Eucalyptus is a diverse genus of flowering trees and shrubs.
Healing Properties
Antimicrobial
Natural Preservative
Essential oil derived from Eucalyptus cinerea leaves is a potent bactericide against Leuconostoc mesenteroides MS1, a heterofermentative lactic acid bacterium that causes spoilage of vacuum-packed Vienna sausages by producing gas and causing packaging to swell.[1]
- The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) of Eucalyptus cinerea essential oil against Leuconostoc mesenteroides MS1 fall in the ranges of 0.64–1.87 mg/mL and 0.76–2.41 mg/mL, respectively.[1:1]
- Leuconostoc mesenteroides MS1 showed high sensitivity to Eucalyptus cinerea essential oil, which maintained viable cell counts at the initial inoculation level (10³ CFU g⁻¹) throughout 42 days of refrigerated storage when 0.50 mL was applied to sterile sausage samples (approximately 50 times the MIC value in the food matrix).[1:2]
- Eucalyptus cinerea essential oil represents a natural alternative to conventional chemical preservatives for controlling spoilage bacteria in vacuum-packed meat products.[1:3]
- Eucalyptus essential oil has demonstrated antibacterial, fungicidal, antiseptic, and pest control properties.[1:4]
Disease / Symptom Treatment
Parasites
Toxoplasmosis
Toxoplasmosis is a disease caused by the protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii).
Eucalyptus may be a useful candidate for treating Toxoplasma infection.[2]
- The increased weight of liver and spleen, due to infection, was reduced by treatments.[2:1]
- Eucalyptus possess anti-T. gondii activities in vitro and in vivo, in addition, Eucalyptus shows antioxidant activity.[2:2]
Title: Evaluation of essential oils from Aloysia polystachya, Citrus limon, Eucalyptus cinerea, and Laurus nobilis, and ®-(−)-carvone as natural preservatives in Vienna sausages
Publication: Flavour and Fragrance Journal
Date: 2025
Study Type: Human Study: In Vitro
Author(s): M. A. Serra, A. del L. Quiberoni, A. E. Andreatta
Institutions: Universidad Tecnológica Nacional, Facultad Regional San Francisco, San Francisco, Córdoba, Argentina; Instituto de Lactología Industrial, Universidad Nacional del Litoral — CONICET, Santa Fe, Argentina ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎Title: Effects of Aloe vera and Eucalyptus methanolic extracts on experimental toxoplasmosis in vitro and in vivo
Publication: Experimental Parasitology
Date: September 2018
Study Type: Animal Study: In Vitro - In Vivo
Author(s): Bahareh Mirzaalizadeh, Mehdi Sharif, Ahmad Daryani, Mohammad Ali Ebrahimzadeh, Mehryar Zargari, Shahabeddin Sarvi, Saeed Mehrzadi, Mohammad Taghi Rahimi Zahra Mirabediny, Monireh Golpour, Mahbobeh Montazeri
Institution(s): Toxoplasmosis Research Center, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran; Department of Parasitology, School of Medicine, Sari Branch, Islamic AZAD University, Sari, Iran; Razi Drug Research Center, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; School of Medicine, Shahroud University of Medical Sciences, Shahroud, Iran
Copy: archive, archive-mirror ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