# Cypress (Cupressus sempervirens)

**Cupressus**

**Known today as.** *Cupressus sempervirens*: cones, leaves, and wood.

Kind: Plant

## What was it used for?

The cones astringent, for fluxes and bleeding; the wood burnt to perfume.

## What does modern science say?

Astringent from its tannins; no established medicinal use.

## Pharmacognosy and toxicology

- **alpha-pinene**: 
- **delta-3-carene**: 
- **cedrol**: 
- **proanthocyanidins**: in the cone

**Mechanism.** The cones are astringent by their tannins and the leaf oil is antimicrobial; the pollen is a major allergen of the Mediterranean spring.

**Dose.** Safe in the old uses; the oil is a skin irritant.

**Standing.** No monograph; the cone is in French traditional use for venous complaints.

## What lore surrounds it?

Planted in cemeteries from antiquity to the present: an evergreen for the dead.

## What did the older authorities say?

**Ovid.** Cyparissus, mourning the stag he killed, is turned by Apollo into the cypress, the tree of grief.

## Sources

- Ovid, *Metamorphoses* X.
- Charpin, D., et al. (2019). “Cypress pollinosis: from tree to clinic.” *Clinical Reviews in Allergy and Immunology* 56.

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*Cypress.* In *Materia Medica*, edited by B. C. P. Statema. Version 1, revised 2026-09-25. The Thinking Press. https://thethinkingpress.org/materia-medica/cypress

Historical description, not medical advice.