Thuja essential oil is derived from the thuja plant, scientifically known as Thuja Occidentalis. The tree is indigenous to the Northern and Eastern parts of Canada as well as the Northern areas of the US.

While the tree is now being used more as a decorative tree for Christmas and other holidays, do not let this trick you into dismissing thuja as a mere decorative plant! In fact, the thuja plant is commonly known as “the tree of life”, attesting to its various medicinal and regenerative properties in combating various types of illnesses. The thuja essential oil is derived from steam distillation of its leaves and branches, and it has much health uses and benefits! It has a very sweet and aromatic fragrance, much like the eucalyptus essential oil! Read on to find out more about its health benefits!

Health Benefits of Thuja Essential Oil:

1. Relieves Rheumatism and Arthritis

Rheumatism and arthritis, as well as gout and inflammation are caused by an excess of fluids, salt, uric acid and toxic substances that get deposited in the muscles and joints. Also, they are brought about by improper and obstructed circulation of the blood and lymph nodes. More often than not, these conditions bring about pain and discomfort.

Luckily, thuja essential oil is a detoxifier, in that it contains diurectic compounds. This means that thuja essential oil can increase urination levels, which facilitates the removal of excess fluids, uric acid and other harmful substances. As a result, these substances will no longer be deposited into the muscles, preventing such ailments in the first place.

Furthermore, thuja essential oil is a stimulant, meaning that it will seek to stimulate and regulate blood flows, ensuring smoother and improved circulation.

How to Use It: Combine 2 drops of thuja essential oil with about 15 drops of coconut oil to dilute it (as thuja essential oil is highly toxic) and gently massage onto the affected areas for pain relief and to reduce inflammation brought about by these health conditions.

2. Promotes Skin Health

Thuja essential oil, with its antibacterial and astringent qualities, are able to combat a variety of skin conditions to promote skin strengthening and skin tightening as well as to improve the appearance of the skin in general. Examples of skin conditions that thuja essential oil can treat include acne, psoriasis and eczema.

Furthermore, if you have unsightly genital or venereal warts, thuja essential oil can help to improve its appearance. This is because thuja essential oil helps to stimulate the immune system and makes it stronger to defend itself against viruses who cause these warts in the first place. As such, thuja essential oil is a wonderful weapon to combat and treat these warts as a homeopathic treatment, preventing infections and complications from arising.

How to Use it: Simply mix 2 drops of thuja essential oil with 15-20 drops of olive oil to ensure that it is sufficiently diluted and apply topically onto the desired area for relief.

3. Relieves Painful Menstrual Symptoms

Thuja essential oil contains emmenagogue properties, which greatly helps women who experience painful and discomforting menstrual symptoms. It promotes free, unobstructed and regular flow of menstrual blood as well as offers relief from menstrual cramps, nausea and fatigue that are associated with menstruation. Most women also find that the fragrance of thuja oil helps to improve their mood greatly, thus preventing mood swings and emotional instability.

How to Use it: To create a massage blend, simply add 1 drop of thuja essential oil with 10 drops of sesame oil and gently massage onto the lower abdominal area. Alternatively, you can add about 2 drops of thuja essential oil to your warm bathing water, or diffuse it in your vaporizer or diffuser for no longer than 20 minutes.

4. To Relieve Congestion from Lungs

With its expectorant properties, thuja essential oil can effectively clear phlegm and excess mucus that is found in the lungs and along your respiratory tracts. This thus serves to promote smoother and unobstructed airflow along your nasal passageways, hence offering relief from various ailments in your respiratory tracts, such as coughs, bronchitis, asthma and even chronic sinusitis.

How to Use it: You can add 2 drops of thuja essential oil into your steam inhalation device or create a massage blend using 2 drops of thuja essential oil and 15 drops of coconut oil to gently rub on your back, neck or chest for relief from these respiratory problems.

5. To Detoxify

The essential oil of thuja contains a mix of tonic, astringent, diurectic and stimulative properties, as abovementioned. This means that it is an excellent detoxifying agent to rid your body of harmful toxic substances and to improve metabolic levels. Hence, thuja essential oil greatly aids in purifying the bloodstream and regulating the myriad bodily processes to ensure its smooth functioning. As such, it keeps your body in healthy shape and decreases the likelihood of you getting infections or diseases!

How to Use it: Simply mix 2-3 drops of thuja essential oil with 20 drops of sesame oil to make a massage blend. Alternatively, you can add 2 drops of thuja essential oil in a vaporizer, into your bathing water or in a hot compress as a detoxifying agent.

6. As an Insect Repellent

As thuja essential oil is toxic, it can serve as an excellent weapon to kill off pesky insects and bugs in your household or workplaces. It seeks to repel and ward off unwanted creepy crawlies such as mosquitoes, ants, moths. It can also ward off parasitic insects such as lice, ticks, fleas and bed bugs.

As such, thuja essential oil is an excellent, natural alternative to the various synthetic chemical insect repellents (that may potentially be very dangerous) available in your supermarkets! Say goodbye to these unwanted guests in your homes with thuja essential oil!

How to Use it: Add 2-3 drops of thuja essential oil to a water dispenser or into a diffuser to prevent these creepy crawlies from invading your house or workplace.

Safety Precautions:

Thuja essential oil can blend well with other essential oils such as cedar wood, geranium, tangerine, mandarin, neroli and even lavender oils! However, there are some safety precautions that you need to take note of to ensure that thuja essential oil remains safe for use.

• Remember to dilute thuja essential oil with a carrier oil first before applying it onto your skin as thuja essential oil can be highly toxic if it is in its highly concentrated forms.

• Be sure to do a skin patch test first to test for any allergic or sensitive reactions.

• Do not ingest thuja essential oil at all!

• If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, it is not advisable to use thuja essential oil. Be sure to consult your doctor first.

• When diffusing thuja essential oil, ensure that you do not diffuse it for more than 20 minutes and ensure that it is diffused in a well-ventilated room.

• When diffusing thuja essential oil, be sure to only use small amounts in the diffuser and do not inhale in large doses.

• It is always wise to consult your doctor first before using thuja essential oil for any form of treatment.

References:

Kumar Brijesh, et al., "Phytoconstituents and Therapeutic potential of Thuja occidentalis", Research Journal of Pharmaceutical, Biological and Chemical Sciences (2012); 3(2)