Botanical, phytochemical, and anticancer properties of the Eucalyptus species

Quan V. Vuong, Anita C. Chalmers, Deep Jyoti Bhuyan, Michael C. Bowyer, Christopher J. Scarlett

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

57 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The genus Eucalyptus (Myrtaceae) is mainly native to Australia; however, some species are now distributed globally. Eucalyptus has been used in indigenous Australian medicines for the treatment of a range of aliments including colds, flu, fever, muscular aches, sores, internal pains, and inflammation. Eucalyptus oils containing volatile compounds have been widely used in the pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries for a multitude of purposes. In addition, Eucalyptus extracts containing nonvolatile compounds are also an important source of key bioactive compounds, and several studies have linked Eucalyptus extracts with anticancer properties. With the increasing research interest in Eucalyptus and its health properties, this review briefly outlines the botanical features of Eucalyptus, discusses its traditional use as medicine, and comprehensively reviews its phytochemical and anticancer properties and, finally, proposes trends for future studies.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)907-924
Number of pages18
JournalChemistry and Biodiversity
Volume12
Issue number6
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2015

Keywords

  • Australia
  • Eucalyptus
  • alternative medicine
  • eucalyptus oil

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