Atlas Cedarwood Essential Oil Benefits and Uses in Aromatherapy

Atlas cedarwood (Cedrus atlantica) is one of a variety of essential oils with the cedarwood name. Other types of cedarwood include Virginian and Himalayan. Although all cedarwood essential oils share some properties, each has its own chemistry and particular strengths.

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For example, strong atlas cedarwood essential oil benefits include its deeply grounding and centering effects. "Headiness is the message of the spirit of cedarwood. It is the spirit of integrity, of stability, of solidarity in all things," writes aromatherapist Valerie Ann Worwood in Aromatherapy for the Soul.

Basic Atlas Cedarwood Facts

Also called Atlantic cedar or Moroccan cedar, atlas cedarwood is an endangered species. Make sure you buy from a sustainable source.

Plant family: Pinaceae.

Production: Steam distilled from the wood of the tree.

Aroma: Warm, woody, balsamic, sweet.

Perfume/Aromatic note: Base.

Is atlas cedarwood safe to use during pregnancy? Many, but not all, sources say no. Consult a professional.

Is atlas cedarwood safe for children? Yes.

Main components:

• beta-himachalene   30.8–40.4%
• alpha-himachalene  10.3–16.4%
• (E)-alpha-atlantone  5.2–13.4%

Source: Essential Oil Safety, 2nd Ed.

Atlas Cedarwood Essential Oil Benefits

Physically, atlas cedarwood decongests, strengthens, and relaxes hypotonic/weak, congestive/damp, and hypertonic/tense conditions, according to Aromatica: A Clinical Guide to Essential Oil Therapeutics, Vol. 1. The oil has affinity for the circulatory, digestive, nervous, respiratory, and urinary systems.

Circulatory: Atlas cedarwood is a circulatory stimulant and may help relieve varicose veins, hemorrhoids, edema, cellulite, and lymphatic congestion with swollen glands. Include the oil in massage and bath blends for easing arthritis and chronic rheumatism.

Respiratory: The oil helps loosen and remove mucus when you're experiencing bronchitis, cough, colds, flu, and other congestive conditions. For sinus and respiratory problems, use cedarwood in a steam inhalation.

Urinary: The essential oil may help with urinary irritation, cystitis, or urethritis. For a bladder infection, use cedarwood in a sitz bath to help relieve the pain, according to Essential Oils & Aromatherapy for Dummies. (Consult a professional for how to use the oil for these conditions.)

Nervous: Atlas cedarwood helps relieve stress and stress-related conditions, tension, and physical exhaustion.

Sources: Complete Aromatherapy & Essential Oils Handbook for Everyday Wellness, Complete Book of Essential Oils and Aromatherapy, and Encyclopedia of Essential Oils (updated edition).

Atlas Cedarwood Essential Oil Skin Benefits

Atlas cedarwood's toning and astringent properties make the oil useful for skin that's oily, prone to acne or couperose, or has dark circles under the eyes. Use the essential oil in aftershave and other facial preparations for men.

Cedarwood is helpful in essential oil blends for a variety of skin conditions, including acne, cellulite, eczema, dermatitis, fungus, insect bites, psoriasis, and ulcers. You can also use the oil in insect repellent blends.

In hair care, use this essential oil for oily or damaged hair or to help reduce dandruff or hair loss.

Sources: Aromatica, The Complete Aromatherapy & Essential Oils Handbook for Everyday Wellness, and The Essential Guide to Natural Skin Care.

Atlas Cedarwood Essential Oil Mental and Emotional Benefits

Psychologically, the essential oil stabilizes the mind and promotes emotional security, realism, and cognitive flexibility, according to Aromatica. Use atlas cedarwood to help relieve mild anxiety, low self-esteem, insecurity, fearfulness, resignation, low willpower, poor perseverance, or burnout. The oil may also help with mental hyperactivity and ADHD.

Atlas cedarwood soothes overexcitement and softens and mellows selfish, unyielding attitudes, according to The Complete Aromatherapy & Essential Oils Handbook for Everyday Wellness. The oil relieves mental strain and gently helps with depression or insomnia caused by stress-related problems.

Aromatherapy for the Soul lists the emotional benefits of atlas cedarwood essential oil as encouraging strength, focus, balance, fortitude, persistence, confidence, protectiveness, and concentration.

Atlas Cedarwood Essential Oil Spiritual Benefits

Atlas cedarwood has a grounding quality that brings strength and commitment to your desire to rework the patterns of your life, according to The Blossoming Heart. The oil helps you recognize a safe passage that lets you fully embrace the next phase of your life.

As one of the key essential oils for meditation and prayer, atlas cedarwood promotes a strong connection with Spirit and spiritual guidance, according to Aromatherapy Anointing Oils. This essential oil calms emotions, promotes mental clarity and the ability to concentrate and focus, integrates intuitive knowing and rational understanding, encourages a faith-filled heart, and promotes emotional healing and stability. The oil also helps clear away negativity and strengthen all energy centers, especially the sixth chakra.

