THUJA
Thuja occidentalis
COMMON NAMES: Arborvitae, yellow cedar, tree of life, false white cedar.
FEATURES: The name white cedar is often applied to the arborvitae (Thuja occidentalis), a well-known,
handsome ornamental American evergreen. It attains heights of 70–80 feet, with a trunk diameter of 2–6
feet, which is sometimes distorted. The erect spreading branches have thin and flat pendulous twigs,
fragrant green leaves, and tiny bluish purple cones covered with bloom, turning reddish brown, with 6–12
pointless thin oblong scales. Found growing in wet ground from New Hampshire to Florida. There are
various species of cedar found in Africa, India, Australia, and Alaska.
MEDICINAL PARTS: Branchlets, leaves.
SOLVENTS: Alcohol, water.
BODILY INFLUENCE: Stimulant, diuretic, irritant, expectorant, emmenagogue, anthelmintic.
USES: Thuja is useful as a counterirritant in the relief of muscular aches and pains, chronic coughs with
association of shortness of breath, fevers, sudden attacks of acute pain in the joints that may last for a few
days or weeks, and associated gout (uric acid retention). The pain of menstruation due to the cessation of
flow is relieved by the hot tea taken frequently.
DOSE: Infusion of 1 teaspoonful to 1 pint of boiling water taken in teaspoonful to wineglassful amounts.
EXTERNALLY: The leaves and twigs boiled with oil make an excellent salve. Also for removal of warts
and fungoid growths.
HOMEOPATHIC CLINICAL: Tincture of the fresh green twigs for abdomen (distended), abortion, angina
pectoris, anus (fistula in, fissure of), asthma, balanitis, cancer, catalepsy, chorea, clavus, condyloma,
constipation, convulsions, coxalgia, diarrhea, disparunia, dysmenorrhea, ear (polypus of), enuresis,
epilepsy, epulis, eyes (tumors of, granular inflammation of), fatty tumors, feet (fetid), flatus
(incarcerated), frontal sinuses (catarrh of), ganglion, gleet, gonorrhea, hemorrhage, hemorrhoids, hair
(affections of), headache, hernia, herpes zoster, ichthyosis, intussusception, jaw (growth on), joints
(cracking in), levitation, Morvan’s disease, mucous patches, muscae volitantes, myopia, naevus, neck
(chronic catarrh of, polypus of), paralysis, pemphigus, polypus, postnasal catarrh, pregnancy (imaginary),
prostate (disease of), ptosis, ranula, rheumatism (gonorrheal), rickets, sciatica, seminal emissions,
nocturnal sycosis, syphilis, tea (effects of), teeth (caries of), tongue (ulcers of, biting of), toothache,
tumors, vaccination, vaccinosis, vaginismus, warts, whooping cough.