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Essential oils are compounds that get extracted from the plants and made into things that are helpful for humans. The oils that are extracted from these plants capture the scent and flavor of the plant or in other words, they capture the essence of the plants and their properties.
Every plant could have an unique aromatic compound and these compounds give each essential oil its characteristic essence. These oils are extracted from the plants through distillation, which is done either via steam or water or with mechanical methods like cold pressing the plants.
After the aromatic chemicals get extracted, they get combined with a carrier oil to create a ready-to-use oil. The extraction process of these oils is very essential and the oils extracted through chemical processes are not truly essential oils. Essential oils can help you with a lot of health issues like stress, migraines, insomnia, inflammation, etc.
These oils also have a lot of antimicrobial and antibiotic properties and that is why people use them so much. There are over 90 commonly used essential oils and one of those is the cypress essential oil, which is the topic of our discussion in this article. Cypress oil might not be one of the most common essential oils but it has a lot of uses.
Cypress essential oil is an essential oil made from the twigs, stems, and leaves of the cypress tree. The majority of the cypress oil available in the market would probably be made from the Cupressus sempervirens, which is the Mediterranean cypress. Most of the studies done on this essential oil focus on this particular type of cypress tree.
In this article, I am going to be telling you all there is to know about Cypress essential oil. I will tell you about all the benefits that this oil has, I will also tell you how you can use this oil and all the health risks that this oil can pose to you, which are not that many. So let us get started.
What Is The Cypress Essential Oil?
As I already told you, cypress essential oil is obtained from the twigs, stems, and other parts of the cypress tree. It is obtained through the process of steam distillation and only the young cypress trees are used for this process.
Cypress is a needle bearing tree of coniferous and deciduous regions and as I told you, the most common cypress is the Cupressus sempervirens or the Mediterranean cypress. You can find a lot of cypress trees in North America’s southern coastlines where these plants or trees can get swampy and wet soil along with plenty of sunlight.
These trees could also be found in the eastern portion of the U.S. from the Florida coastline to Delaware. The cypress essential oils are extracted from cypress as it contains a lot of components like alpha pinene, beta pinene, alpha-terpinene, bornyl acetate, carene, camphene, cedrol, cadinene, sabinene, myrcene, terpinolene, linalool, etc.
All these weird names might be giving you a headache, so to simplify things, just know that all those components contribute to the medical properties that the cypress essential oils have and just enhance the effectiveness of the oil as a whole.
As you already know, cypress oil has a number of health benefits ranging from being able to help you with your cough problems to being able to help you with stress and anxiety. All of these things are possible because of the components that it has and the antibacterial, antimicrobial, and antifungal properties of the oil.
When all these things are combined together, you get an essential oil that is able to cure as many numbers of things as any other essential oil. Now that you know what the essential oil extracted from the cypress tree is, let us move on to discussing all the health benefits that this oil provides you and all the things you can use it to cure.
Benefits Of Cypress Essential Oil
As I have already mentioned twice now, the essential oil extracted from the cypress tree has a lot of antimicrobial and antibacterial properties. These properties enable this essential oil to be used for a lot of things.
The cypress tree is a tree that is often linked to death and you can find it around cemeteries mostly. But even with all that, the properties that its oil has, say that it is a tree that would not allow you to come closer to death, that is to say, it heals a number of ailments and illnesses. Let us find out what all the benefits of cypress essential oil are.
1. Cough And Breathing
There are a lot of essential oils that are known to treat cough and cypress oil is no different from that. As I listed above, cypress oil contains a compound called the camphene. Camphene is a molecule that can be found in herbal cough suppressants and that is why it is believed that cypress oil can cure cough as well.
Cypress oils are known to tone up the respiratory system and increase the efficiency of the lungs as well. It can eliminate the phlegm present in the respiratory tracts and lungs and it also clears up the congestion and makes breathing easier.
Cypress oil might not be known to cure cough directly but it could be inhaled by using it in a diffuser. You can add a few drops of this oil to a carrier oil to dilute it and then add it to a warm bath and inhale it deeply or you can also try out any other way that you prefer. Just remember to dilute this oil with a carrier oil.
2. Body odor
If you have ever used cypress oil, you will know that it has a great aroma. The cypress oil sometimes even gets added to some natural deodorants because it is known to be an active eliminator of unpleasant body odor. The cypress essential oil has a kind of spicy and masculine fragrance to it.
