Cade/Juniperus, oxycedrus, the most common of the Mediterranean junipers, is found in Provence, in the heart of the garrigue, a tree with a bewitching fragrance and strange shapes. The largest can reach 14 meters, but in general its dimensions are more modest, from 1 to 4 meters. Cade was once used as a wedding and Christmas tree.
The wood’s hardness makes it the enemy of chainsaws. The heartwood, on the other hand, is virtually rot-proof.
Cade, also known as “little cedar”, is a multi-purpose tree. This small Mediterranean shrub thrives in arid environments, mainly in scrubland and maquis.
Thanks to its great robustness, cade wood is used in construction. The essential oil contains three main active ingredients: phenols, sesquiterpenols and sesquiterpenes.
It is obtained by distillation of all parts, notably the seeds and bark.
The cade ovens still to be found in Provence’s garrigue (notably in Cuges-les-Pins) are a reminder of the time when this oil was produced directly in the fields: where juniper grew, large cylindrical stone ovens were built, the wood was slowly consumed and the oil collected in the lower part of the oven.
To build a single stone oven, two men worked full-time for a month. The wood was then carried to the oven on men’s backs, and cut into logs. Other uses for cade wood are well known: the charcoal obtained after pyrogenation of the wood was long sought after by blacksmiths and blacksmiths for its high heating quality.
Today, slices of cade wood are used as mothproofing, and in Modena, genuine balsamic vinegar is kept for 25 years in barrels of seven different species, one of which is made from cade wood.
Their use ceased during the Second World War. Modern distilleries have supplanted this artisanal method.
AcneCade essential oil works wonders for acne. Cade, whose function is to regulate sebum secretion, is highly effective in this case. Twice-daily application, morning and evening, mixed with the plant oils mentioned above: 1 to 2 drops mixed with your face cream.
PsoriasisThe treatment of psoriasis is one of cade’s major indications. Cade can be used as an essential oil in a soap or cream (1 to 2 drops for the face) or in a massage oil (5 to 10 drops per 10 ml) for the rest of the body. Three active options for psoriasis, not forgetting cade shampoo for those with psoriasis on the scalp, or 2 to 3 drops in the nut of your shampoo in the palm of your hand.
It’s best to avoid all soaps containing perfumes and chemical components – this is the basic rule, as it can aggravate psoriasis. Use an organic soap, with cade essential oil of course.
Relieves osteoarthritis
Essential oil (5 to 10 drops) mixed with a vegetable oil (10 ml jojoba) eases joint tension in the morning and numbs pain at bedtime. As the inflammation is reabsorbed by these massages, pain is relieved and joint mobility restored.
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