AYURVEDIC PRACTITIONER
| Cedar, ©2008 Todd Caldecott |
Botanical Name: Thuja occidentalis, Cupressaceae Common names: Northern White Cedar, Arbor vitae, Thuja Similar species: Thuja plicata; oriental species T. koraiensis and T. standishii may also be similar. T. orientalis has since been reclassified as Platycladus orientalis. Plant description: The Northern White Cedar is a monoecious conifer attaining a height of between 15 and 38 m, tending to be stunted or prostrate in harsh, frigid environments. Occasionally the trunk is divided into two to three secondary stems, often reproducing from fallen trunks. The bark is reddish or grayish brown, 6-9 mm thick, fibrous, and fissured. The leaves of the branchlets are 1.5 to 3-5 mm in length, acute, dull yellowish green on both surfaces. The pollen cones are 1-2 mm and reddish, the seed cones ellipsoid, 9-14 mm in length and brown. The very similar Western Red Cedar (Thuja plicata) can be a much larger tree, up to 60 m in height, larger trees fluted or buttressed at the base, branches tending to droop and the turn upwards at the ends. The bark is grey to reddish-brown, tearing in long fibrous strips. The entire tree is highly aromatic. The leaves are scale-like, in opposite pairs in four rows, the leaves in one pair folded, the others not, closely pressed to the stem in an overlapping arrangement that looks like a flattened braid, newer branchlets glossy yellowish-green. The pollen cones are reddish, small and numerous, seed cones ovate with 8-12 scales about 1 cm long, green when immature but becoming woody, brown, winged and upright when mature. Habitat, ecology and distribution: Thuja occidentalis is indigenous to North America, occurring in southeastern Canada and the adjacent northern United States, as far west as northern southern Manitoba, and as far south as the Appalachian Mountains in Tennessee, but centralized around the Great Lakes region and the Saint Lawrence seaway. Thuja plicata (Western Red Cedar) is widespread and common to the coastal Pacific Northwest, from Alaska in its most northern extent southwards to Oregon. Western Red Cedar is also widespread and abundant in the Columbia mountains and Kootenay region of British Columbia, eastern Washington, northern Idaho and Northwestern Montana. Part used: Leaf. History: Both the Northern White Cedar and the Pacific Red Cedar grow to become an ancient trees at maturity, the oldest living cedar (T. occidentalis) found in the Niagara escarpment, determined to be 1051 years old, with similarly aged specimens found in coastal British Columbia (e.g. T. plicata). Dead specimens have been found to contain upwards of 1653 annual rings, with estimated ages of up to 1890 years due to the fact that the inner pith tends to rot away and become hollow as the tree matures, giving an incomplete picture of its age (Larson 2001). Biologists report that these ancient trees maintain an internal architecture that creates functionally independent units, allowing it to withstand a variety of injuries (Larson 2001). The ancient stands of Western Red Cedar were highly valued by First Nations people all over Canada, the energy of it said to be so strong that many groups believed that they could receive great strength simply by standing with their back against the tree. The Kakawaka'wakw of the Pacific Northwest call it the 'tree of life,' and similarly revered today by all First Nations groups as a tree of healing and great power. A Coast Salish myth states the Great Spirit created Thuja in honour of a man who was always helping others: 'When he dies and where he is buried, a cedar tree will grow and be useful to the people -- the roots for baskets, the bark for clothing, the wood for shelter" (Stewart 1984, 27 ). According to Gunther coastal First Nations groups chewed the buds of T. plicata for sore lungs and toothaches, and boiled the leaves for coughs, consumption and kidney problems. Externally, the decoction was used to wash sores and ulcers. The inner bark was boiled or chewed to treat amenorrhea. Apart from its usage as a medicine, Thuja was an important plant used in construction, of everything from buildings, totem poles and dug canoes, to clothing and cooking utensils. The water resistant wood and antifungal properties of its essential oils make it an ideal building material in the temperate rain forest of the Pacific Northwest. Thuja was also used as an important ceremonial medicine, to bring good luck and ward off negative influences (Gunter 1945, 1-62; Pojar and MacKinnon 1994, 42). The homeopathic usage of Thuja was introduced by Samuel Hahnemann. Constituents: The primary constituents of interest in T. occidentalis are the essential oils, between 0.