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Thuja plicata steam distilled from the leafy young twigs in Oregon, USA.
Aroma: Western Red Cedar Leaf Oil has a sweet aroma, spicy and complex evergreen, very similar to that of Thuja occidentalis Eastern White Cedar Leaf aka Arborvitae.
Western Red Cedar Leaf Oil's raw materials are harvested sustainably in the wild, from stands of trees located in the pristine Coastal Range of the Cascade Mountains. The Western Red Cedar tree is one of only two trees in the genus Thuja found in the Northern Hemisphere. The other tree is Northern aka Eastern White Cedar Thuja occidentalis found in the northeast region of North America.
The name thuja (or thuya in French) is a Latinized form of a Greek word meaning to fumigate, or thuo to sacrifice. Theophrastus described how trees of the genus were grown in ancient times in Cyrene near the temple of Jupiter-Ammon, and parts were burned in religious ceremonies to venerate the gods. The bark was often used to sculpt religious objects and statues. Another name for the tree is arbor-vitae, tree of life.
The First Nations use thuja, making the leaves and bark (NOT THE ESSENTIAL OIL!!!) into a poultice for rheumatic joints and, because of the sudorific properties, decoctions to drink for virus infections.
Common Uses: The oil can be used in room deodorizers, cleaners and insect sprays. Hunters will find this oil useful in covering their scent. Western Red Cedar Leaf Oil can be used in soaps, candles and diffusers. This oil is not intended for use on the skin unless it is used in a a "wash off" product. The properties of thuja oil are antirheumatic and antiseptic.
The principal constituents: a-pinene, borneol, bornyl acetate, d-thujone, fenchone and fenone.
Dangers: Thuja essential oil should not be used in self-treatment, but only with the direction of a Certified Aromatherapist as thujone is a dangerous constituent whether used in large or small dosages. It should never be taken internally, and if precautions are not taken, even external application can be very toxic.
Photo thanks to Di Walter Siegmund (talk) - Opera propria, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4179073