Cypress Essential Oil Profile
Latin Name: Cupressus sempervirens
Origins: France, Spain, Mediterranean
Extraction method: Steam Distilled
Plant part: Leaves
Scent: Fresh, clean, spicy, herby and a woody evergreen aroma
Color: Pale yellow to greenish
Middle to Base note: This means it can take a few minutes for you to smell the scent on your skin, but it lasts. If mixing with other oils, you will smell this after the top note has evaporated.
Properties: Antiseptic, Antispasmodic, Astringent, Antibacterial, deodrant, diuretic, Haemostatic, Hepatic, Styptic, Sudorific, Vasoconstrictor
Kid Safe: Yes
Cautions: None Known
Cypress essential oil has a lovely woody herby scent. Great for people who love outdoor aromas and the forest! It has a range of benefits that include helping with nervous tension and stress, respiratory illnesses, hormone imbalances and some skin conditions.
Cypress is an evergreen tree with dark green leaves and small yellow flowers, with round brown cones that have seed nuts inside. Its wood is hard, durable and the color of red-yellow.
Its origins are from the East and is known as a tree that lives forever. It has been around for a very long time, the ancient Egyptians made sarcophagi from it and the ancient Greeks used it to carve statues of their Gods.
Studies have found that the Cypress is from a very old plant family and can be traced back to Pangea.
What are the benefits of Cypress Essential Oil?
Here are some of the benefits of using cypress essential oil.
Circulation
As a vasoconstrictor cypress essential oil can help varicose veins and hemorrhoids. It helps the flow of blood stop and clot and restrict blood flow to stop excess bleeding.
Cypress essential oil as a diuretic, helps the lymphatic system by eliminating toxins from the body. It helps you to sweat more as well, helping with the process of removing toxins quickly. Helping the liver detox and run more smoothly too.
Respiratory System
Cypress essential oil can help all sorts of respiratory problems. Helping with coughs, colds and infections of the throat, nose or bronchi in the early phases. It helps loosen and remove phlegm, which builds up in the lungs, which in turn helps with congestion.
Due to its antispasmodic qualities it helps with asthma and bronchitis.
Muscles
As a antispasmodic oil, cypress essential oil is great for spams and cramps. It has also been known to help people who suffer with restless leg syndrome. Massaging some of this oil into the muscles is a great way for relief, helping to sooth them.
Women’s Health
Cypress essential oil helps with hormone imbalance, hot flushes, heavy menstruation and reduces sweating. It helps to ease the flow of bleeding, balances the circulation of blood and helps ease pain.
Skin care and Wounds
Helping all skin types, cypress essential oil balances, cleanses and tones the skin leaving you refreshed and beautifully toned. Its also anti-aging and helps the appearance of wrinkles by smoothing out the skin and tightening it up.
As it is antiseptic it is great for healing wounds and preventing infection. This study (1) shows that cypress essential oil has antimicrobial and antibiofilm properties as well, which makes it a good candidate to use as a natural preservative in food and pharmaceuticals.
Mental and Emotional
Cypress essential oil is wonderful for helping nervous tension and stress by supporting and balancing the nervous system. It is also a great oil if you are grieving, helping support you in a time of sadness. It can help you go with the flow and release pent up emotions.
Uplifting but relaxing, cypress essential oil is great for helping you feel secure and safe, which in turn helps with anxiety, depression and insomnia.
Spiritual
Helping you to let go and release emotional blocks, cypress essential oil can help with past trauma and built up emotions. Emotions that may be stuck, energy blocks, cypress essential oil will help release these and get them moving. Helping your energy flow again, to become balanced and whole. Helping heal and become the real you.
It is known as an oil of the underworld and associated with death. Cypress essential oil is a good oil if you are looking to work with your shadow. It will help you face your fears, your past wounds and help you get through the emotional issues that you may face. Just like holding your hand through a difficult time, cypress essential oil will be there for you. Helping you heal, become stronger and empowered.
Cypress essential oil will also help you through times of change. Helping you accept it and see you through the transition. Giving you a positive outlook and hope.
How to use Cypress Essential Oil
Oil Burner/Diffuser: Add a couple of drops of the oil in an oil burner or diffuser to fill the room with the aroma. Breathing in the beautiful scent will help relax and calm you.