-1% in the leaves, but in some dried leaf specimens upwards of 4%. The oils are comprised primarily of terpenes with thujone being the primary constituent, consisting of 85% alpha-thujone and 15% of the more toxic beta-thujone. Other monoterpenoids include alpha-pinene, gamma-terpinene, terpinolene, fenchone, sabinene, camphene, camphor, borneol, isovaleric acid and thulylalcohol. Other constituents of interest in Thuja include lignans, flavonoids (e.g. quercitin, quercitrin), kaempher glycosides and myricetine, and as well tannins, inositol, polysaccharides (4%) and proteins (Duke 2003; EMEA 1999). T. plicata contains a similar range of constituents (Moore 1993, 211). Medical Research: The pharmacological properties of Thuja occidentalis are typically attributed to the essential oils, especially thujone, which has irritant, cytotoxic, antimicrobial, anthelmintic, uterine stimulant and psychotropic properties (EMEA 1999). Water soluble extracts of Thuja occidentalis containing both a high content of thujapolysaccharides as well as proteins have been reported to have immune stimulating properties, in vitro studies demonstrating the proliferation of T-lymphocytes, enhancement of cytokine release, and antiviral properties (EMEA 1999). In vivo thujapolysaccharides have been shown to enhance the recovery of haematopoietic progenitor cells in sub-lethally irradiated mice (EMEA 1999). Toxicity: The LD50 values for thujone have been demonstrated as 87.5 mg/kg after subcutaneous administration in mice and 240 mg/kg after intraperitoneal administration to rats. In humans the oral intake of 1.25 mg/kg has been reported without adverse effects noted. There are case history reports of healthy and susceptible individuals suffering from seizure disorders related to the absorption of highly reactive monoterpene ketones, such as camphor, thujone, and fenchone (Burkhard et al 1999). Herbal action: antitumor, antifungal, antimicrobial, expectorant, emmennagogue, lymphatic, diuretic, Indications: coughs and bronchitis, fever, lymphatic stasis, incontinence, chronic prostatitis, cystitis, amenorrhea, leucorrhea, tumors and cancer (rectal, uterine, pharynx), warts, fungal infections, ulcers, vaccinosis Contraindications and cautions: IgE-mediated hypersensitivities to Thuja pollen have been reported in the literature (Guerin et al 1996). In cases of overdose Thuja extracts have been shown to induce severe metabolic disturbances affecting the liver and kidney, irritant effects upon the mucous membranes of the gastro-intestinal tract, and strong, long-lasting spasmodic effects upon the uterus. In most cases however symptoms of poisoning after oral intake are normally mild, with minor gastrointestinal effects such as vomiting (EMEA 1999). Medicinal uses: The use of Thuja in Western herbal medicine occurs about the same time as it was introduced into homeopathic practice, despite the fact that it was an obviously important remedy in the First Nations healing tradition. Initially the leaves of Thuja found use as a stimulant in fevers, coughs, and rheumatic complaints, the tincture used topically to remove warts, all of which are important uses today. Later it Thuja was employed in fungal infections, and "fungoid and ulcerous epitheliomata" (Felter and Lloyd). Thuja has pronounced antimicrobial properties and can be used topically as a wash, or as a powder in a dressing, in any kind of infection, particularly those characterized by a foul smelling, necrotic discharge. In the treatment of cancer King's mentions it in hemorrhaging from "malignant growths" (1893). Given its strong emmenagogue properties, Thuja found use in the treatment of amenorrhoea, pelvic congestion, and in catarrhal diseases of the female reproductive tract. Topically, Felter and Lloyd mention it in the treatment of leucorrhea (1893). As an alterative, Thuja was used to influence the blood and glandular structures, with a particular affinity towards the skin (Felter and Lloyd 1893). Boiling the fresh branchlets and then inhaling the fumes is an effective remedy in bronchial congestion and coughs, and is even stated as being effective in hemoptysis (Felter and Lloyd 1893). In the treatment of chronic prostatis Thuja is mentioned to be of benefit, as it is in "…irritability of the bladder, in gouty and eczematous patients" (Felter and Lloyd 1893). In particular, Thuja is a urinary astringent with antiseptic properties, strengthening the bladder wall, indicated whenever incontinence is a problem, "…where even a cough or slight muscular exertion causes an expulsion of urine" (Felter and Lloyd 1893). In the treatment of warts the fresh plant tincture can be painted on the wart on a consistent basis after cutting away the crown. For larger warts the tincture may have to be injected right into the wart. In the treatment of cancer Eli Jones utilized Thuja in his "Cancer drops," with equal parts Phytolacca and Baptisia, 10 gtt, tid, every three hours. Jones considered Thuja a specific in "…cauliflower cancer of the uterus, also in cancerous tumors of the rectum, and fungous growths." Jones also mentions Thuja in cancer of the throat. Using a syringe with a long needle, Jones would inject up to 20 drops of the fresh plant tincture into the body of tumorous growths as an absorbent every other day, stating that the tumor "…gradually grows smaller and sometimes sloughs away en masse," indicating that side-effects are seldom experienced except for "…a slight elevation of temperature and the pulse." This would sometimes be followed with the application of a tampon infused with the tincture and applied locally over the growth. Internally, Jones would often give Thuja in doses of 10 gtt every three hours, to accompany external therapies. In both homeopathic and herbal medicine Thuja is often used in vaccinosis, to combat any of the negative symptoms experienced upon vaccination. Pharmacy and dosage:
REFERENCESBaba T, Nakano H, Tamai K, Sawamura D, Hanada K, Hashimoto I, Arima Y. 1998. Inhibitory effect of beta-thujaplicin on ultraviolet B-induced apoptosis in mouse keratinocytes. J Invest Dermatol. Jan;110(1):24-8 |