Originally from Australia, eucalyptus can be found along the coastlines, resisting the salty air and slowing the wind's violence. In the inland it grows in actual woods. Eucalyptus was once planted in regions plagued by malaria. It was thought that eucalyptol, the essence contained in the leaves, could reduce the number of mosquitoes and so help fight the sickness. Nowadays eucalyptol is extracted from the leaves and used to cure respiratory diseases.