7 Therapeutic Uses Of Cubeb Essential Oil

Chemically speaking, the active ingredients of cubeb essential oil include sesquiterpenes, sesquiterpene alcohols, and monoterpenes in trace quantities. It's commonly used to add a pepper scent to cosmetics and fragrances, and it complements wood, clove, rosemary, and Cananga scents nicely. Cubeb essential oil is produced from dried cubeb berries typically via steam distillation.

Once the berries are completely ripe, they're dried in the sun before being crushed, yielding four to 30 percent oil by weight. Cubeb essential oil has an acrid taste, a spicy scent, and is either pale green or colorless. When used therapeutically, cubeb essential oil is effective in treating hypertension and stress, thanks to its calming properties.

1Treating Coughs And Throat Ailments

Besides its scents of nutmeg and allspice, cubeb essential oil also has a pungent, slightly camphorous odor. It has a strong tradition of therapeutic use (in both Ayurvedic and Western herbal medicine) for treating coughs. The oil is also recommended for use with bronchitis.

The tropical oil's effectiveness is likely linked to its camphorous nature. Camphor and the natural herbs related to it stimulate the nerve endings linked to pain receptors in the human body. This translates to soothing relief from the itchiness and pain that typically accompany throat irritation and persistent coughing.

2 Soothing Digestive Problems

Cubeb essential oil, like common pepper, has a flavor best described as spicy and hot. In the Ayurvedic tradition, it's strongly linked to boosting Pitta energy, making it effective for a range of digestive problems, like indigestion, constipation, loss of appetite, flatulence, parasites, and more. Pitta dosha, metabolically speaking, represents fire and water. For digestive problems, cubeb essential oil can be administered by mixing two drops with two milliliters of coconut oil and massaging it to your abdomen.

The effectiveness of cubeb essential oil on digestive parasites has been studied and verified scientifically at the Universidade de Franca. The results published in Pubmed in 2012 asserted that Piper cubeba essential oil is effective against schistosomula, cercariae, and adult S. mansoni parasites. Schistosoma mansoni is a parasitic worm that causes intestinal disorders when it reaches adulthood, like schistosomiasis.

3Improving Sexual Health

Cubeb essential oil has a long-established reputation as an aphrodisiac and is a recommended fertility enhancer by the Arabic and Unani medical traditions. It can treat a range of disorders, including erectile dysfunction, infertility, lack of sexual appetite, and impotence. Greater bodily warmth promotes better sexual intimacy. In Ayurvedic terms, impotence and lack of desire are frequently linked to an excess of Vata dosha. Cubeb essential oil is effective at reducing Vata dosha and bringing the sexual system back to full health.

The pungent, warm, slightly camphorous odor of cubeb essential oil has a hint of nutmeg. To create an intimate and arousing body rub, add three drops of cubeb oil to three milliliters of olive oil. Cubeb oil can also be used in an evening bath (two drops) or added to an oil diffuser (one drop of cubeb oil combined with one drop of ylang-ylang or lavender oil) to set a romantic mood.

4Curing Infections In The Mouth

The essential oil of cubeb delivers all-natural astringent, antiseptic, and antimicrobial effects. Dilute a drop of cubeb oil in a cup of warm water to create an excellent gargle for use in treating oral and dental infections of every sort. This gargle is also excellent for treating halitosis, plaque, cavities, and bleeding gums.

Cubeb essential oil works well as part of an overall plan of rigorous oral hygiene, including brushing twice a day, flossing daily, and visiting the dentist regularly. Poor oral hygiene can cause a host of serious problems, including gingivitis. Healthy, gingivitis-free gums are pale pink, firm, and tightly fitted to the teeth.

5It Promotes Detoxification

Because it is an effective natural diuretic, cubeb essential oil can be used to encourage the discharge of toxic substances known as ama, i.e., unwanted byproducts of incomplete digestion. Toxins like this, together with uric acid, harmful salt deposits, cholesterol, and fat, are common risk factors for serious disorders, including heart disease and kidney problems. Cubeb oil works as a potent stimulant that keeps the digestive and excretory systems functioning properly.

As a diuretic, cubeb oil promotes more frequent and thorough urination, an effect that usually leads to a cleaner urinary tract. Detoxification is furthered by adding two drops of cubeb oil to a warm bath or creating an Ayurvedic massage oil by combining two drops of cubeb oil with five milliliters of sesame oil. Regular use of the essential oil of cubeb can help treat a range of problems, including urinary infection, obesity, and inflammation.

6Treating Respiratory Congestion

In the Ayurvedic tradition, water retention and excess phlegm and mucus are caused by vitiated Kapha dosha. The result is irritating respiratory issues, such as congestion in the chest and nose, colds, and susceptibility to pulmonary infections, like bronchitis. Cubeb essential oil is a useful remedy for respiratory ailments because of its ability to reduce Kapha energy.

Cubeb oil works very well at clearing out accumulated phlegm, alleviating symptoms of asthma and bronchitis, relieving congestion, and treating coughs and throat infections. For quick relief from respiratory symptoms, use two or three drops of cubeb oil in steam inhalation or mix it with vapor rub and apply it to your throat, chest, and back. The oil's expectorant and antimicrobial properties will bring quick relief from respiratory symptoms and speed up the healing process.

7Additional Benefits Of Cubeb Oil

Cubeb essential oil is also a potent ingredient used in lozenges, chewing gum, oral hygiene products, cough drops, spirits, and much more. It forms an essential part of several Ayurvedic healing treatments for skeletal and joint disorders. Remember that essential oils always need to be diluted when used topically, owing to their highly concentrated (and potentially allergy-triggering) natures.

The essential oil of cubeb may cause skin irritation. The use of this oil by pregnant women or nursing mothers is not recommended. For best results, cubeb essential oil and other essential oils should be used under the supervision of a trained and experienced Ayurvedic expert.

Cubeb essential oil has a lengthy history in many different medical traditions. The earliest reference to its use comes from a 4th-century BC text by Theophrastus, a student of Aristotle. Like many Greeks, Theophrastus studied many subjects, but botany was his particular specialty. His massive work on the topic, the "Historia Plantarum" or "Enquiry into Plants," filled ten volumes when he completed it.

Nine of Theophrastus' volumes survived, and they are still published widely today. Among the many herbal medicines discussed in the Enquiry, cubeb essential oil is mentioned as an elixir called komakon. There is a direct linguistic connection here to cubeb's Javanese name, kumukus. While science has added tremendously to our store of medical knowledge, this millennia-old reference testifies to the effectiveness of cubeb essential oil.