A content analysis of 1,440 articles containing references to Eucalyptus from the Pharmaceutical Journal, British Medical Journal and The Lancet (1800-1970) was undertaken. This gave an overview of both numerical and textual data regarding the development of this plant-based therapeutic into conventional medicine, especially regarding: publication trends (peak output 1877-1913), its indicative uses, formulations, administration approaches, safety and species used. From this, a narrative was formed.
Key findings included its widespread use as an antiseptic essential oil, an action similar to current ‘folk’ use but differing to the official recommended uses by the European Medicines Agency. Adverse events comprised mild transient skin irritation from external use. 12 accidental poisonings were reported from drinking the essential oil (with 3 death outcomes). In addition, the journals reported a wider range of species used compared to the three officially listed today. The species officially settled on (E.globulus) was influenced by agro-economic factors rather than being the most medicinal. This research is showing there may be benefit in revisiting the Eucalyptus genus (containing >700 species) in the search for novel antimicrobials in light of the growing problem of antibiotic resistance
