Pharmacological activities of CWOs by species.
| Species/Source | Pharmacological activity | Key compounds | Proposed mechanisms | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| J. virginiana (Virginian/Eastern red cedar) | Anxiolytic, sedative | Cedrol, widdrol | GABAergic modulation; reduced corticosterone levels | [25, 26, 28] |
| J. virginiana | Antimicrobial (fungal and bacterial) | Cedrol, thujopsene | Membrane disruption, metabolic inhibition | [9, 10, 13, 22, 23] |
| C. atlantica (Atlas cedar) | Antimicrobial, cytotoxic | α-Cedrene, β-himachalene, atlantones | Cell membrane disruption; induction of oxidative stress in cancer cell lines | [15, 17] |
| C. deodara (Himalayan cedar) | Anti-inflammatory, antioxidant | Cedrene isomers, himachalol | Inhibition of NO and pro-inflammatory cytokines | [2, 29] |
| C. funebris (Chinese cedar) | Antioxidant, limited antimicrobial reports | Cedrol, cuparene, himachalene | ROS scavenging; preliminary antimicrobial activity | [5] |
| C. lawsoniana (Port Orford cedar) | Fragrance/aromatic use (limited pharmacological data) | Cedrol, widdrol, α-himachalene | Fixative properties in perfumery | [5] |
| J. ashei (Texas cedar) | Insecticidal, preservative | Thujopsene, α-cedrene | Neural disruption in insects; repellency | [5, 36] |
| T. plicata (Western red cedar) | Not recommended (toxic) | Thujone, thujopsene | Neurotoxic; convulsant risk | [16, 46] |
The pharmacological activities of CWOs vary by species and chemotype. Conclusions should not be generalized across all CWOs but must be interpreted in light of their botanical origin and chemical composition. Oils from T. plicata contain thujone and are not suitable for therapeutic or cosmetic use. CWOs: cedarwood essential oils; GABAergic:gamma-aminobutyric acid-ergic; NO: nitric oxide; ROS: reactive oxygen species.
SDG: Conceptualization, Investigation, Writing—original draft, Writing—review & editing, Validation, Data curation, Formal analysis, Resources, Project administration, Methodology, Supervision. The author read and approved the submitted version.
The author declares that there are no conflicts of interest.
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