Buchu Leaf Oil

#### Buchu Leaf Oil. This essential oil is steam distilled from the dried leaves of **Barosma Betulina**, a herb which grows wild and abundantly in South Africa. Tinctures, oleoresins and other extracts are produced for pharmaceutical purposes. Only a small fraction of the total amount of harvested buchu leaves are used for distillation of essential oil. Distillation takes place almost exclusively in Holland, England and the United States of America, rarely in the growing areas. **Buchu Leaf Oil **is a yellow to brownish-yellow liquid, oily or somewhat viscous, depending upon the age of the oil and the dryness of the plant material prior to distillation. The odor is very peculiar: strong, bitter-sweet, minty-camphoraceous, rootlike, penetrating and somewhat medicinal, reminiscent of cough preparations. One of the main constituents of the oil is **Diosphenol**, a terpenoid phenol. It is responsible for the antiseptic effect of **Buchu Leaf Oil**. A significant percentage of menthone in the oil is probably the cause of the minty odor and somewhat cool flavor of the oil. Buchu leaf oil is occasionally used in chypre bases, certain types of colognes, etc. for its power, diffusion, and freshness. In flavors, it may find some application for gooseberry and other "tart" fruit essences. On account of its very penetrating odor-flavor, this oil will always be limited to being a "low-percentage-item" in the formula. It serves no purpose to mention a use-level since the flavor of this oil changes significantly on dilution. Although quantities of up to 1000 kilos of **Buchu Leaf Oil **have been available at times, its production fluctuates and is presently decreasing. Interest in the essential oil is failing, and only limited quantities of leaves are available since the plant is not cultivated on any significant scale. **Buchu Leaf Oil **ranks among the more expensive essential oils. During 1959, its price was about 2 to 4 times that of geranium oil.