# Ho Leaf?



## KiwiMoose (Oct 5, 2019)

Anyone used this?  Is it an earthy smell or is it camphorous?  I don't like those eucalyptus type smells,


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## IrishLass (Oct 5, 2019)

I haven't smelled it, but I suppose the smell would depend on the type of Ho leaf. According to my Essential Oil Safety book by Tisserand/Young, there are 3 different types of Ho leaf:

1) Ho leaf (camphor CT), called Hon-sho in Chinese (true camphor tree), its main constituent being  camphor: 42% to 84.1% camphor. This plant is the main source of natural camphor.

Maximum dermal  use level: 

EU: .03%
IFRA: .06%
Tisserand/Young: .8%


2) Ho leaf (cineole CT), called Yu-sho in Chinese (camphor oil tree), its main constituent being 1,8-cineole: 50% 1,8-cineole in the Chinese type, and 56.7% to 63.7% 1,8-cineole in the Madagascar-type (also known as ravintsara oil, not to be confused with ravensara oil)

Maximum dermal use level:

EU: .2%
IFRA: .4%
Tisserand/Young: 11% 


3) Ho leaf (linalool CT), called Ho-sho in Chinese (fragrant camphor tree), its main constituent being linalool: 66.7% to 90.6%. Sometimes also curiously referred to as Ho wood oil.

Maximum dermal level use:

EO: .05%
IFRA: .1%
Tisserand/Young: No limit


I'm only guessing, but from the main constituents, I would assume that #1 probably smells camphorous; #2 like eucalyptus; and #3 like citrus/linalool.

Hopefully more will chime in.


IrishLass


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## KiwiMoose (Oct 5, 2019)

Thank you Irish!  This one's botanical name is Cinnamomum camphora and it is described as: Pleasant aromatic, clean, green, floral.
*Main Constituents* Linalool, cineole, sabinene, a-terpineol, camphor, b-caryophyllene
Sounds like it could be number two or three?  Although the research I've done says that Ho Wood is different again.


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## IrishLass (Oct 5, 2019)

Looking at my book, again....... Hmmm....each of the 3 different Ho leaves lists their botanical name as being "Cinnamomum camphora L.", but they each have some differing constituents the others don't have, and of those that they do share, the amounts are different 

I will write out the complete list of key constituents of each:

#1 (Hon-sho):

Camphor: 42 to 84.1 % 
Linalool .5 to 15%
Safrole: .1 to 5%
Bicyclogermacrene: 0 to 5%
a-Caryophyllene: .1 to 4%
B-Caryophyllene: .2 to 3.4%
Spathulenol: 0 to 2.6%
(+)-Limonene: 0 to 2.1%
a-Terpineol: 1.3 to 2%
1,8 Cineole: 1 to 1.7%
a-Pinene: .1 to 1.7%
B-Myrcene: .1 to 1.5%
Camphene: 0 to 1.5%
Terpinen-4-ol: 0 to 1.2%
Borneol: .8 to 1.1%
B-Pinene: 0 to 1%
Methyleugenol: 0 to .5%

#2 (Yu-Sho)

Chinese variant of #2:

1.8 Cineole: 50%
a-Terpineol: 14.3%
B-Pinene: 6.9%
Bornyl acetate: 3.1%
Linalool: 2%
B-Bisabolene: 1.7%
a-Pinene: 1.6%
p-Cymene: 1.1%
Safrole: .2%
Methyleugenol: .1%

Madagascan variant of #2:

1,8 Cineole: 56.7 to 63.7%
Sabinene: 11.4 to 14%
a-Terpineol: 6.9 to 8.3%
a-Pinene: 3.7 to 4.6%
B-Pinene: 2.7 to 3.3%
Terpenen-4-ol: 1.6 to 2.4%
p-Cymene: .9 to 1.8%
a-Caryophyllene: .4 to 1.7%
B-Caryophyllene: .1 to 1.3%
B-Myrcene: .6 to 1.2%

#3 (Ho-sho)

Linalool: 66 to 90.6%
1,8 Cineole: .2 to 13.3%
Nerolidol: .5 to 3.2%
Sabinene: .1 to 3.2%
(E)-Linalool oxide: 0 to 2.8%
B-Caryophyllene: 0 to 2%
a-Pinene: .1 to 1.1%
o-Elemene: 1.1%
Safrole: .01 to .9%
Methyleugenol: .1 to .4%


IrishLass


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## KiwiMoose (Oct 5, 2019)

Well that's got me stumped!


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## IrishLass (Oct 6, 2019)

Me, too!


IrishLass


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## KiwiMoose (Oct 6, 2019)

I think you've scared everyone off, too!  
No-one else is chipping in.


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## shunt2011 (Oct 7, 2019)

Maybe because ya'll are talking about HO's.......nobody wants to jump in.     JK...


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## KiwiMoose (Oct 7, 2019)

shunt2011 said:


> Maybe because ya'll are talking about HO's.......nobody wants to jump in.     JK...


Haha, I wasn’t gonna go there...


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## MGM (Oct 7, 2019)

Just never heard of it....I like my Ho Wood EO, but sounds like the leaves are much more complicated.....


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## Dawni (Oct 7, 2019)

KiwiMoose said:


> Haha, I wasn’t gonna go there...


I wasn't either... But after what @shunt2011 said, and @MGM mentioning HO wood.... Well, let's just say my morning has been good lol


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## KiwiMoose (Oct 24, 2019)

SO I've used some of my Ho Leaf essential oil as part of a blend.  OOB it smelled like a woodsy/earthy floral - slightly camphorous but not unbearably so.  I think it will be a good base note.  Apparently it is used a lot now as a replacement for rosewood which is expensive and non-sustainable?


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## Clare7 (Feb 10, 2020)

Hi from the U.K.; think this is my first post so hello I’ve used it three times; third time just yesterday mixed with some left over white bouquet fragrance oil. About 11g each in a batch 1300g oils so just under 1% ho leaf. For me it’s always been naughty and sure it makes batter heat up. It even cooked my bastile soap and alien brained it (it made great clothes washing soap!) It smells like a slightly spicy wood with a strange creaminess at the end but not sweet like vanilla. Almost a sicky creaminess I’m not a fan of. It’s very pungent smelling. I’m going to keep experimenting while I still have it hanging around and kill the weird creamy note with some citrus to drown it in top note or mask it with vanilla fo to work with the creamy end with something akin but more appealing as I’m not quitting on it just yet! I personally don’t like it on its own but I’m determined to work with it more. My soap yesterday behaved pretty well soaping slightly cool at about 95F and with a 30% lye concentration. I used 22g coconut cream and managed to gel due to the heating quality of the eo and sugar in the coconut and it gelled without cooking the coconut cream due to small quantity (which was added after trace with the fragrance/eo) forcing loads of glycerin rivers which was the plan. It’s so nice when something planned actually works as it certainly doesn’t all the time I guess it was third time lucky working with it’s properties rather than against it! I would advise getting a tester first as personally I think it has a tricky profile. I only haven’t fathomed it out yet as I bought it with about £200 of other eos to play with and there’s been better ones to just work with in the mean time (I’m only 1 year into my soaping so enjoying the learning process) but I did buy a lot of random oils because I didn’t know what they were!!


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