“Do you know anything about Australian White Cypress?” was the question that came through by fax. “You have referred to Blue Cypress (Callitris intratropica) but I understand this one also has anti-inflammatory properties - it includes guaiazulene too - but is less expensive than Blue Chamomile, with similar properties. Any information would be gratefully appreciated.”

Hold on! To which White Cypress is she referring? White Cypress differentiated

To my knowledge there are two species of Callitris, which are commonly referred to as White Cypress [Pine]: Callitris columellaris F. Muell., which is synonymous with C. glauca R.Br. ex Mirb., and Callitris glaucophylla J. Thompson & L. Johnson. Still, let us have a look at both; at least I have been let off researching Black Cypress (Callitris endlicheri (Parl.) Bailey), a known anthelmintic for horses.

C. columellaris, also known as Bribie Island pine, is a medium to large tree, which occurs on the coastal dunes of eastern Australia between Frazer Island in Queensland and the northern rivers area of New South Wales. There has been much confusion in the past over species identity and Dr. Eric Lassak, when he wrote his Australian Medicinal Plants in the early 1980s, treated the species as three geographic races, which might well be regarded as distinct species, but the correct name for the most common (the inland ‘white pine’) had not been finally determined.

This confusion was clarified in a taxanomic study in 1986 [J. Thompson and L.A.S. Johnson, Callitris glaucophylla: Australia’s White Cypress Pine - A new name for an old species. Telopea, 2(6), 731-736]. Lassak considered that C. columellaris had no medicinal use as such, except that the resinous exudate often found on the stumps or on cut logs (‘Australian sandarac’) was used by the pharmaceutical industry for the coating of pills. It was also used to fill decayed teeth.

Nonetheless I thought that the question was probably referring to C. glaucophylla, as this stately tree, which occurs on rocky ridges and sandy plains throughout inland Australia south of the Tropic of Capricorn, had been used by outback Aborigines as a versatile medicine for colds, sores and other ills. Leaves were smoked over a fire, soaked to make a wash, or mixed with fat to make ointment.

Today, in certain outback communities, the leaves and branches are still burnt in a small pit or thrown onto the fire. The patient stands or crouches in the smoke for some time, and then sleeps. The volatile oil released by the heat and the diaphoresis produced during the therapy has a beneficial effect on the patient.

Wood or Leaf Oil?

However my analytical references on the leaf oil did not stack up with the enquirer’s comments: the major components are listed as alpha-pinene (48%), myrcene (13%) and limonene (24%), with minor amounts of camphene (2.0%), fenchyl acetate (7.8%) and isobornyl acetate (3.9%), and traces of beta-pinene, gamma-terpinene, alpha-terpinolene, etc. There is no mention of azulene, or similar. Then it occurred that she might be referring to oil from the wood, rather than from the leaf.

Callitris wood is a valuable flooring material. Another feature of the wood is its resistance to termite attack. The termite resistance is believed to be due to the gamma-lactones in solvent extracted wood oils. The gamma-lactones are potentially useful as insecticides and also as anti-tumour agents and insect antifeedants. A team from the University of Queensland determined to find out more [Doimo, L. et al. Comparison in the g-lactone content of Oils and Extracts from White Cypress Pine. J. Ess. Oil Res., 11, 415-422, 1999]. Sawdust of C. glaucophylla, predominantly from the heartwood, was either steam-distilled or subjected to solvent extraction.

Extraction

The steam distillation samples sometimes formed two phases: white crystalline solid and brown oil.

These two phases were analysed as separate samples (SOLID) and (OIL) respectively. The solid was rich in guaiol, selinenes and eudesmols while the oil was richer in (-)-citronellic acid, methyl geranate and gamma-lactones. Also found were three compounds previously mentioned only from Blue Cypress. All the distilled oils contained only low levels (<10%) of gamma-lactones. The solvent-extracted samples contained guaiol (20-24%) and eudesmols (16-20%). Most importantly, these oils were all richer in gamma-lactones (45-52%). The distributions of the various g-lactones were: columellarin (16-21%) >dihydrocolumellarin (8-10%) >callitrisin (5.2-6.4%) and >callitrin (4.3-5.6%), amongst others.

Digging Deeper

I contacted Australia: Yes we are distilling the wood oil, no the lazulene is not produced from the solid, it has come from an unusual set of circumstances that occurred during test distillation of some cypress sawdust that was from a different source of glaucophylla dust. I have earmarked it as being a lazulene variety..... Our oil is steam distilled and not solvent extracted and therefore does not have the high levels of g-lactones but more volatiles, e.g., neric acid, methyl geranate and citronellic acid..... The oil tends to be more of a rustic rose fragrance.

I have analysed both the lazulene variety and the glaucophylla. Yes, there are differences but, overall, they are quite similar. However both contain the sesquiterpene alcohols guaiol and bulnesol as major components. Of course, in Guaiac Wood (Bulnesia sarmienti Lorentz ex. Griseb.) it has a pleasant, soft and mellow rose-like odour, resembling that of tea roses, and to a slight degree that of violets..... Guaiazulene obtained from guaiac wood by dehydration of guaiol has been demonstrated to have anti-inflammatory activity..... It is suggested that it might be useful for the treatment of arthritis, gout, rheumatoid arthritis and simple water retention. Much the same, I believe, can be said of Glaucophylla.

Has anyone else, I wonder, spotted this similarity?

Out of the Blue

Why is it that everyone who returns from an Aromatherapy Conference always brings me a write-up on Callitris intratropica Baker & Smith, probably better known as Australian Blue Cypress Oil? As it is now a few years since I first came across it, it is perhaps about time that I took a closer look at this ancient, southern conifer.

Occurring in open forest and woodlands on rocky ranges or sandy soils, Northern cypress pine grows along the Victoria River and in the Darwin and Gulf Regions. I know it quite well. The Aboriginals boil up in water a handful of freshly collected, red, sticky, inner bark and apply the liquid over the whole body to relieve the abdominal pain of diarrhoea. The wash is also used to heal cuts and sores (Barunga, Galwin’ku and Maningrida Aboriginal Communities). When carefully removed in sections from the tree, the bark retains its cylindrical shape and is tied around fractured limbs. One book (Scarlett, N., White, N., and Reid, J. 1982, ‘Bush medicines - the pharmacopoeia of the Yolngu of Arnhem Land’, in Body, Land and Spirit, ed. J. Reid, University of Queensland Press, p.172) reports that a bark infusion has been used internally for abdominal pain or discomfort. Sometimes the bark is burnt on a fire as a mosquito repellent. So much for the traditional use of the bark, what of the oil? Early empirical evidence suggests that it might be of use for the treatment of warts and viral infections. It also appears to have anti-inflammatory properties.

When the wood of the tree is distilled, the result is an essential oil of deep blue colour with a subtle woody fragrance. Some have suggested that it is similar to Sandalwood (Santalum album L.), Amyris (Amyris balsamifera L.), Guaiacwood (Bulnesia sarmientoi Lorentz ex Griseb.) Be this the case, it should have wide application in perfumery. Chosen by Jurlique as The Scent of the 2000 Olympic Games, it contains eudesmols, selinene, guaiol, and guaiazulene which gives it its beautiful colour. I am told that it blends particularly well with citrus oils, lavender, and floral oils.

You can contact Charles Wells at:
Essentially Oils Limited
8-10 Mount Farm, Junction Road
Churchill, Chipping Norton
Oxfordshire OX7 6NP
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Tel: +44 (0) 1608 659544
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