Mixing Essential Oils for Magic: Atlas cedarwood strengthens psychic abilities, stimulates dreamwork, offers psychic protection, and supports clairvoyance, element magic, and divination. Suggested blend for dreamwork: 5 drops cedarwood, 4 drops ylang ylang, 1 drop jasmine. Diffuse the blend or dilute in carrier oil for massage.

Atlas Cedarwood in TCM

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, atlas cedarwood fortifies and strengthens, according to Aromatherapy For Healing the Spirit. The oil tones both the Kidney and Spleen-pancreas and may be useful for nervous debility, general lethargy, lower back pain, and poor concentration. This oil is astringent and helps drain cold dampness.

The essential function of atlas cedarwood is to nourish the Yin, calm the Shen, and reduce dampness, according to Aromatica.

• Aroma energy: woody, sweet
• Movement: stabilizing
• Warmth: neutral
• Meridian tropism: Kidney, Lung
• Five-element affinity: Water, Earth

Atlas Cedarwood Essential Oil Uses and Blends

Aromatica suggests blending the following essential oils with atlas cedarwood:

• For chronic stress-related conditions with anxiety, insomnia, burnout, or adrenal exhaustion: patchouli.
• For swollen glands or lymphatic congestion: grapefruit.
• For varicose veins, hemorrhoids, or edema: cypress.

Cedarwood Essential Oil Diffuser Blends

Diffuse cedarwood for meditation or to help you focus.

To relieve tension and foster peace, diffuse 3 drops cedarwood and 1 drop each of geranium and lemon essential oils. (Llewellyn's Complete Book of Essential Oils)

Relaxing Diffuser Blend

• 2 drops atlas cedarwood
• 2 drops sweet orange essential oil
• 1 drop ylang ylang essential oil
• 4 drops lavender essential oil

Hair and Skin Care

For a moisturizing hair conditioner, blend 5 or 6 drops cedarwood into 2 to 3 teaspoons coconut oil or argan oil. Massage the blend into your hair. Wait 30 to 60 minutes and then wash your hair as usual.

For skin fungus relief, combine 6 drops atlas cedarwood and 3 drops lemongrass essential oil in 1 tablespoon carrier oil. (Llewellyn's Complete Book of Essential Oils)

Insect Repellent

• 1/2 cup distilled water
• 20 drops atlas cedarwood essential oil
• 15 drops eucalyptus globulus essential oil
• 10 drops patchouli essential oil
• 5 drops lavender essential oil
• One 4-ounce PET plastic spray bottle

Put the water in the spray bottle. Add the essential oils. Shake well to mix.

To use: Shake before using. Spray your skin and clothes every hour. Do not directly spray on face. You can spray your hands and wipe them onto your face, but do not use this blend on the hands and faces of young children and babies.

Source: Essential Living

Emotional Use Blends

For the first two blends, combine essential oils in a small dark bottle. Diffuse a few drops according to your diffuser's instructions. Or dilute 15 to 30 drops in 2 tablespoons carrier oil for massage.

Positivity Blend

• 10 drops atlas cedarwood
• 10 drops petitgrain essential oil
• 5 drops pine essential oil
• 5 drops cypress essential oil

Stabilize Mood Swings

• 15 drops atlas cedarwood
• 10 drops cypress essential oil
• 5 drops juniper berry essential oil
• 5 drops helichrysum essential oil

Source: The Complete Book of Essential Oils and Aromatherapy

Anxiety-Relief Inhaler

• 10 drops atlas cedarwood
• 7 drops ginger essential oil
• 6 drops ylang ylang essential oil
• Aromatherapy inhaler

1. Drop essential oils into a small bowl.
2. Swirl the bowl to combine essential oils.
3. Place the inhaler wick into bowl (using either fingers or tweezers). Move wick around until it absorbs the essential oils.
4. Place the wick into the inhaler. Close the inhaler.

Source: Aromatic Studies

Moth Repellent Sachets

• 1 teaspoon carrier oil
• 15 drops atlas cedarwood
• 8 drops bergamot essential oil
• 8 drops lavender essential oil
• 1 cup baking soda

1. Combine all the oils.
2. Stir in the baking soda and mix thoroughly. Use a fork to break up clumps.
3. Let the mixture dry. Pour it into muslin bags. Place the bags where you want to repel moths.

Source: Llewellyn's Complete Book of Essential Oils

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About the Author

Carol Wiley is a retired massage therapist and freelance writer. She uses her deep interest in aromatherapy and essential oils to research their benefits and uses and bring you summaries and blends with links to more resources.

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Photo Credit: Atlas cedarwood by David J. Stang [CC BY-SA 4.0] via Wikimedia Commons

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