ABSTRACT
Cajuput (also spelt ‘cajaput’ or ‘cajeput’) oil, or minyak kayu putih as it is called in Indonesia and Malaysia (minyak is Malay/Indonesian for oil), is obtained from the leaves of Melaleuca cajuputi (Plates 4, 18, 19) and some closely related species by steam distillation. Cajuput is most likely a corruption of the Indonesian name for the tree, kayu putih (kayu/ wood and putih/ white). The cajuput oil industry has its origins in the natural stands of Melaleuca cajuputi subsp. cajuputi in the Maluku archipelago of Indonesia, probably in the first part of the eighteenth century. It has been a popular household medication in countries such as India, Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam for many generations. The Australian Aborigines used preparations from the leaves of this species in the treatment of aches and pains and inhaled the aromatic vapours from crushed leaves to reduce nasal and bronchial congestion (Aboriginal Communities of the N.T. 1993). It was one of the first products imported to Europe from South East Asia by the Dutch, an activity described in several early eighteenth century publications (Gildemeister and Hoffman 1961 cited in Lowry 1973), because of its reputation as a panacea in the treatment of all kinds of diseases.
