
Cajeputi, Roxb., M. viridijolia, Gaertn.). 
Oil of Cajeput appears not to have been brought to Europe until the beginning of the seventeenth 
century when the Dutch took possession of the Moluccas. The first accurate account of the source of the 
oil was made known by the missionary Valentyn and the merchant George Eberhard Rumpf (Rumphius) 
of Hanau, both living in Amboina. The latter was an enthusiastic plant collector, and author of the first 
flora of Amboina. According to Rumpf’s statement, the Malays and Javanese were acquainted with the 
oil of Cajeput long before the Moluccas, the Randa, and Sunda Islands were taken possession of, and used 
it as a diaphoretic. In Europe the oil at first appears to have found no application. The first notice of 
such is by a physician Lochner in Niirnberg, and the apothecary Link in Leipzig. The former mentioned 
the oil in 1717, the latter had brought the oil about the same time as a novelty from the physician of a 
ship which had just returned from the East Indies. From this time on Cajeput oil vras used medicinally 
in Germany, and was introduced into the apothecary shops, and mentioned in price ordinances and in 
medical works. It remained, however, for some time rare and expensive, and not until 1730 did larger 
quantities of the oil come into the European market through Amsterdam. In Germany it was at once 
called Oleum Wiltnebianum, after a merchant E. H. Wittneben of Wolfenbiittel, who lived several years 
in Batavia, and had recommended the oil as a valuable remedial agent in German writings. In France 
and in England oil of Cajeput was not used until the beginning of the nineteenth century. 
The first detailed account of the simple method of distillation of Cajeput oil used on the Moluccas 
was given by the French traveller Labillardiere, who visited the island of Buru in 1792. The use of copper 
stills and condensers gave rise to a green colour due to a small amount of copper in the oil. When perfectly 
pure the oil is colourless. The cause of the colouration was first detected by the apothecaries Hellwig in 
Stralsund, in 1786, Westrumb in Hameln, in 1788, and TrommsdorfF m Erfurt, in 1795. 
Preparation, Production, and Trade. —Oil of Cajeput is obtained in a primitive manner by the 
natives of some of the Molucca Islands. According to Reinwardt the oil was prepared formerly only on 
Buru. In 1821 there were only three distilling apparatus on this island; in 1855 there were fifty. 
Recently the distillation is also carried on in Ceram. Martin, who in 1891-92 visited Ceram and Buru, 
described the method of preparation, illustrated in the accompanying figure,* as follows :— 
Above a crudely-mortared fireplace stands a barrel (a) 1 meter in height, which serves as a 
distilling vessel; into this are pressed the leaves of the Melaleuca, and the container is half filled with 
water. A metallic helm (6), which is obtained from Ambon or Java, is mounted on top, and its elongated 
tube passed through a second somewhat larger barrel (c), serving as a condenser. Water is conducted into 
the latter from the top by means of a bamboo tube ( d) from some small channel on the side of a hill. The 
volatile oil of the plant passes over with the water vapour arid separates again after condensation. Water 
and oil flow into a vessel made of a cocoanut shell, which in turn is connected by means of a short tube 
with a bottle. Usually one sees a four-cornered brandy-flask, as they are frequently seen in India, used 
for this purpose. This flask is provided at the bottom with a small opening, and stands in a small trough (e) 
filled with water, so that it is likewise filled with water at the beginning. The distillation product 
gradually replaces the water in the flask, and the water which has passed over with the oil likewise flows 
through the opening into the trough, until finally the entire flask is filled with oil, and can be removed by 
putting a finger on the opening while under water. The yield of oil as obtained with such an arrangement 
amounts to about 1 \ litres per day. As is well known, the light bluish-green liquid is valued in Europe 
as a stimulant; in Buru it is used as a domestic remedy for all imaginable ills. 
The oil is filled into empty wine and beer bottles. Twenty-five bottles are packed at a time into a 
box made of the steins Of thfe leaves of the sago palmf (Metroxylon) ; the exhausted Cajeput leaves serve as 
packing material. Macassar, in Celebes, is the principal commercial centre for oil of Cajeput. 
Properties. —Crude oil of Cajeput is a green to bluish-green liquid, due to the presence of copper, 
while the rectified oil is colourless or yellowish. It has the pleasant camplior-like odour of cineol, and an 
ai'oinatic—somewhat burning—later cooling taste. Sp. gr. 0 920 — 0 930; 11 1) = — 0° 10' to — 2\ The 
oil dissolves in one part of 80 per cent, alcohol, but often gives clear solutions even with 3-5 parts of 70 
per cent, alcohol. 
* Not reproduced. 
f An illustration of such a case is to be found in Tschirch’s Indische Jfe.il-und Xnlspjlaiiaen, plate 75 and p. 127. 
