Osyris Tenuifolia Oil

#### Osyris Tenuifolia. The essential oil from the wood of a medium-sized East African tree, **Osyris Tenuifolia**, is little known as such, but it occasionally appears as an adulterant in East Indian Sandalwood oil. The tree grows wild over large areas of East Africa, Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya, Tanganyika, etc. and numerous varieties are found in other areas such as Madagascar, Mozambique, etc. Distillation is performed by steam on the chipped wood of the trees; there is no regular production of this oil, but occasional lots are distilled in Kenya. Production was long since abandoned in Madagascar at the moments of the author's visits in 1955/56*. *It is conceivable, however, that the oil is produced whenever there is a demand, and this is why the oil has been briefly described here. **Osyris**** ****Tenuifolia**** ****Oil**** **is an orange-yellow or dark yellow to brownish colored, viscous liquid of very faint, but pleasant-woody, somewhat sweet odor, not unlike that of araucaria oil. Very crude and dark oils, or freshly distilled oils, may smell dry, tar-like, reminiscent of the odor of Kenya cedarwood oil. It is even possible that the latter oil is used as an adulterant for osyris tenuifolia oil. Oil of osyris tenuifolia could find use as an excellent fixative in many types of perfume, but it probably does not offer any distinct advantage over **Amyris Oil**, **Araucaria Oil **or similar, regularly available oils. The future of the "**East**** ****African**** ****Sandalwood**** ****Oil**" (older name for osyris tenuifolia) is, therefore, very doubtful. It should be noted that a "true" sandalwood oil is now produced in East Africa on a small scale (from **Santalum Album**). See also **Muhuhu Oil,**** ****Pterocarpus Oil, Santalum Citrinum, **etc.