White Willow Bark and Leaves - Natural Pain Relief

by Liliana Usvat
Blog 212 -365

History

The use of willow bark dates back thousands of years, to the time of Hippocrates (400 BC) when patients were advised to chew on the bark to reduce fever and inflammation.

Willow bark has been used throughout the centuries in China and Europe, and continues to be used today for the treatment of pain (particularly low back pain and osteoarthritis), headache, and inflammatory conditions, such as bursitis and tendinitis.

Hippocrates, Galen, Pliny the Elder and others knew willow bark could ease aches and pains and reduce fevers. It has long been used in Europe and China for the treatment of these conditions.This remedy is also mentioned in texts from ancient Egypt, Sumer, and Assyria.
 
The Reverend Edmund Stone, a vicar from Chipping Norton in Oxfordshire, England, noted in 1763 that willow bark was effective in reducing a fever. The bark is often macerated in ethanol to produce a tincture.

In an article published in 1652, Nicholas Culpeper had suggested that physicians use the burnt residues of the white willow bark blended with vinegar to remove warts, corns as well as unnecessary flesh from the body.

How to Use

 
White Willow Bark: A Natural Alternative to Aspirin for Pain Relief

WHITE WILLOW tea- Natural Pain Relief 15-20 cups White Willow bark has been used for many many years as a pain reliever. Willow contains glucoside.
 
White willow bark contains salicylic acid that is also found in aspirin. It is recommended that one drink 3 to 4 cups of this tea to benefit from its use. Although the tea may be slower acting than aspirin, it has longer lasting effects.

Start by adding 1 to 2 teaspoons of white willow bark to 8 ounces of water.
 

Allow this to boil for about 5 to 10 minutes. Once it has boiled, turn off the heat and allow it to steep between 20 and 30 minutes. You will notice the herbs drop down to the bottom of the pan and the tea is taking on a beautiful red color.
 
Add cinnamon and honey to your steeped white willow bark for a better tasting tea.

Once the bark is done steeping, strain the bark out and compost it. 

Common Name
White Willow
Other Known Names
Cartkins Willow, European Willow, Pussywillow, Willow, Withe Withy
Botanical Name
Salix alba

Whats it look like
Willows range in size from the statuesque weeping willow tree to plants barely 2 inches high. The many varieties of willow—close to 500—are now considered interchangeable for medicinal use. Its bark has a spicy scent and a bitter flavor.

What part of the plant is used
Bark, leaves
Properties

• Anti-inflammatory
• Expectorant
• Antiseptic
• Analgesic
• Astringent

Uses

• Bronchitis
• Coughs
• Headaches
• Fevers
• Rheumatism
• Gout
• Diarrhea
• Dysentery
• Neuralgia
• Gastrointestinal distress
• Pain
• Osteoarthritis
• Menstrual cramps
• Flu
• Tendonitis
• Bursitis

Cautions-Adverse Reactions-Side Effects
Do not take if you have a bleeding disorder


Headache
Willow bark has been shown to relieve headaches. There is some evidence that it is less likely to cause gastrointestinal side effects than other pain relievers, such as ibuprofen (Advil) and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, do.

Low back pain
Willow bark appears to be effective for back pain. People who received higher doses of willow bark (240 mg salicin) had more significant pain relief than those who received low doses (120 mg salicin).

Hot Flashes and sweating

White willow is also useful for women as the herb helps in lowering night sweating and hot flashes through menopause period.

Dosage and Administration Adult

General dosing guidelines for willow bark are as follows:

• Dried herb (used to make tea): boil 1 - 2 tsp of dried bark in 8 oz of water and simmer for 10 - 15 minutes; let steep for ½ hour; drink 3 - 4 cups daily.
• Powdered herb or liquid: 60 - 240 mg of standardized salicin per day;
• Tincture (1:5, 30% alcohol): 4 - 6 mL 3 times per day. 

Leaves

INFUSION - infusions prepared from white willow leaves can be consumed following meals with a view to cure digestive problems as well as enhance the digestive process.

Chase-away-your-pain aperitif

• 3 cups (750 ml) Sweet white wine (Alsatian Muscat, Muscadet)
• 3 T (50 g) Willow bark, dried and crushed

Macerate month. Strain. Drink 2 T (30 ml) during attacks.

