Lebanon Cedar

Species: Cedrus libani

Family: Pinaceae

Related Genera: Abies, Larix, Picea, Pinus, Pseudotsuga, Tsuga

Names: Libanon Cedar, Turkish Cedar, Libanon-Zeder

History & Folklore: Cedars are evergreen coniferous trees growing up to 40 metre tall. They have a yellow to reddish brown, aromatic heartwood, from which an aromatic oil is won. The wood was used for building ships, houses, palaces and temples, e.g. King Salomon build his temple in Jerusalem with Cedar wood.

Egyptians used Cedar resin in mummification and the wood for some of the first hieroglyph baring papyrus rolls. They also divined from the rustling of the wind in the cedar trees which to them sounded like a sighing and moaning. The name is probably also derived from an Old Egyptian word for groaning. In Sumer Cedar groves were dwelling places of the gods and it is featured in incense in the Gilgamesh epic. Romans also considered the tree a symbol of immortality.

Cedar is mentioned 75 times in the bible. It is said, "The righteous flourish like the palm tree and grow like the cedar in Lebanon" (Psalm 92:12). Phoenicians considered the Cedar the Queen of All Green. Over the centuries, Cedar wood was exploited by the Assyrians, the Babylonians, the Persians, the Phoenicians, the Egyptians, the Romans and the Turks.

Cedar is the symbol of the country of Lebanon. The Horsh Arz el-Rab, ‘Cedars of the Lord’, are the last preserved vestiges of Lebanon Cedars at Mount Lebanon. At London High Gate Cemetery a Cedar is planted in the centre of a circle of mausoleums, called ‘Circle of Lebanon’.

According to English folklore it prophesied death in the family if a Cedar lost a limb.

Medicinal & Toxicological: Cedar oil contains terpenes, e.g. borneol. It is used in aroma therapy and repells mold and bugs. In incense blends Cedar, a sun tree, is typically mixed with Olibanum, Myrrh, Galbanum, Cinnamon or Sage. The commercially available Cedar oil is usually derived from other Cedar species and or various Juniper trees.

Sources: "Räucherstoffe, Der Atem des Drachen" by Christian Rätsch (ISBN-13 978-3038003021), Wikipedia English, Wikipedia German, Alchemy Works