It would be a great option if you do not want to keep using the synthetic deodorants that are available in the market. Cypress oil would be a great natural alternative to that. Just make sure that you do not apply it directly to your underarms but rather first apply it on your inner forearm and see if it has any negative effects on your skin.
3. Sweat Promoter
You might think that something that promotes sweating and makes your body odor pleasant at the same time? Can’t be true, can it? Well, it is true. The cypress essential oils are considered to be a very powerful sudorific substance.
A sudorific substance is something that makes you feel lighter and fitter as well as helps you in removing the toxins in your skin along with excess salt and water from your body. This helps in cleaning the skin pores on your body along with the opening of the sweat and sebum glands on the skin which helps in preventing acne and other skin diseases. Let’s see how else it treats acne.
4. Pimples And Acne
Pimples and acne are something that is caused mostly by the presence of bacteria on your skin, if they are left untreated, the acne can become worse over time. The cypress essential oils are recommended for treating acne because it has antimicrobial properties and it cleans the pores in the skin.
If you apply cypress essential oil to your skin, it will reduce the severity of acne on your skin by reducing and killing the bacteria present. Remember to not use it in its concentrated form but rather dilute it with a carrier oil first. It should never be used in its concentrated form and especially not if your skin is sensitive.
5. Wounds And Infections
I might get tired of repeating it but the cypress essential oil has a number of antimicrobial and antibacterial properties and these properties help in killing any unwanted microbes. That is the reason why this oil would be a great wound cleanser and disinfectant. Just be sure to dilute it with carrier oils before you go about applying it to the wound or your skin.
Cypress oil is a very common ingredient in antiseptic lotions and creams. The reason that it has antiseptic properties is the presence of the compound camphene in it. Hah! You thought those ridiculous sounding names weren’t important, didn’t you? Now you know that everything on here is important.
6. Tightens Skin As Well As Muscles
Cypress oil is an oil that can help in strengthening your gums and tightening the muscles throughout your body. It is known to cure certain gum related issues as well. The main function of the oil associated with astringency is a contraction. The cypress essential oil works in making your gums, skin as well as your muscles and hair follicles contract.
Contracting all these things helps in preventing the teeth and hair from falling out as they hold the teeth and hair more effectively. You can also apply cypress oil on your skin as it is also known to tighten the muscles and skin that is loose. Again, just remember that you dilute it and make sure you do not consume the oil in its concentrated form or otherwise.
7. Hemorrhoids
Hemorrhoids are swollen veins that are present around the rectum and the anus. These issues can be treated with some types of essential oils. One of those oils is the cypress essential oil. Cypress helps with Hemorrhoids by helping soothe the area and kill the bacteria that is present.
8. Warts
Warts are something that can be caused because of the human papillomavirus (HPV). Cypress oil is a good treatment option for this because of its antibacterial properties. You already know that cypress is great for the skin.
Cypress essential oil also contains a number of antiviral properties that make it suitable to help with warts and controls them. Cypress oils are effective against the herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) or oral herpes, which is a virus known for causing warts and cold sores. If you do not know what is causing warts then you should talk to your doctor instead of trying to treat it on your own.
9. Treats Spasms
Cypress essential oil can also treat spasms and other problems related to it. Spasms in the respiratory systems and intestines can be treated by using this oil as well. Cypress oil also helps in treating convulsions, muscle pulls, cramps, spasmodic cholera, all of which can be dangerous.
10. Increases Urination
Cypress essential oil is known to stimulate urination. It can make you urinate more often and in more quantity as well. You might think that this is a weird thing to use essential oil for but it is beneficial because there is 4% fat in your urine and the more you urinate, the more fat would exit your body.
This can help you lose more fat. Urine works in removing the excess water and toxins from your body. It can reduce your blood pressure and clean your kidney as well. Medicines that are made for lowering blood pressure follow this aspect of urination.
11. Varicose Veins
Varicose veins are caused by poor circulation, weak veins as well as the pooling of blood. It is recommended to massage the affected area so that it soothes the pain and swelling associated with the varicose veins. Aromatherapy can be done using cypress essential oil. Cypress is not used to treating varicose veins but it can be helpful.
12. Cellulite
A number of essential oils reduce the appearances of cellulite in the body and cypress essential oil is included amongst them. There is no scientific evidence to attest to this but a few studies show that cypress can help with cellulite.
13. Muscle pain
Like I mentioned before, cypress can help with skin as well as muscle issues. It can help you with muscle soreness and a number of other things. Cypress can be used to do massage therapy to relieve pain in the back and the neck. Cypress is often called antispasmodic, which means that it can reduce pain and cramps in the muscles. You only need to dilute it before use.
