Western Herbalism
Eastern red cedar
Juniperus virginiana
Also known as Red cedar, Pencil cedar, Virginia juniper, Aromatic cedar.
Eastern red cedar is a hardy North American conifer of the cypress family, common across the eastern and central United States, valued in traditional practice for the aromatic oil distilled from its wood and scale-like leaves. Physiomedicalist writers classed it alongside common juniper and savin as a warming, stimulating oil useful to the urinary and reproductive organs, though noted as milder and less irritating than savin. Today the tree is better known commercially for its fragrant wood and essential oil (cedarwood oil) than for internal medicinal use, and its historic reproductive indications are approached with much greater caution.
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Indications what the tradition reached for it in
- Chronic cystitis with scanty, cloudy urine
- Sluggish urinary output with mild edema
- Delayed or scanty menses (traditional use)
- Chronic bronchitis with copious mucus
- Rheumatic and arthritic pain (topical)
- Ringworm and other superficial fungal skin conditions
- Warts (topical oil)
- General debility with cold, damp constitution (physiomedical framing)
Specific indications
Pale, scanty urine with a sense of pelvic heaviness in a person of relaxed, cold tissue tone, per the physiomedical picture
Chronic, low-grade urinary irritation that has not responded to gentler diuretics
Safety
Low dose botanical. Used in drop doses in the classical practice; not a plant to dose freely.
Pregnancy: Not for use in pregnancy
Breastfeeding: Not for use while breastfeeding
The record lists 7 contraindications; open the plate in the library to read them in full.
In practice
In the physiomedical framework, red cedar oil was reached for when a relaxant, atonic urinary picture called for a warming stimulant, distinguished from common juniper by being gentler and from savin by being far less irritating to mucous membranes.
Dosing as the sources wrote it
| Preparation | As written | Metric |
|---|---|---|
| Diluted essential oil, topical | 1-3% in a carrier oil, applied to affected skin or joints | |
| Tincture of leaf (1:5, 45%), traditional internal use | 0.5-1 mL once daily, short term only, under practitioner supervision | 0.5-1 mL |
Doses are reproduced from the sources for practitioners and are not a recommendation for any person.
From the sources
Overview. Eastern red cedar is a hardy North American conifer of the cypress family, common across the eastern and central United States, valued in traditional practice for the aromatic oil distilled from its wood and scale-like leaves. Physiomedicalist writers classed it alongside common juniper and savin as a warming, stimulating oil useful to the urinary and reproductive organs, though noted as milder and less irritating than savin. Today the tree is better known commercially for its fragrant wood and essential oil (cedarwood oil) than for internal medicinal use, and its historic reproductive indications are approached with much greater caution.
Clinical Notes. In the physiomedical framework, red cedar oil was reached for when a relaxant, atonic urinary picture called for a warming stimulant, distinguished from common juniper by being gentler and from savin by being far less irritating to mucous membranes.
Properties and Uses. The oil is a stimulant and relaxant; and though usually compared to the oil of savin, is in no way so irritating. Its principal use is in external applications, such as liniments for sprains, bruises, rheumatism, painful joints and synovial swellings, etc.
Description. Natural Order, Coniferae. This is one of the most stately of the juniper family, growing in all parts of our country, but especially thriving in mild latitudes, where it reaches a height of forty feet and more.
Drawn from Cook's Physio-Medical Dispensatory, and the Bountiful Herbs editorial.
Often paired with
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ElateriumEcballium elaterium
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