Chinese Eucalyptus Oil

#### Eucalyptus, Chinese. Before World War II, large quantities of fractions from **White Camphor Oil **(see monographs on **Camphor**** ****Oils)**** **were exported all over the world under the name of Japanese eucalyptus oil. A significant amount of this oil came from Formosa. After World War II, the distilleries in Formosa seem to have discontinued the production of "eucalyptus oil" from the cineole fraction of **Camphor Oil, **White produced on that island. However, the world market has seen substantial quantities of so-called "**Chinese Eucalyptus**** ****Oil**" during the late 1950's*.** *As a matter of fact, this eucalyptus oil (which is available at an all-time low cost) has made production of true eucalyptus oil uneconomical in a number of other countries, including the Belgian Congo and Spain. The latter country still has the advantage of being geographically close to the European consumers, and Red China does not sell its oil all over the world. In China proper, the **Yu-Sho**** **("Oil Camphor Tree") is the predominant "camphor tree", and this variety yields an oil that is rich in **Cineole **(about 50% in the de-camphorized Yu-Sho oil). The cineole is isolated from the cineole-terpineol fraction; certain terpenes are added, etc., and the oil is brought "up to specifications" on physicochemical properties to be presented as a pharmaceutical eucalyptus oil. In view of the number of camphor trees in China (an astronomical figure which reminds us of the expression "—all the tea in China" or of the number of inhabitants in Red China), it is conceivable that the so-called "Chinese eucalyptus oil" will continue to show up on the market in the future. At present, it is not possible to give exact data or information on this "artificial" oil.