Lemon Myrtle (Backhousia citriodora)

[Guest guest]

Hi y'all,

 

Gonna tell you a bit about an oil most folks know little about .. but

them that's tried it are hooked .. its Lemon Myrtle. My ex-distiller,

Australian named Dennis Archer, produced the finest Lemon Myrtle and

other Certified Organic and Organic Australian oils around for years ..

but he sold his farm just lately so I'm sorta holding back for a while.

He did own Toona Oils in Oz. Dennis and his wife opened the first

commercial Lemon Myrtle Plantation in 1991.

 

Lemon Myrtle and the Hydrosol of Lemon Myrtle are best sellers. And it

makes great Lemon Pies.

 

As I've often said, don't get hung up on Common Names .. Lemon Myrtle is

in no way related to Myrtle (Myrtus communis) .. same as Horseflies are

not related to horses or flies.

 

Below is a short history and other data on Lemon Myrtle (Backhousia

citriodora).

 

Y'all keep smiling, Butch http://www.AV-AT.com

 

Lemon Myrtle is used in perfumery, soaping, aromatherapy and in cooking.

It's a potent antibacterial, antiseptic, antifungal and germicidal oil

and its far more powerful than Tea Tree. It's used to prevent coughs,

colds and sinus problems when diffused. Due to the high citral content,

it is a skin sensitizer so it should be diluted to 2% or so .. and when

diffused it still retains a fresh lemony odor.

 

It's also much higher in citral than lemon is. Backhousia citriodora is

the purest natural source of citral in the world. Bc contains over 90%

citral, compared to lemongrass of up to 80%, and Litsea cubeba (May

Chang) of between 60-80%. (This figures are approximate, taken from a

number of sources.)

 

Published data using the Rideal-Walker test, where the germicidal

activity of essential oils is compared to that of phenol, gives a

measure of 16 to Bc, and 11 to Australian Tea Tree (Melaleuca

alternifolia).

 

It is also a most effective flavouring additive - if you like lemon in

cold concotions, a drop or two will be sufficient, and is used in

perfumery - back in 1920, a paper suggested using Bc oil to produce

ionone (violets). The leaf is used extensively in the `bush tucker'

(Australian native products) trade as flavouring.

 

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http://www.cooloola.org.au/toona-oils/index.html#backcit

 

Backhousia citriodora was first described by the German firm Schimmel

& Co in 1888 from a specimen found in the rainforests near Imbil in

South Eastern Queensland.

 

The renowned German Australian botanist Baron Sir Ferdinand von Mueller

(1825-96) named the tree in honour of James Backhouse (1794-1869) an

English botanist and Quaker missionary. From the early l900's, the

native stands of Backhousia citriodora around Eumundi, Qld, Australia

were harvested and the leaves were steam distilled for the oil to be

used in a local perfume factory.

 

At that time, a German firm was greatly interested in distilling the oil

and exporting it to Germany, but the arrangements were halted due to

the outbreak of World War 1.

 

In the 1920's the oil was exported to those perfume manufacturers and

essential oil firms on the Continent who were intrigued by the superior

quality of citral obtained from Backhousia citriodora. There was a

present and future market for this oil provided a regular supply could

be guaranteed by commercial plantations .. which were not existent.

 

During the Second World War, due to a shortage of lemon essence, the oil

was used for flavouring in soft drinks.

 

In the 1950's, local distillation from Australian bush stands was

undertaken in the Maryborough area, and the Queensland Forestry Service

planted small colonies for scientific research.

 

In November 1991, the first commercial plantation of Backhousia

citriodora was established on the Toona property at Goomboorian in

Queensland.

 

AROMATHERAPY

 

Oil of Backhousia citriodora F.v.Muell (Lemon scented Myrtle)

 

This oil is steam distilled from the foliage of the Australian rain

forest tree, Backhousia citriodora. The tree is endemic to the area

Brisbane to Mackay in the coastal rainforests of the mid north east of

Australia.

 

Oil of Backhousia citriodora contains over 90% citral, an aliphatic

aldehyde, and is virtually terpene free. By comparison, lemon oil

contains 2-4% citral. As determined by Penfold and Grant, using the

Rideal-Walker test, the essential oil of Backhousia citriodora, with a

co-efficient of 16, is germicidally more powerful than Australian Tea

Tree oil which has a co-efficient of 11.

 

Aromatherapy Useage.

 

The most recent commercial production of this oil commenced in 1993 of

this distinctive lemon scented essential oil. Very little scientific

research has been undertaken into this oil, but anecdotal evidence is

mounting that it can be used in similar situations as other lemon oils.

Care should be exercised as this oil has the purest natural form of

citral in the world, and will irritate the skin if used undiluted.

 

Users of the oil have reported relief from sinus problems and the

stuffiness associated with colds and flu. The simplest method is the

regular useage of two or three drops in an oil burner, and allowing the

released scent to permeate the room or house. This has the reported

additional side-effects of `cleansing' the house, and inducing a sense

of calm and well-being.

 

Low dilutions of the essential oil in a massage cream, lotion or oil

have aided in the relief of chest congestion, and assisted in the

relaxation of the client.

 

The essential oil has been used in the manufacture of hand and body

creams for day and night use.

 

Handling & Safety.

 

The pure oil should not be used, nor come into contact with, plastic

bottles, containers or utensils.

 

The pure oil should be stored in tightly sealed dark glass or stainless

steel containers, in a cool, dry area. Refrigeration is recommended in

hotter climes.

 

DO NOT USE undiluted pure Bc oil directly onto the skin.

 

DO NOT TAKE undiluted pure Bc oil orally.