14. Regulates Blood Flow
Cypress oil is considered to be a hemostatic as well as a styptic agent. These properties are similar in their meaning but they differ a bit. Hemostatic agents can stop blood flow and promote clotting of blood whereas styptic means it has astringent properties along with preventing the excessive loss of blood through contraction of the blood vessels.
If you are bleeding a lot, a hemostatic agent can help you stop the excessive bleeding whereas a styptic agent can promote the contraction of the gums, hair follicles, muscles, skin, blood vessels, etc., and stimulate the blood flow through the blood vessels.
15. Anxiety And Stress
Cypress essential oil can be used to do aromatherapy massage and it can have a lot of significant psychological as well as physical benefits. It can reduce anxiety and depression in people. You will find the aroma of this oil to be soothing and relaxing. It can also make you calm down if you are feeling angry or stressed.
There are a number of other things that this cypress oil can help with and they are:
- Liver health
- Preventing excess bleeding
- Asthma
- Bronchitis
- Diarrhea
Now that you know the benefits of using cypress oil let’s talk about all the risks that this oil can pose and how you can use it.
Risks Of Using Cypress Essential Oil And How To Properly Use It
Essential oils are mostly considered safe but they can sometimes cause some issues but only when they are not used properly. There are several ways to use cypress oil and they are:
- Use it by mixing it with a carrier oil like jojoba or coconut oil and apply it to your skin after it is diluted.
- You can also add a few drops of this oil into your bath water but make sure to dilute it first.
- You can also use it in a diffuser as I mentioned above.
- You can buy products that contain cypress essential oil and use it that way. There are a lot of soaps, deodorants, etc. that use this oil.
- If you make your soaps and deodorants at home, this would be a good ingredient to add to it.
It is important that you dilute the essential oil first because they are very concentrated and potent and a lot of people can be sensitive to them. So just mix them up with a carrier oil and you will be safe. There are a lot of carrier oils you can use and they are:
- Coconut oil
- Jojoba oil
- Olive oil
- Sunflower oil
- Avocado oil
- Argan oil
- Sweet almond oil
- Evening primrose oil
- Rosehip oil
- Grapeseed oil
You should also just make sure that you are not sensitive to cypress essential oil by doing a patch test first for which you can just take a bit of this essential oil and apply it on your skin to see if anything bad happens.
If you experience a burning or stinging sensation on the area you applied it to, or even if you feel rashes and redness, then this is not an oil that you should be using.
Risks That Cypress Essential Oil Poses
Cypress oil, like all other essential oils, has a lot of uses but there are ways in which it can be misused as well. Essential oils are never to be ingested by you and that includes the cypress oil. If you accidentally consume the cypress oil when you are applying it to your gums or something, you should immediately call for medical help.
There are a lot of allergic reactions that you can get if you use cypress essential oils and these symptoms can include rashes and redness on your skin or a bit of pain or even burn on the area you applied the oil on. Some people might also experience swelling, itching, or even hives.
If you find out that cypress oil is not something that suits you, then you should immediately stop using it and stay as far away from it as possible. If you have accidentally consumed it or if you think you are having severe allergic reactions after applying it to your skin then you should go to the doctor immediately.
Essential oils are something that is not approved by the FDA, so when you are out to buy essential oil for your usage, make sure you buy only from the best manufacturers who have a good reputation.
If you buy the cypress essential oil from a brand that is not well known, there are chances that the quality of the oil would be compromised with and you absolutely do not want that. You should also make sure not to use these essential oils on babies and small children. Using them on pets to solve their health issues is not recommended either.
All the information included in this article applies only to humans. You should not be using this essential oil in public places either, diffusing it in public places could prove to be a disaster for people allergic to it. Even if you are going to be using this essential oil, make sure you get a recommendation for it from your doctor first and only then use it.
Closure | Cypress Essential Oil
Cypress essential oil has a lot of uses. It can treat your muscle pain and solve a number of skin issues along with helping you with coughs, bad body odor, respiratory issues, losing weight, healing wounds, cellulite, asthma, pimples, acne, etc.
Just make sure that the cypress essential oil is not something that you have some allergic reactions to. Never use this oil on kids or pets or even during pregnancy. Cypress oil can help you with a number of things but if you misuse it or consume it, it could prove to be a huge mistake for you. Just carry out the proper caution and you would be all good.
Till then, check out more such essential supplements.