Inhaler: Add a few drops to a personal inhaler. You will be able to breathe in the oil when ever you feel in need of it. Helping you stay clam and uplifted.
Anointing Oil: Add a couple of drops of cypress essential oil to a carrier oil such as jojoba. Place on the temples and wrists. Breathe in the scent and relax. This will help calm your mind and help you connect to your inner wisdom. It can also be applied to the areas of the Chakras, helping to unblock stagnant energy.
Massage: Add a couple of drops to a carrier oil such as fractionated coconut oil. This dilutes the oil and you can then apply to the skin. This will help with physical and mental issues mentioned above. Massage relaxes the muscles and helps the oils absorb into the body.
Recipes for Cypress Essential Oil
As well as the ingredients below, you may also need a funnel to pour liquids into the bottles and other utensils for mixing.
Anointing Oil
30ml/1oz bottle preferable glass and dark in color to preserve the essential oils.
30ml/1oz Carrier Oil – Such as Jojoba which I like for this or you can use Grapeseed oil/Almond Oil or Fractionated Coconut Oil
9 drops Cypress Essential Oil
Pour the carrier oil into the empty bottle, add the cypress essential oil and shake well. You now have your very own anointing oil! You can place this on your wrists and temple to help you stay connected and start your meditation or spiritual practice. To connect to the Cypress tree and speak to it or you can place on different Chakra points to help unblock stagnant energy and help your energy flow again.
Skin Lotion
236ml/8oz jar as its easier to mix, but you can use anything such as a bottle with a pump top. Dark in color preferably to preserve the essential oils
236ml/8oz Unscented lotion base
40 drops Cypress Essential Oil
Add the cypress essential oil to the lotion base and mix well. Pour into a pump bottle or jar. If using a jar you can put both ingredients in and mix into that, which is easier. This will help moisturize your skin and help balance it. It will also help with wrinkles if that’s something that worries you. It can also be used to help as a topical cream for the skin conditions above.
Aloe Vera Wound Gel
100ml jar as its easier to mix, but you can use anything such as a bottle with a pump top. Dark in color preferably to preserve the essential oils
100ml Unscented Aloe Vera Gel/Jelly
30 drops Cypress Essential Oil
Add the cypress essential oil to the aloe vera gel and mix well. The aloe vera will turn a while cloudy color when you do this, but this is perfectly fine. If using a jar you can put both ingredients in and mix into that, which is easier but if you have a pump bottle just scoop the aloe vera mix into it. Use this gel when you need to heal a wound such as a graze or bite. It will help heal it quickly as well as help prevent infections from occurring.
Safety Precaution when using Essential Oils
Please stick to the guidelines on amounts above when using and mixing oils as overuse can cause problems, especially in children. Do not ever apply essential oils neat on the skin or use internally. Only ever mix in a base/carrier oil. Do not use on small children. Test patch the diluted oil (and any other ingredients mentioned above for making your own products) on skin to check for allergic reaction. If in event of an allergic reaction wash the area and seek medical advice.
Where to buy
I buy my oils from Plant Therapy. I love them because they are high quality, therapeutic grade and affordable. I have put a couple of links below, just click on the pictures to be taken to the page. You can also purchase the carrier oils from them too as mentioned in recipes above. If you wish to purchase elsewhere, try to pick therapeutic grade as these are pure and good quality and you will get the full benefits of an essential oil.
To purchase or for more information on each item, click on the images.
Final Thoughts
Cypress essential oil has a range of benefits and is a great oil to have in your collection. From helping blood flow to respiratory conditions such as coughs, colds and congestion to soothing muscle spasms and helping heal wounds.
It has a beautiful woody scent and reminds you of the forest. Cypress essential oil can help with emotional issues too. Helping balance and support the nervous system, especially in times of grief and it can help release pent up emotions and blocks.
Helping you face your fears and push through your emotional wounds, cypress essential oil is there like a friend to hold your hand through it all.
References
Pangea https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120503120116
Study 1 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4052795//
Disclaimer: The contents of this article is for information only and using any of the methods suggested is at your own risk. Always consult a doctor with any medical condition you may have, especially if you are trying new complimentary medicines.