Following distillation, the spent material, which can amount to 10 tons a day, is composted and used as a mulch. It is redistributed to organic vineyards and has also been used to control mealy bugs by working the compost back into the soil. It has also been used as a binding agent in mud bricks, which are now a popular building material in New Zealand. It leaves a slight yellow stain on the perfume blotter and dries quickly when rubbed between the fingers. As we learned in Lesson Five, the 1,8-cineole when taken internally is a stimulating expectorant and when applied topically it is a mild anesthetic and antiseptic.
Limonene also has an expectorant and antiviral action.
Pinene, also found in cypress and pine oils, and cymene, found in thyme oil, have a powerful antiseptic action. L. scoparium has a range of therapeutic actions and medicinal uses similar to Melaleuca. Researchers at the enthopharmacology laboratory at the University in Porto Alegre, Brazil, have shown that linalool has effective sedative effects and is rapidly absorbed through the skin and nasal mucosa. Research has shown it does have a more powerful antiseptic and antifungal action when compared to Melaleuca. Research carried out in both Britain and New Zealand by the Cawthron Institute and Waikato University has shown a broad spectrum antibiotic action.