Northern White Cedar
Parts Usually Used
Leaves, inner bark, leaf oil and seeds.
Description of Plant(s) and Culture
Although a slow grower, Thuja is a well-known ornamental American evergreen; it can reach 70-80 feet, retaining its dense, pyramidal form. Some say the northern white cedar is of the cypress family, some references say it is of the pine family. This hardy evergreen has dense, scale-like foliage, waxy to the touch, and fragrant. Leaves in flattened sprays; small, appressed overlapping.
Cones bell-shaped, with loose scales.
Where Found
S. and Canada, this tree does best in moist, sandy loam. In a dry situation, it will suffer from both heat and cold. Found in swamps; cool rocky woods. Most nurseries stock several varieties. Found growing in the wet ground from New Hampshire to Florida.
Medicinal Properties
Stimulant, astringent, vermifuge, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, diuretic, emmenogogue, expectorant, anthelmintic, irritant Experimentally, leaf oil is antiseptic, expectorant, counterirritant; extracts have shown antiviral properties against herpes simplex.
Legends, Myths and Stories
Native Americans put boughs of cedar on teepee poles, said to ward off lightning. Thunderbird was said to nest in mountain cedars. Red cedar (J. scopulorum), used ceremonially on the altar of the sacred woman at the Sun Dance.
Uses
Historically, herbalists utilized the leaves and tops of Northern White Cedar for chronic cough, fever, and gout. An infusion of the leaves was traditionally administered as a diuretic. Externally, practitioners applied it with the intention of addressing warts, and it served as a counterirritant for muscular aches and pains, sometimes prepared as a lard-based salve. The essential oil was employed as an aromatic component in soap liniments and as an insect repellent.
American Indian traditions included using a tea made from the leaves for headaches and colds, incorporating it into cough syrups, using it in steam baths for rheumatism, arthritis, congestion, and gout, and applying it externally as a wash for swollen feet and minor burns. Historical medical practitioners administered leaf tinctures externally for warts, toothache, and bed sores, while internally they employed the tincture for respiratory complaints such as bronchitis, asthma, and chronic cough, as well as for prostate-related urinary incontinence.
How Sold
Tincture
Warning
Taken in excess, the oil can produce unpleasant results; it was officially listed as an abortifacient (a drug or agent causing abortion) and convulsant in overdose. Leaf oil is considered toxic, causing hypotension (low blood pressure), and convulsions. Fatalities have been reported. Do Not use this herb during pregnancy. Do Not use without medical supervision.
Bibliography
Eastern/Central Medicinal Plants , by Steven Foster and James A. , Lotus Press, PO Box 325, Twin Lakes. , Copyright 1988, published 1992 Indian Herbalogy of North America , by Alma R. , 180 Varick Street, New York, NY 10014, first printed by the United States Government Printing Office, Washington, in 1928, this Dover edition 1974 The Herbalist Almanac , by Clarence Meyer, Meyerbooks, publisher, PO Box 427, Glenwood, Illinois 60425, copyright 1988, fifth printing, 1994 Indian Uses of Native Plants , by Edith Van Allen Murphey, Meyerbooks, publisher, PO Box 427, Glenwood, Illinois 60425, copyright 1958, print 1990 The Rodale Herb Book: How to Use, Grow, and Buy Nature’s Miracle Plants (An Organic gardening and farming book) , edited by William H.
Hylton, Rodale Press, Inc. , 1974