Recipe
Steam inhalation with eucalyptus leaves
- Herb:
- Blue gum Eucalyptus globulus
- Method:
- Inhalation
- Plant part:
- Leaf
About 15 minBeginnerRecipe science profile
Procedure
- Crush a handful of dried eucalyptus leaves (about 10 g) in your palms and put them in a wide bowl.
- Pour over 1 l of boiling water and let it stand a minute so the steam does not scald.
- Lean over the bowl, cover your head with a towel and breathe slowly through nose and mouth for 5–10 minutes, eyes closed.
- Stay warm for 20 minutes afterwards. Once or twice a day while the cold lasts.
Extraction
- Herb:
- hrst sušených listů (asi 10 g) na 1 l vody
- Solvent:
- vroucí voda, pára; inhalace 5–10 minut
- Shelf life:
- jednorázově
- Target compounds:
- 1,8-cineol a další monoterpeny přecházejí s parou do vdechovaného vzduchu
Notes
The EMA monograph allows eucalyptus oil for inhalation from age 4 and leaf internally from 12; in infants and small children cineole can trigger laryngospasm, and cineole products are not applied to their faces. Mind scalding — keep the pot steady, eyes closed. With asthma, better not.
Why it works
Steam carries 1,8-cineole off the leaves, which acts on the airway lining; in its leaf assessment the HMPC refers to cineole studies in airway disease but recognises the leaf itself only traditionally. A home inhalation has no dosing — it is relief, not treatment.
Literature
- EMA HMPC — Eucalypti folium, European Union herbal monograph — Tradiční použití listu při kašli spojeném s nachlazením, od 12 let.
- EMA HMPC — Eucalypti aetheroleum, European Union herbal monograph — Silice: inhalace a zevní použití od 4 let, vnitřně od 12 let.
Related
Blue gum — Herb card
Inhalation — Processing method detail