The Secret to How Cedarwood Oil Calms Stress
How Cedarwood oil helps calm stress
Do you feel stressed more often than you’d like?
Studies show that the component cedrol can help!
Cedrol is a natural sesquiterpenol that shows up in Cedarwood essential oil. Multiple animal studies show that it can calm the nerves, soothe anxious feelings, and even help you sleep. This effect worked on multiple species, and it worked whether or not the subject could smell the cedrol.
Cedarwood oil has a warm, soft, woody scent that’s a favorite for a lot of people.
But even if you can’t smell cedarwood oil, the cedrol is still helping you feel relaxed and emotionally secure!
This relaxing roll-on blend contains cedarwood oil balanced with two other oils that can calm anxiety and stress. (We’ll talk about those other two oils after the recipe!)
Sacred Cedarwood Anti-Stress Roll-On
Apply this relaxing roll-on blend onto your wrists, neck, arms, and anywhere you like when you start feeling anxious!
Ingredients
10 ml Jojoba Oil (Simmondsia chinensis)
3 drops Cedarwood Oil (Juniperus virginiana)
2 drops Palo Santo Oil (Bursera graveolens)
1 drop Citronella Java Oil (Cymbopogon winterianus)
Equipment
One 10 ml glass bottle with a roller-ball top
Directions
Pour the jojoba into the bottle.
Add the essential oils
Snap the roller-ball top into place and roll the bottle between your palms to combine the ingredients.
Roll it onto your wrists, neck, arms, and anywhere you like when you start feeling anxious! This blend is safe for ongoing use, so keep it with you throughout the day. Try using it regularly to stave off stress before it even sets in.
If stress sometimes keeps you awake at night, try this blend from the Aromahead Blog: Less Stress, More Rest Oil.
This recipe includes cedarwood oil along with lavender—and a few other oils that deeply relax the nervous system.
Now let’s talk about the other two essential oils in the Sacred Cedarwood Anti-Stress Roll-On!
Palo Santo essential oil (Bursera graveolens)
Palo Santo oil comes from Ecuador, where it’s considered sacred. In fact, its name means “Holy Wood.” It has a rich, earthy, smoky scent. The native people of Ecuador have long used Palo Santo wood in rituals and ceremonies to clear out negative energy, bringing the mind to a peaceful and open state.
Is there any science behind this? Well, Palo Santo is full of d-limonene—a component that calms anxiety and boosts mood. (d-Limonene is what makes citrus oils so bright and sunny!)
Citronella Java essential oil (Cymbopogon winterianus)
Yes, Citronella Java is from the same plant family as the bug-repellent Citronella! But Citronella Java has a softer, smoother scent that’s a little exotic. Natural perfumers love this oil!
And Citronella Java is rich in geraniol and citronellal, two components that have shown “anxiolytic” (anxiety calming) effects on the nervous systems of mice. Researcher W.N. Setzer even noted that Citronella Java is used in Brazilian folk medicine to soothe anxiety. Now we know the traditional method really works!
REFERENCES
Dayawansa, S., Katsumi, U., Takakuro, H., Hori, E., Tabuchi, E., Nagashima, Y., Oosu, H., Yada, Y., Suzuki, T., Ono, T., Nishijo, H. (2003) Autonomic responses during inhalation of natural fragrance of Cedrol in humans. Autonomic Neuroscience: Basal & Clinical Oct 31; 108(1-2):79-86.
Kagawa D, Jokura H, Ochiai R, Tokimitsu I, Tsubone H (2003) The sedative effects and mechanism of action of cedrol inhalation with behavioural pharmacological evaluation. Planta Medica 69: 637-641 doi.org/10.1055/s-2003-41114
Lima, N.G., de Souza, D.P., Pimenta, F.C., Alves, M.F., de Souza, F.S., (2012a) Anxiolytic-like activity and GC-MS analysis of (R)-(+)-limonene fragrance, a natural compound found in foods and plants. Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Behavior 103, 450-454
Medeiros, K., Dos Santos, J. R., Melo, T., de Souza, M. F., Santos, L. G., de Gois, A. M., Cintra, R. R., Lins, L., Ribeiro, A. M., & Marchioro, M. (2018). Depressant effect of geraniol on the central nervous system of rats: Behavior and ECoG power spectra. Biomedical journal, 41(5), 298–305. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bj.2018.08.008
Setzer, W.N. (2009) Essential Oils and Anxiolytic Aromatherapy. Natural Product Communications. 4(9), 1305-1316.
Zhang K, Yao L. (2018) The anxiolytic effect of Juniperus virginiana L. essential oil and determination of its active constituents. Physiology & Behavior. 2018 May 15;189:50-58. doi: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2018.01.004. Epub 2018 Jan 8. PMID: 29326032.
