Health Benefits of Cypress Essential Oil

Cypress essential oil contains substances such as alpha-pinene, cedrol, limonene, myrcene, beta-pinene, sabinene, and camphene, all of which are responsible for its vast array of medicinal properties: sedative, nootropic, analgesic, antispasmodic, antibacterial, antiviral, tonic (respiratory), mucolytic, sudorific, decongestant (lymphatic and prostatic), diuretic, anti-inflammatory, astringent, hemostatic, emmenagogue, deodorant.

Medicinal uses

• Insomnia
• Fatigue, emotional weakness, depression, anxiety
• Alzheimer’s disease (A patent was published in 2012 for “an aromatic composition which enhances memory and prevents and treats Alzheimer’s disease [and containing] 0.01-100 wt% of cypress essential oil as an active ingredient.”)
• Oxidative stress (A comparative study on the antioxidant activity of  Pinus brutia and Cupressus sempervirens, published in Revue Soc. Sci. Nat. de Tunisie in 2012, showed that “the essential oils of the studied species revealed high levels of antioxidant capacities based on both tests, DPPH and FRAP. Cupressus sempervirens shows the highest antioxidant activity.”)
• Back pain, joint pain, sprains
• Muscle spasms, strains
• Bacterial, viral and fungal infections (including tuberculosis and hepatitis) (A study published in Natural Product Communications in 2011 concluded that “the oil, screened for antimicrobial activity against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative, showed pronounced activity against all the microbes tested, except Pseudomonas, which showed resistance.” Also, the results of a study on the antimicrobial activity of several Cupressus species – Cupressus glauca, Cupressus funebris, Cupressus lawsonia, Cupressus macrocarpa and Cupressus sempervirens – published in Ancient Science of Life in 2005 revealed that “all the species possess significant antibacterial and antifungal activities.” A study published in Journal of Arid Land Studies in 2012 confirmed these findings, concluding that “composition of the Tunisian cypress [Cupressus sempervirens] essential oil showed remarkable antioxidant and antimicrobial activities.”)
• Cough, asthma, emphysema, bronchitis, pleurisy
• Varicose veins, hemorrhoids
• Raynaud’s disease
• Diabetes (A study published in Pharmaceutical Biology in 2013 showed that cypress essential oil “possesses antioxidant and, in particular, antiglycation properties. These activities may find implication in the prevention of diabetic and cardiovascular complications.”)
• Oedema
• Carpal tunnel syndrome
• Bursitis, arthritis (A study published in Ancient Science of Life in 2005 showed that cypress essential oil has “a significant anti-inflammatory activity”, similar to that of Diclofenac sodium.)
• Dysmenorrhea, menorrhagia
• Prostatitis
• Diarrhea
• Acne, cellulitis, greasy skin (A patent was published in 2005 for an “invention [that] relates to a method for reducing or minimizing the appearance of striae distensae lesions by topically applying a composition comprising sweet almond oil, wheat germ oil, olive oil, castor oil, and cypress essential oil.”)
• Greasy hair
• Wounds, cuts, scrapes

Precautions

Never use any essential oil directly on the skin. Dilute it with sunflower, olive, sesame or sweet almond oil (1 drop of essential oil per 1 teaspoon of carrier oil).

For bath, dilute 8-10 drops of essential oil in a cup of epsom salt or milk.

For internal use, dilute 1 drop of essential oil in 1 teaspoon of honey.