NIAOULI

Description

A small evergreen tree of the Myrtaceae family with bark cracked into thin sheets. The leaves are alternate, shortly petiolate, lanceolate or elliptic and aromatic. The flowers are cream, yellow, greenish yellow and rarely red and form spikes at the ends of the branches.

Part used

Leaves.

Active principles

Essential oil: cineol (50-65%), terpineol, pinene, limonene, citrene, terebinthene, valeric ester, acetic ester and butyric ester.

Pharmacological action

• Antiseptic.
• Antimicrobial.
• Balsamic and decongestant of the respiratory tract.
• Expectorant.
• Analgesic and antirheumatic.

Indications

• Respiratory infections: colds, flu, bronchitis, pharyngitis, rhinitis.
• Otitis, sinusitis.
• Cystitis.
• Topical use: joint and muscle pain, neuralgia, headache, acne, boils, insect bites, minor burns, cold sores.

Contraindications

• Allergy to other plants of the myrtaceae family.
• Preparations with essential oil of niaouli should not be applied directly on the face (especially near the nose) of young children (newborns and children under 6 years).
• The essential oil by internal route is contraindicated in case of hepatic insufficiency, biliary tract affections, gastritis, peptic ulcer or inflammations of the intestine.

Precautions

The essential oil may cause irritation of the skin and mucous membranes.

Drug interactions

They have not been described.

Side effects

The essential oil, administered orally, may cause nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. In particularly sensitive persons it may trigger allergic reactions (bronchospasm).

Bibliography

-.Monografía de la SEFIT (Sociedad Española de Fitoterapia).

-.Brophy Joseph J.; Craven Lyndley A.; Doran John C. (2013). Melaleucas: their botany, essential oils and uses. Canberra: Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research. p. 327. ISBN 9781922137517.

-.Thais Rossini de Oliveira, Anderson Laerte Teixeira, Janaina Priscila Barbosa et al. Melaleuca spp essential oil and its medical applicability. A brief review. Brazilian Journal of Natural Sciences. March 2020. Vol 3, nº 1page 249-258. ISSN 2595-0584