Habitat and cultivation

Basically indigenous to European countries, white willow is now found abundantly in North America as well as in Asia.

The tree best thrives in humid areas like riverbanks and can be grown from partially matured cuttings during the summer or from hard wood cuttings during the winter.

 Normally, the white willow trees are often pollarded and the bark of the tree is shredded during spring from branches of trees that are two to five years old.

Slippery Elm has Been Used as Herbal Remedy by Native Americans

By Liliana Usvat
Blog 161 -365

The slippery elm is native to eastern Canada and the eastern and central United States where it is found mostly in the Appalachian Mountains. Its name refers to the slippery consistency the inner bark assumes when it is chewed or mixed with water. Slippery elm inner bark has been used historically as a demulcent, emollient, nutritive, astringent, anti-tussive, and vulnerary. It is included as one of four primary ingredients in the herbal cancer remedy, Essiac, and in a number of Essiac-like products such as Flor-Essence.

Elms are deciduous and semi-deciduous trees comprising the genus Ulmus in the plant family Ulmaceae. The genus first appeared in the Miocene geological period about 20 million years ago, originating in what is now central Asia.
 
During the 18th and 19th centuries, elm cultivars enjoyed much popularity as ornamentals in Europe by virtue of their rapid growth and variety of foliage and forms

Viticulture

The Romans, and more recently the Italians, used to plant elms in vineyards as supports for vines. Lopped at three metres, the elms' quick growth, twiggy lateral branches, light shade and root-suckering made them ideal trees for this purpose.
 
Ovid in his Amores characterizes the elm as "loving the vine": ulmus amat vitem, vitis non deserit ulmum (:the elm loves the vine, the vine does not desert the elm) and the ancients spoke of the "marriage" between elm and vine.

Medicinal products

Slippery Elm has been used for centuries as an herbal remedy by Native Americans. The inner bark of the slippery elm tree is used medicinally, both internally and topically. Internally, it has been used to treat sore throats and diarrhea, and externally, slippery elm has been used to treat various inflammatory skin problems like wounds, boils, ulcers, and burns.

 

The mucilaginous inner bark of the Slippery Elm Ulmus rubra has long been used as a demulcent.

A demulcent (derived from the Latin: demulcere "caress") is an agent that forms a soothing film over a mucous membrane, relieving minor pain and inflammation of the membrane. Demulcents are sometimes referred to as mucoprotective agents. Demulcents such as pectin, glycerin, honey, and syrup are common ingredients in cough mixtures. These demulcents will coat the throat and relieve the irritation causing the cough. They can be used to treat any type of cough, but are particularly useful to treat dry coughs. Some demulcents may not be suitable for diabetics as they are based on sugar

 

Slippery elm is a tree. The inner bark (not the whole bark) is used as medicine.

People take slippery elm for coughs, sore throat, colic, diarrhea, constipation, hemorrhoids, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), bladder and urinary tract infections, syphilis, herpes, and for expelling tapeworms. It is also used for protecting against stomach and duodenal ulcers, for colitis, diverticulitis, GI inflammation, and too much stomach acid. Slippery elm is also taken by mouth to cause an abortion.

Slippery elm is applied to the skin for wounds, burns, gout, rheumatism, cold sores, boils, abscesses, ulcers, toothaches, sore throat, and as a lubricant to ease labor.

In manufacturing, slippery elm is used in some baby foods and adult nutritionals, and in some oral lozenges used for soothing throat pain.

The late Euell Gibbons recommended pouring a pint of boiling water over an ounce of the coarsely ground inner bark, allowing the mixture to cool, and then adding the juice of one-half lemon and enough honey to sweeten the brew to taste. Our pioneer forebears treated colds with such a "lemonade" and it was especially recommended for feverish patients.

The outer bark of the slippery elm is reddish brown, deeply furrowed, and quite rough. It can be harvested any time of the year but peels from the tree most easily in the spring (when the sap is running). The juicy inner bark may then be pulled from the outer with little difficulty. Spread the cambium bark out on newspapers in a warm, dry room. Once it has dried, it may be stored (in sealed glass jars) and ground for use as desired.

