Steam Distillation: Cedar Leaf Oil example

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Kassandra
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Steam Distillation: Cedar Leaf Oil example

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CEDAR LEAF OIL

Cedar leaves are often used alone, or mixed with sage, as incense for meditation and/or smudging (see below). They can also be steam-distilled for their "essential oil." The parts used are the foliage and branch ends of the arbor vitae or white cedar (Thuja occidentalis) or the foliage of the western red cedar (Thuja plicata). The oil yielded is a colorless to pale yellow liquid with a fresh, sharp smell and hint of camphor.

It is used in cold remedies for its anti-congestive properties, and it is the main component of Thuja Oil, used to treat genital warts. Thuja Oil is said to also be an effective remedy for a wide range of ailments, including respiratory infections. Because of its high proportion of thujone, cedar leaf oil is the hallucinogenic component of absinthe and is regarded as an abortifacient (a substance that can trigger miscarriage).

Source: http://www.ehow.com/about_6398236_diffe ... d-oil.html


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Ingesting cedar leaf oil can
cause illness or death, and it
can also cause allergic reac-
tions when put on the skin,
so exercise caution.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGm7tAc5DYA
If a steam distillation machine is out of the budget right now, here's a couple easier methods, though not as
high-quality results, i.e., the hydrosol and "essential oil" yields will get mixed together, etc. (also, I don't know
if cedar leaves will work or not with either, as I haven't tried it myself). Any way, here is another method
of steam distillation without the fancy gadgets, and here is a method for making infused oils, which basically
involves cooking an herb into the oil itself.




CEDAR LEAF INCENSE

I did a search for "cedar leaves" here and found this information: "As another use, sage is sold in stores tied together in bundles, sometimes with cedar leaves, as natural incense or purifying sticks used in sacred spaces, homes and offices to clear residual vibrational energies. Purification with sage still precedes native rituals. The burning smoke is wafted around people and places, usually with a feather.”

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