Cupressus sempervirens/Cypress

pH 3.8–4.0

Aroma and Taste The aroma is quite delicate, somehow dry and warm smelling. Taste is bitter and dry, more green than woody, almost a little soapy when undiluted.

Stability and Shelf Life Moderately stable; usually good for up to fourteen months but can last longer.

Properties and Applications Very diuretic both topically and internally; use for treating water retention in tissue and in joints. Moderately astringent and styptic, it has a tightening effect on tissue and is useful in skin care for some acneic conditions, thread veins, and couperose skin. Cypress supports the venous system and improves circulation, both in topical and internal use, and may be applied to varicose veins, used undiluted in a compress, or diluted in a sitz bath for hemorrhoids in combination with witch hazel and/or chamomile. Combine with rosemary CT cineole or sage and spray on tired or heavy legs for relief and energy or add to a foot bath to reduce swollen ankles. It seems to have a balancing effect on blood pressure, but this may be due to its ability to balance fluid levels in the body as a whole.

Cypress and juniper berry are two of the most important hydrosols for cleansing and detoxifying the system and will greatly increase the excretion of urine. If you do a three-week course of this water, be prepared to run to the bathroom many times a day, particularly in the first week, as the body will release lots of retained fluid. Stimulating to the liver and kidneys, cypress is useful for gout, arthritis pain, cystitis, edema, phlebitis, and the effects of overindulgence. For these conditions, both topical and internal applications should be combined on a daily basis for at least one three-week cycle, after which time the condition should be reassessed and the protocol repeated only if necessary. I have one client who found her psoriasis improved dramatically after a three-week course of 50 percent cypress and 50 percent juniper berry hydrolates taken internally; however, this requires more testing. Women may find that drinking cypress in the week before their period helps prevent some of the hormone-related water retention and moodiness associated with PMS.

The respiratory system will benefit from cypress’s antitussive and expectorant qualities, even more when it is used in combination with Inula (elecampane). Use when there is much fluid or mucus in the system, in inhalations, internally, and by sniffing a few drops at a time into each nostril, then blowing it out. It is mildly analgesic undiluted, but for nasal use dilute it 50 percent in distilled water.

In the kitchen, use cypress in recipes and sauces for venison, game, and lamb or in marinades, where it adds a flavor better than any hickory smoke.

AVOID in the first trimester of pregnancy or in cases of kidney or renal disease, because of its diuretic and detoxifying properties.

Daucus carota/Wild Carrot Seed

pH 3.8–4.0

Aroma and Taste On the mild side, as with all seed hydrosols. Warm, earthy, almost sweet in a bitter-chocolate kind of way. A comforting, human-type, musky aroma that appeals to men and women alike. The taste is on the dry side but with the same earthy warmth found in the scent, particularly appealing and complex.

Stability and Shelf Life Very stable; should be good for two years or more, although some reduction in aroma intensity will be evident before that time.

Properties and Applications Wild carrot seed will cleanse and support the liver, gallbladder, and kidneys, being mildly diuretic and specific to these organs. Use as part of a detoxification or cleanse; combine with clay to clean the bowels and use as part of an illness recovery, especially after viral infections or gastrointestinal complaints. Carrot also makes a good addition to colonics, being beneficial to the overall flora balance and healing and calming to irritations in the smooth muscle tissue.

It soothes skin rash, inflammation, and damaged skin; is calming for eczema and psoriasis; and is wonderful combined with yarrow, both for the synergy of the properties and for carrot’s ability to mask yarrow’s odor. Carrot seed is healing to the face after extractions, dermal abrasions, or peels and promotes the growth of healthy new skin cells. Combine it with lavender and apply it both before and after sugar or wax hair removal, or use it on its own for razor burn; men love it as an aftershave.

An overall tonic and restorative, carrot seed can be used to help the body adapt to the changes of the seasons, perhaps by virtue of the fact that it comes from a seed and so is specifically attuned to the rhythms of the earth’s cycles. Delicious in soups, juices—especially vegetable juice—salad dressings, and sauces.