 

Oil of Backhousia citriodora from Dennis Archer's " Toona Essential Oils "

was produced from trees grown on his organically certified plantation

(Biological Farmers of Australia Organic Certificate 4232IC) at

Goomboorian. Toona used stainless steel components to ensure purity

during distillation. His steam processing facility was Certified Organic

(BFA Certificate P438). Research is ongoing and though Dennis Archer is

out of the business now, I think the fellow who purchased his farm will

continue to produce .. we'll see.

 

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Antimicrobial Activity of Backhousia citriodora oil. (EXTRACTED)

 

Tracey Ryan, Jenny Wilkinson & Heather Urwin

School of Biomedical Sciences,

Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga .

 

Summary

 

Backhousia citriodora oil was tested for both antimicrobial and

disinfectant properties. The oil was found to prevent the growth of all

organisms tested at high concentrations (1:100) with the bacterium

Clostridium and fungus Candida albicans inhibited at lower

concentrations (1:1000). B. citridora was found to be particularly

effective against the fungus Aspergillus, with growth prevented or

inhibited at all concentrations higher than 1:10,000. This oil also

showed disinfectant activity, causing significant slowing of growth of

all micro-organisms. The results of the Ames test indicated that this

oil does not cause mutagenic changes in bacteria and hence is unlikely

to be carcinogenic in humans.

 

Future studies are designed to test other biological properties of B.

citriodora oil including investigation actions against other fungi and

bacteria, antiviral, antiparasitic and cell toxicity assays.

 

INTRODUCTION

 

Plant products have a long and extensive history in the prevention and

treatment of illness and disease and essential oils are now widely used

in the aromatherapy, natural health, cosmetic and food industries.

Australia has a wealth of plants which have been used by aboriginals and

early settlers for their medicinal properties, among the more well known

examples are Tea Tree and Eucalyptus oil. Apart from these, and a few

other examples, the biological properties of many Australian native

essential oils are largely unknown.

 

As part of an ongoing investigation into the biological properties of

natural products an investigation into the properties of Backhousia

citridora F. v. Muell (Lemon scented myrtle) essential oil was

commenced. This report presents the results of the first phase of that

work - determination of the antimicrobial and antifungal properties.

 

In order to thoroughly assess the antimicrobial activity of the oil we

investigated the ability of the oil to inhibit microbial growth, both

in agar and in nutrient broth, and the ability of the test substance to

reduce or inhibit growth of microorganisms on inanimate objects. The

former is termed antimicrobial activity and the later disinfectant

activity. A variety of micro-organisms which differ in cell structure,

biochemical properties and growth conditions were used (Table 1). An

Ames test for carcinogenicity was also included in this series of tests.

 

Table 1. Range of micro-organisms tested

 

Micro-organisms Microbial properties Growth Conditions Staphylococcus

aureus gram positive and non-sporing 370C - aerobic Escherichia coli

gram negative, non-sporing, lactose fermenter, enteric 370C - aerobic

Salmonella typhimurium gram negative, non-sporing, lactose

non-fermenter, enteric370C - aerobic Mycobacterium phlei acid fast 370C

- aerobic Clostridium gram positive, spore forming 370C - anaerobic

Candida albicans yeast 370C - aerobic Aspergillus * hyphate fungi

250C -

aerobic *Aspergillus was used for the antimicrobial assay, but not in

the disinfectant assay.

 

Antimicrobial assay

 

Assay

 

For each organism a series of plates were prepared with an B. citriodora

oil /agar mix under sterile conditions and allowed to set. The final

dilution range for the oil was 10-2 to 10-6 (ie 1 part oil in 100 parts

agar to 1 part oil in 1,000,000 parts agar). A loop of each

microorganism was then streaked onto a plate at each concentration. The

plates were then incubated at appropriate growth conditions (Table 1)

and microbial growth determined after 24 and 48 hours. Microbial growth

in the plates with B. citriodora oil were then compared to control

plates grown at the same conditions. A positive control containing

sterile water in agar (produces normal growth of all micro-organisms)

and two negative controls containing antibiotics known to act against

the micro-organsims being tested.

 

This test was also repeated using microbes grown in nutrient broth. In

this case microbial growth was assessed spectrophotometrically to give a

numerical value for the percent growth inhibition or enhancement.

 

All tests were performed in a minimum of two independent assays.

 

Results

 

The results for the above assays are shown in Table 2. Antimicrobial

activity was demonstrated against all organisms at 1:100 dilution.

Growth of Aspergillus and Clostridium was completely inhibited while the

other microbes showed very minimal growth. Growth of all the bacteria

was normal at dilutions greater than 1:1000, however growth of

Aspergillus was prevented up to dilutions of 1:1000 with growth at

1:10,000 approximately have that on the control plate.

 

(Figure 1 .. deleted)

 

However even considering the variability in the results (due to poor oil

dispersal) these results confirm those found with the agar plate assay.

Growth of all organisms was inhibited at high concentrations of B.

citriodora oil, with Clostridium, C. albicans and E. coli growth

possible inhibited at dilutions up to 1:256. This corresponds with the

data from the plate assay. (EXTRACTED)

[Guest guest]

G'day Butch.

 

Thanks for the kind words. Couple of things on Bc - an updated paper

`Bioactivity of Backhousia citriodora: Antibacterial and antifungal

activity' was published in Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry,

51 (1):76-81. January 2003.

 

The link http://www.cooloola.org.au/toona-oils/index.html#backcit

doesn't work - we closed that website last year. If I get my act

together, there'll be another one up some time in the future.

 

Regards,

Dennis

Toona Essential Oils Pty Ltd. ACN 41 010 204 216

Ph/fax +61+2+6230 3711 Mobile 0427 865 216

43 Camp Street, Sutton, NSW, 2620, Australia