Herb: Deodar


Latin name: Cedrus deodara


Family: Pinaceae (Pine Family)



Medicinal use of Deodar:

The heartwood is carminative, diaphoretic, diuretic and expectorant. A decoction of the wood is used in the treatment of fevers, flatulence, pulmonary and urinary disorders, rheumatism, piles, kidney stones, insomnia, diabetes etc. It has been used as an antidote to snake bites. The plant yields a medicinal essential oil by distillation of the wood, it is used in the treatment of phthisis, bronchitis, blennorrhagia and skin eruptions. A resin obtained from the wood is used externally to treat bruises, skin diseases and injuries to joints. The bark is astringent. It has proved useful in the treatment of fevers, diarrhoea and dysentery. In Ayurvedic medicine the leaves are used in the treatment of tuberculosis. An oil obtained from the seed is diaphoretic. It is applied externally to treat skin diseases.

Description of the plant:



Plant:
Evergreen
Tree

Height:
33 m
(108 feet)

Flowering:
October to
November

Scent:
Scented
Tree

Habitat of the herb:

Forms forests in the drier areas of the Himalayas at 1800 - 3000 metres.

Other uses of Deodar:

A fairly wind-tolerant tree, it can be used in shelterbelt plantings. Wood - moderately hard, durable, aromatic, fine and even grained. Resistant to termites, it is used for construction, furniture, boats etc. A valuable timber, but a poor fuel, producing a lot of smoke as it burns.

Propagation of the herb:

Seed - collect the cones in winter and keep in a warm room until they open. Sow immediately in a cold frame. One report says that a short cold stratification of one month improves germination rates. Keep the seed pot moist, but be careful because the young seedlings are very prone to damp off, keep them well ventilated. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle. Grow them on in a cold frame for their first winter and plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer. Give them some protection from winter cold for their first winter or two outdoors. Cuttings of terminal shoots can be tried in a frame in November but they are very difficult.

Cultivation of Deodar:

Forms forests in the drier areas of the Himalayas at 1800 - 3000 metres.

Known hazards of Cedrus deodara:

None known

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.