Muhuhu Essential Oil, African Sandalwood, Wild, Kenya

Name        Muhuhu Essential Oil, African Sandalwood, Wild, Kenya

Category  Essential Oils

Species    Brachyleana hutchinsii

Part           Wood

Method     Steam Distillation

Class        Sesquiterpene

Country     Kenya

Code         BraHut9

Muhuhu Essential Oil, African Sandalwood, Wild, Kenya

Muhuhu Essential Oil, African Sandalwood, Wild, Kenya, (Brachyleana hutchinsii), part used Wood, method steam distillation, origin Kenya, sold in weight 1 ounce to 33.06 pounds.

Muhuhu Essential Oil, African Sandalwood, Wild, Kenya is native to Tanzania and Kenya along the East African coast and into mountain regions.  The hard wood is used for flooring.  The off cut leftover material and sawdust is milled and steam distilled to produce the essential oil.  While few definitive studies have been documented Muhuhu oil probably shares the therapeutic properties of other sesquiterpenes.  Essential Oils in this class are reputed to be antifungal, analgesic, antiseptic, antiinflammatory, antispasmodic, antibacterial, cicatrizing, cooling, grounding, hypotensive, sedative and warming.  Since other sesquiterpenes derived from wood are cedarwood and sandalwood it is likely Muhuhu aromatherapy will evolve in that direction.  In blending Muhuhu adds a woody smokiness not unlike Indonesian Vetiver, albeit a much finer aroma.  It will also prove itself by vintage.  Like other oils known for woody notes Muhuhu improves with age.  Academically the oil has been scrutinized since 1955.  Chemists Y.R. Naves, P. Ardizio and H. Van den Dool paved the way for further studies by C.J. Brooks, M. Campbell and E. Klein and W. Schmidt.  Studies identified a rare sesquiterpene, ± - amorphene and brachyl oxide as two of the main constituents.  According to gas chromatography (GC), Copaenal (CHO), ylangenal, cadalene, cubenol and copaenol (CH2OH) together comprise 25 percent of the oil.  The essential oil of Alseuosmia Macrophylla is one of a few oils containing ± - amorphene as well as Cuban Eugenia Banderensis leaf.  This rare component is found in small percentages in oils from Fiji, New Zealand, Israel, Cameroon, Greece and Madagascar.  Occasionally trace amounts even appear in Peppermint.  Brachyl oxide however is practically undetected apart from Muhuhu oil.  Cedrela Odorata AKA Spanish Cedar is the one exception but even then it is less than one percent.  Copaenal is another rare constituent, although it is detected in the wood of Scots Pine, particularly in Scandinavia as confirmed in a 1967 study by Lars Westfelt.  Copaenol was not quite as difficult to find but is also rare.  Analyses of essential oils of Santolina show small peaks of this constituent.  Somali Frankincense, Indonesian Clove Leaf and Angelica Root have also shown trace amounts.