VietNamNet Bridge – Tourists can catch sight of shops selling cajuput oil along the way through Loc Tien and Loc Thuy Communes in Phu Loc District, Thua Thien-Hue Province. Stopping by some shops, they can visit kilns and learn how people process the oil from cajuput leaves.

A man is seen processing cajeput oil in a barrel

According to local elders, the job of processing cajuput oil has been passed down from generation to generation for hundreds of years and despite the diminishing material supply, local people there still keep the oil-making tradition.

“In the early 1980s, there were nearly 100 households in Loc Thuy Commune earning a living by making cajuput oil. On January 6 there are few cajeput trees left, resulting in many people quitting the job,” said Nguyen Thi Tam, 56, who has many years’ experience in cajuput oil processing.

Nguyen Van Trung, the 45-year-old owner of a cajuput oil kiln in Phu Cuong Village, Loc Thuy Commune, said it takes him three hours to process a barrel of 150 kilograms of cajeput leaves and water to turn out 1-1.5 liters of oil, which brings a profit of around VND100,000 (US$4.4).

Cajuput leaves and water are steamed in a barrel sealed by clay. The steam rises and flows through a tube into a cooling system where it is condensed into liquid and then runs into a tank, which is put in a bowl of cold water for cooling oil and preventing evaporation, according to a woman identified as Tam.

Currently, cajeput oil costs VND300,000 per 100 milliliters on the market, she said.

Cajeput oil is good for relieving cough, sore throat, burn, ache and pain. It can be used for sensitive skin and babies. To create an aroma for the oil, makers add chives which leave the fragrance on the skin for 5-6 hours.

A woman prepares cajuput leaves for making cajeput oil – Photos: My Nu

Though there are a variety of medicated oils on the market, consumers in the central region still prefer cajuput oil.

This oil made by hundreds of households in Thua Thien-Hue Province has also found its way to Laos and Thailand.

Tran Van Huu, chairman of Loc Thuy Commune, said the Ministry of Science and Technology issued a certificate of origin for Thua Thien-Hue cajuput oil in 2011.

SGT