Narrow-leaved Peppermint (Eucalyptus radiata)

Long before it was bottled as an essential oil, the narrow, peppermint-scented leaves of Eucalyptus radiata were gathered by Aboriginal peoples of southeastern Australia, who crushed and inhaled them, or brewed the leaves into a vapor, to ease coughs, colds, and aching heads. Early European settlers took quickly to the tree once they arrived in Australia, hanging bundles of its leaves in sickrooms and steeping them for the fragrant steam. Because its aroma is softer and sweeter than the more medicinal-smelling Eucalyptus globulus, radiata became the gentler, more approachable eucalyptus of the family, prized for the same clearing, opening quality but without the sharp bite. Today it remains one of the most trusted eucalyptus species in aromatherapy and natural respiratory care, still reached for at the first sign of a stuffy nose.