Updated 17 January 2024
Botanical characteristics
- Kingdom: Plantae
- Division: Coniferophyta
- Class: Pinopsida
- Order: Pinales
- Family: Cupressaceae
- Genus: Cupressus
- Part used: Branches
- Country of origin: Spain, France, Morocco
Precautions for use
Cypress essential oil should not be used by pregnant or breastfeeding women or by babies.
This essential oil is not recommended for hormone dependent fibroma and mastosis.
It should not be confused with other cypress essential oils, which can be very toxic.
It contains very few allergenic components.
Other precautions
Warning:
- Seek medical advice before use in people with asthma and epilepsy (risk of epilepsy at high doses).
- Children over 3 years of age can use this essential oil on the skin or through the respiratory tract (diffusion and inhalation).
Cutaneous use:
- Cypress essential oil is rich in terpenes and therefore very irritating to the skin.
- It should be diluted to 20% in vegetable oil before application to the skin (20% essential oil and 80% vegetable oil).
- This essential oil can also be used diluted on the skin of pregnant women under medical advice.
Ingestion:
- The oral route should only be used for a very short time under medical supervision in case of resistance to treatment.
- No prolonged use without the advice of a therapist.
- This essential oil can be nephrotoxic if taken in high doses over a long period of time.
Diffusion:
- Cypress essential oil can be used in air diffusers for pregnant women and babies.
Contraindications:
- Cypress essential oil is not recommended for people with a history of hormone-dependent cancers (breast, uterus, testicles, etc.), mastosis or uterine fibroids.
Allergenic components:
Cypress essential oil contains two biochemical allergenic components:
- Limonene (≤ 5%)
- Linalool (≤ 2%)
Note: It is best to test the essential oil before use (two drops on the crease of the elbow for at least 24 hours to check for a reaction).
Authorised users
How to use
Inhalation
Cutaneous
Risks of use
Pure Dermocautic
Hormone-likeProperties
- Expectorant
- Anti-inflammatory
- Antiviral, anti-infective
- Antifungal, bactericidal
- Antioxidant
- Venous and lymphatic decongestant, vasoconstrictor, improves the elasticity of the veins
- Antitussive
- Spasmolytic
- Prostate and pelvic decongestant for men and women
- Mucolytic
- Tonic
- Moderate bactericide
- Mild estrogenic
Indications
- Loss of voice
- Enuresis
- Incontinence / Loss of urine
- Dry cough
- Haemorrhoids
- Varicose veins
- Oedema of the lower limbs, venous congestion
- Heavy legs
- Cellulite
- Asthenia, Fatigue
- Premenstrual syndrome
- Dyspepsia
- Difficult digestion
- Menopause
- Sweating
- Prostate congestio
- Ovarian congestion
- Spastic cough and whooping cough
Directions for use/usual dosage
- Hospital, convalescence, epidemics: atmospheric diffusion or olfaction (inhale a few drops on a handkerchief).
- Bronchitis, ENT congestion, phlegm, cough, nasopharyngitis, allergic rhinitis: local onctions diluted in vegetable oil along the spine, chest and soles of the feet and/or orally diluted in vegetable oil or a spoonful of honey.
- Blood and lymphatic circulation: local onctions diluted in vegetable oil on the affected area and, in the case of the lower limbs, on the legs from the ankles up.
- Infantile enuresis: onctions diluted in vegetable oil on the lower abdomen.
- Pelvic congestion: local unctions on the lower abdomen and lower back diluted in a vegetable oil.
Cosmetic
- Can be used to combat orange peel effect, cellulite and to tone the body, especially the buttocks, thighs and hips.
- Can be effective in combating excessive perspiration.
Cooking
- Can be used to flavour salad dressings and other starters
- A few drops in a vegetable oil adds a touch of freshness and a slightly spicy, woody fragrance to a variety of culinary preparations.
Interior use
- Can be used for atmospheric diffusion to purify the air in synergy with other EOs and to control the spread of winter diseases.
Find out more
As there are several species of cypress, it is important not to confuse Provence cypress (whose main molecule is between 40 and 65% alpha-pinene) with other cypresses, which can be more difficult to handle because of the toxic molecules they may contain.