Дерево Будди

The tree

Eremophila mitchellii is a large shrub or small tree of the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae, and is endemic to Australia. It sometimes grows to a height of 10 m, although more regularly 2 to 6 m. The leaves are aromatic when crushed. It is widespread and common in New South Wales and Queensland, where it is a serious pest of grazing land. Its cultivation is prohibited in Western Australia. After clearing, the plant quickly regrows from roots left in the ground, and it spreads rapidly from seeds. The tree grows west of the Great Dividing Range and north of Hillston in New South Wales, and in eastern Queensland, in a range of soils and in most types of woodland.

The oil

The wood oil is made up predominantly of eremophilanes, a rare class of biologically active, bicyclic sesquiterpenoids. Four main compounds make up more than 70% of the whole oil: eremophilone, 8-hydroxy-1(10)-dihydroeremophilone, 9-hydroxy-7(11),9-eremophiladien-8-one and 9-hydroxy-1,7(11),9-eremophilatrien-8-one. Eight components, characterized after fractionation by preparative HPLC, account for more than 80% of the wood oil. The root oil also contains eremophilanes, together with the zizaene sesquiterpene sesquithuriferone. The major constituents of the leaf oil are (+) spathulenol, alpha-pinene, globulol and viridiflorene.

Properties and uses

The oil is also an effective termiticide that has been marketed as Termilone. The steam-distilled wood oil showed toxicity, repellency and antifeedant activity against two termite species, Nasutitermes exitiosus and Coptotermes acinaciformis. Eremophilone and 8-hydroxy-1(10)-dihydroeremophilone were found to be the key actives responsible for the oil's observed activity. The oil has also been used as a mild analgesic. It is active against some pathogenic microorganisms, including Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella typhimurium and Candida albicans, when undiluted, and against Salmonella at a concentration of 1%. All of the essential oils and the eremophilanes exhibited cytotoxicity against P388D1 mouse lymphoblast cells in vitro.

The timber is suited to woodturning, although it is very hard. Its oil content allows it to be polished to a high gloss.