
Family: Cupressaceae
Extraction: Distilled from the wood. Resinoid, absolute. It has a soft, woodsy scent.
Medicinal Action: Antiseptic cedar treats respiratory and urinary infections.
Cosmetic/Skin Use: Cedarwood is an astringent for oily and congested skin conditions, acne and dandruff. It relieves dermatitis, insect bites and itching.
Emotional Attribute: Cedar increases emotional
fortitude, self-respect and integrity, and stabilizes emotions by "grounding"
an individual. It enhances meditative relaxation, intuitive work, and relieves
stress, tension, aggression and emotional dependency.
Considerations: All cedars are best avoided during
pregnancy.
Associated Oils:
Moroccan Cedar (C. Libani) --This is the legendary
fragrant "cedar of Lebanon" once prized by Meso-potamians and other ancient
cultures. The Phoenicians became rich controlling the forests and building
ships for the
Egyptians.
After more than a thousand years of overharvesting, there are no longer
enough trees to distill.
Atlas Cedar (C. atlantica) --This cedar oil comes from the Atlas Mountains in North Africa. With its pinelike scent closely resembling Moroccan cedarwood, it is considered the best cedar on the market.
Tibetan
Cedarwood
(C. deodara) --Also called "Himalayan cedarwood," Tibetan cedarwood has
a warm, almost spicy fragrance and is the least toxic of all cedar oils.
It is popular in India, where it grows wild.
Thuja (Thuja occidentalis) --Known as "cedar leaf"
or "arbor vitae," this oil is distilled from leaves, twigs and bark. It
contains the skin irritant thujene, which eliminates warts. It also contains
thujone, a neurotoxic ketone, so it shouldn't be used by anyone prone to
seizures. Thuja treats pelvic congestion, enlarged prostate, condyloma
virus and urinary infections, but is potentially very toxic, so use with
supervision or in tincture form. See also
Juniper.
cedar of Lebanon noun
plural cedars of Lebanon
A large, long-lived cedar (Cedrus libani), native
to Lebanon and Turkey and having spreading horizontal branches at maturity.