Benefits of Cedarwood Essential Oil

As you may have guessed from the name, cedarwood essential oil typically comes from cedar trees throughout North America. However, the uses for it haven’t been limited to just North America because cultures around the world have used this product for a variety of benefits. The Egyptians used cedarwood essential oil for perfume and beauty purposes, the Native Americans used it to cure respiratory problems, and Greeks used the oil because they thought it would make them immortal.

And while the benefits of cedarwood may not go quite as far as the Greeks wanted, there are a variety of healing properties and other perks to using this oil. But before we get into all of this, let’s take a quick look at the basics.
cedarwood tree

The Basics

Cedarwood oil is extracted from the wood of its namesake tree through steam distillation. And there is normally plenty of wood to extract the oil from since many cedar wood trees grow over 100 feet high and 4-5 feet in diameter. As mentioned before, most cedar woods are found in North America, but these trees are also found in other areas such as the Middle East and Asia.

As far as properties of cedarwood oil go, the appearance is yellow-to-dark brown, and the smell gives off a woodsy aroma. The appearance of cedarwood is very important because some people mistake it for cedar leaf oil, which is colorless-to-pale yellow, and has much different uses including bug repellant and painting.

This top note essential oil is fast-acting, and combines well with the following oils: bergamot, benzoin, chamomile, cypress, frankincense, geranium, jasmine, juniper, lavender, patchouli, rose, neroli, rosemary and ylang ylang.

Benefits It Offers

Cosmetic

While cedarwood oil certainly has a lot of excellent purposes, one of the most enticing is its number of cosmetic uses. Many people like to add a little cedarwood to their skin creams in order to stave off oily skin, psoriasis, acne and dermatitis. You can also relieve itchy skin by combining this oil with an anti-itch solution.

Dieting

Although cedarwood doesn’t get mentioned with Slim Fast or Jenny Craig in regards to dieting products, this oil is actually very beneficial to those who are trying to lose weight and be healthier. The primary reason why it is so good as a dietary aid is because it promotes frequent urination, which helps flush out excess fat and toxins from the body.

Respiratory aid

The Native Americans realized cedarwood essential oil’s benefit as a respiratory aid long ago because it reduces congestion brought on by colds and flues. All it takes is a few drops into some boiling water or a vaporizer for cedarwood to start working on phlegm and mucus trapped in the lungs.

Relaxation

Aside from having respiratory benefits when inhaled, cedarwood also does an excellent job at relaxing people. It’s for this reason why those suffering from insomnia, and people who frequently meditate, love to use it. Not surprisingly, the effects of cedarwood also extend to reducing anxiety and nervousness in people.

Mouth care

While many essential oils work as a mouthwash, cedarwood oil takes things a step further by also acting to promote overall mouth care. This product keeps teeth firmly entrenched in the gums, and works to reduce pain associated with toothaches.

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