Herbs Guide

Cypress

Family Name: Cupressaceae

Botanical Name(s): Cupressus Empervirens

Popular Name(s): Taxodium mucronatum, Montezuma Cypress, Ahuehuete, Ahuehuetl

Parts Used: Branches and Essential Oil

Habitat: Indigenous to Turkey and cultivated throughout the Mediterranean region.

Description: The cypress is an evergreen tree, growing to 100 feet, having tiny dark green, feathery leaves and male and female cones. The herb is gathered in the spring. Native to Mexico, the Montezuma Cypress looks a little like the giant cypress trees, with a brown bark, brilliant blue-green foliage, and conical fruit.

Uses: It is an expectorant for head colds, coughs, bronchitis, and for whooping cough. Externally, it is used in ointment or lotion forms and applied to varicose veins and hemorrhoids. All parts of the tree are used to heal hemorrhoids, varicose veins, chest congestion, scabies and wounds.