cedarwood
Meaning of cedarwood: A fragrant oil sold for aromatherapy and for repelling insects, distilled from several unrelated trees, most of which are not cedars.
Definition of cedarwood
Cedarwood is the aromatic wood of certain evergreen trees, and more commonly the essential oil distilled from it. The oil goes into soap, perfume, aromatherapy preparations and insect repellents. The tree usually meant by the name in North America is Juniperus virginiana, a juniper of the cypress family rather than a true cedar, and oils sold under the name differ in chemistry depending on the source tree.
Which tree is it?
| Name in trade | Species | A true cedar? |
|---|---|---|
| Eastern red cedar | Juniperus virginiana | No, a juniper |
| Texas cedarwood | Juniperus ashei | No, a juniper |
| Atlas cedarwood | Cedrus atlantica | Yes |
| Western red cedar | Thuja plicata | No, an arborvitae |
Cedar is a name that early settlers and traders attached to almost any fragrant, rot-resistant softwood, and it stuck. The consequence is that a bottle labeled cedarwood oil may hold any of several liquids with different chemistry, different scent and different behavior on skin, and the label alone does not say which.
What is it used for?
Fragrance accounts for most of it, in soaps, colognes and household products. The oil is a traditional moth deterrent, which is why chests and closet linings were made from the wood, and some of its components do repel insects, though for a shorter time and less reliably than the standard repellents. In aromatherapy it is offered for relaxation and for sleep, claims resting on small studies of scent and mood rather than on anything specific to this plant. Diluted preparations are also sold for the scalp and for acne, in the same space occupied by tea tree oil, without comparable evidence behind them.
What are the hazards?
Essential oils of this type are toxic when swallowed, and a small volume matters more in a small child. On skin the undiluted oil irritates and can provoke an allergic reaction that returns on later contact. Two hazards attach to the trees rather than the oil and are the ones seen most often in practice: dust from western red cedar is a well-documented cause of occupational asthma in sawmill and joinery work, and pollen from the related junipers produces an intense seasonal allergy in parts of the southern United States.
Also known as
Used in a sentence
The rash followed repeated application of a cedarwood oil preparation to the skin.
Good to know
Oil sold as cedarwood is distilled from several unrelated trees with different chemistry, and essential oils of this kind are toxic if swallowed, with a small volume representing a far larger exposure in a young child.