Essential Nose Cedarwood
Genus Cedrus
The cedarwood category unites true Cedrus species — Atlas cedar (C. atlantica) from Morocco and Himalayan cedar (C. deodara) from India — with the botanically distinct Texas cedarwood (Juniperus ashei), a juniper whose oil is dominated by sesquiterpenes cedrol and thujopsene that produce a drier, more austere woodiness than the creamier Atlas. Cedrol, the principal sedative constituent, was shown in human inhalation studies to lower heart rate and blood pressure and shift the autonomic nervous system toward parasympathetic dominance, consistent with a measurable relaxant effect.[1]
Atlas Cedarwood
Cedrus atlantica
- Also Known As
- Atlas Cedar, Moroccan Cedarwood
- Family
- Woody
- Perfumery Note
- Base
- Intensity
- Medium
- Extraction
- Steam Distillation
- Plant Parts
- Wood
- Origins
- Morocco, USA, India
- Effect
- Balancing, Calming & Relaxing, Grounding & Centering
- Aroma
- Woody, Dry, Balsamic
- Applications
- Aromatherapy, Perfumery, Skincare, Haircare
- Price
- $$$$Slow-growing Cedrus atlantica in the Moroccan Atlas Mountains yields good-quality oil but trees take decades to mature; sustainable harvesting limits supply and supports a moderate price
Atlas cedarwood is dominated by sesquiterpene ketones known as atlantones (15-20%) alongside cedrol and alpha/beta-cedrene, giving it the warmest, richest, and most balsamic character in the cedarwood family — steam-distilled from the heartwood of Cedrus atlantica in Morocco's Atlas Mountains. Inhalation of the essential oil has been shown to activate descending pain-modulation pathways in vivo, producing measurable analgesic effects in a murine postoperative pain model.[2] The oil also exhibits antibacterial activity against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative strains — including E. coli — at concentrations comparable to standard antibiotics in disc-diffusion assays.[3]
Himalayan Cedarwood
Cedrus deodara
- Also Known As
- Deodar Cedar, Himalayan Cedar
- Family
- Woody
- Perfumery Note
- Base
- Intensity
- Medium
- Extraction
- Steam Distillation
- Plant Parts
- Wood
- Origins
- India, Nepal, Pakistan
- Effect
- Balancing, Calming & Relaxing, Grounding & Centering
- Aroma
- Woody, Sweet, Balsamic
- Applications
- Aromatherapy, Perfumery, Skincare, Haircare
- Price
- $$$$Cedrus deodara from Nepal and northern India is harvested at smaller volumes than Atlas; limited export infrastructure and moderate yields place it at a similar price to Atlas cedarwood
Himalayan cedarwood from Cedrus deodara is defined by an unusually high concentration of himachalene sesquiterpenes — alpha-, beta-, and gamma-himachalene together comprising 55-70% of the oil — producing a warmer, more balsamic sweetness than Atlas cedarwood, with a woody depth that is both grounding and distinctly exotic. A comprehensive pharmacological review documents broad bioactivities including anticancer, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and neuroprotective effects.[4] The bark essential oil has been shown to induce apoptosis in human colon cancer cell lines via NF-κB inhibition and caspase-3 activation, with IC₅₀ values of approximately 12-15 μg/ml.[5]
Texas Cedarwood
Juniperus ashei
- Also Known As
- Mountain Cedar, Ashe Juniper, Rock Cedar
- Family
- Woody
- Perfumery Note
- Base
- Intensity
- Medium
- Extraction
- Steam Distillation
- Plant Parts
- Wood
- Origins
- Texas, USA, Mexico
- Effect
- Grounding, Calming & Relaxing
- Aroma
- Woody, Dry, Balsamic, Slightly Smoky
- Applications
- Aromatherapy, Perfumery, Skincare, Haircare, Cleaning
- Price
- $$$$Juniperus ashei is treated as an invasive pest in Texas; the oil is largely a byproduct of clearing programs, making raw material extremely cheap and the final oil very affordable
Despite being marketed as cedarwood, Juniperus ashei is botanically a juniper — not a true Cedrus — and its oil profile reflects this distinction, with thujopsene (around 35%) and cedrol (around 27%) as the principal sesquiterpenes, alongside a-cedrene and β-cedrene.[6] Compared with Atlas or Himalayan cedarwood, the aroma sits drier and more austere, with a faintly smoky, pencil-shaving quality that makes it a popular and cost-effective alternative in perfumery and aromatherapy. Cedrol and thujopsene, both abundant in J. ashei oil, have been shown to inhibit cytochrome P450 enzymes in human liver microsomes, relevant context for understanding potential herb-drug interactions with heavy topical use.[7]
Virginian Cedarwood
Juniperus virginiana
- Also Known As
- Red Cedar, Eastern Red Cedar, Virginia Cedar
- Family
- Woody
- Perfumery Note
- Base
- Intensity
- Medium
- Extraction
- Steam Distillation
- Plant Parts
- Wood
- Origins
- USA, Canada
- Effect
- Grounding, Calming & Relaxing
- Aroma
- Woody, Dry, Pencil Shaving, Mild Cedar
- Applications
- Aromatherapy, Perfumery, Skincare, Haircare, Cleaning
- Price
- $$$$Eastern red cedar (Juniperus virginiana) grows abundantly across the eastern United States; large plantation supply and efficient steam distillation of wood chips make it one of the cheapest cedar oils
Juniperus virginiana (eastern red cedar) yields a heartwood essential oil rich in sesquiterpene hydrocarbons, principally a-cedrene (28%), thujopsene (18%), and the oxygenated sesquiterpene cedrol (25%). Cedrol has been identified as the key anxiolytic constituent of the oil, producing significant dose-dependent anxiolytic effects in elevated plus maze and light-dark box assays in mice, acting via serotonergic and dopaminergic pathways.[8]
References
- [1]The sedative effects and mechanism of action of cedrol inhalation with behavioral pharmacological evaluation — Kagawa D, Jokura H, Ochiai R, Tokimitsu I, Tsubone H. Planta Med, 2003
- [2]Inhalation of Cedrus atlantica essential oil alleviates pain behavior through activation of descending pain modulation pathways in a mouse model of postoperative pain — Martins DF et al. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 2015
- [3]Chemical Composition, Antioxidant and Antibacterial Activities and Acute Toxicity of Cedrus atlantica, Chenopodium ambrosioides and Eucalyptus camaldulensis Essential Oils — Ez-Zriouli R et al. Molecules, 2023
- [4]Cedrus deodara (Roxb. ex D.Don) G.Don: A review of traditional use, phytochemical composition and pharmacology — Bisht A et al. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 2021
- [5]Cedrus deodara (Bark) Essential Oil Induces Apoptosis in Human Colon Cancer Cells by Inhibiting Nuclear Factor kappa B — Bhagat M et al. Current Topics in Medicinal Chemistry, 2020
- [6]Chemical composition and antibacterial activity of selected essential oils and some of their main compounds — Wanner J, Schmidt E, Bail S, et al. Natural Products Communications, 2010
- [7]Inhibitory effects of cedrol, β-cedrene, and thujopsene on cytochrome P450 enzyme activities in human liver microsomes — Jeong HU, Kwon SS, Kong TY, et al. Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health, Part A, 2014
- [8]The anxiolytic effect of Juniperus virginiana L. essential oil and determination of its active constituents — Zhang K et al. Physiology & Behavior, 2018