The generally advised dosage of slippery elm is to take between 4 and 10 grams of the dried inner bark in capsule form three to four times a day.  You can also make a tea by boiling teaspoons-full of loose bark in a cup of water for ten to fifteen minutes, cooled before drinking.  Three to four cups of this tea can be drunk per day.  To use externally, mix coarse powdered bark with boiling water to make a poultice. - See more at: http://happyherbcompany.com/slippery-elm#sthash.mLjRrNGH.dpuf

The generally advised dosage of slippery elm is to take between 4 and 10 grams of the dried inner bark in capsule form three to four times a day.  You can also make a tea by boiling teaspoons-full of loose bark in a cup of water for ten to fifteen minutes, cooled before drinking.  Three to four cups of this tea can be drunk per day.  To use externally, mix coarse powdered bark with boiling water to make a poultice. - See more at: http://happyherbcompany.com/slippery-elm#sthash.mLjRrNGH.dpuf

How does it work?

Slippery elm contains chemicals that can help soothe sore throats. It can also cause mucous secretion which might be helpful for stomach and intestinal problems.

 

 There are no known side effects or safety issues with this plant.

Barks can be harvested with very little damage to a tree, and can even improve the health of a tree, much as pruning does. The most ecological way to harvest bark is to prune smaller branches from the tree using pruning shears or a small pruning saw.  It doesn't take many branches to supply a house with all it is needed for a year.  If larger quantities are needed  might consider taking a whole sapling if the tree grows in abundance and is in a crowded stand already.

To remove the bark from the branches, use the hand pruners to snip off any side branches and spurs.    Then  take a sharp paring knife or pocketknife and peel the bark in thin strips or shavings, much like peeling a carrot.  Be sure to cut deeply enough to get the inner bark, which will be slightly wet and also is usually green in color.  The different layers are easy to distinguish when you are peeling the branches. 

To peel the barks is to lay the branch flat on your cutting surface, and then take the knife and hold it perpendicularly (right angle) to the branch.  Then with a strong scraping motion, scrape back and forth vigorously.  This shreds the bark while it peels it and results in very nice finished product, no further need for cutting.  The shredding breaks up the fibers nicely, which is very helpful when you make medicinal preparations later.

Food

When dried and ground into a coarse meal, the sweetly fragrant and creamy white or pinkish inner bark of the slippery elm can be boiled into a porridge that looks and tastes very much like oatmeal. And, surprisingly enough, modern nutritionists have discovered that, when so prepared, the bark does indeed possess a food value about equal to that of oatmeal.

 

Slippery elm's inner bark, on the other hand, does have its other uses too. When ground to a fine powder, it makes a good extender for ordinary flour and can be included that way in a wide variety of recipes. And back before today's sugar-laden treats were so widely available, small boys were fond of stripping off pieces of this cambium bark and chewing it. Such a "chaw" makes a sweet-flavored, long-lasting chewing gum that both satisfies thirst and supplies a certain amount of nourishment.

History

It is recorded that, during their bitter winter at Valley Forge, George Washington's ragtag Revolutionary War soldiers lived through one 12-day period on little more than slippery elm porridge. And no one, of course, knows how many starving pioneer families scraped through their first winters on the American continent thanks to the same survival rations.

 

Rreforestation with Rhododendron and Medicinal Uses of the Plant

By Liliana Usvat
Blog147 -365

The name Rhododendron comes from the greek words "rodon" which means "rose" and "dendron" which means "tree", hence Rose Tree.

Rhododendrons are referred to as the King of Shrubs since they are regarded by many as the best flowering evergreen plants for the temperate landscape. 
 
Rhododendron is a genus of over 1,000 species of woody plants in the heath family, either evergreen or deciduous. Most species have showy flowers.

Azaleas make up two subgenera of Rhododendron. They are distinguished from "true" rhododendrons by having only five anthers per flower.

Distribution

Species of the genus Rhododendron are native to Asia, North America, Europe and Australia. The highest species diversity is found in the Himalayas from Uttarakhand, Nepal and Sikkim to Yunnan and Sichuan, with other significant areas of diversity in the mountains of Korea, Japan and Taiwan.

Rhododendron lives on moist open slopes, hillsides, ledges of cliffs and in thickets at elevations of 3000 - 4500, occasionally to 5000 metres.

Culinary

The rhododendron is the national flower of Nepal, where the flower is considered edible and enjoyed for its sour taste. The pickled flower can last for months and the flower juice is also marketed. The flower, fresh or dried, is added to fish curry in the belief that it will soften the bones. The juice of rhododendron flower is used to make a squash called burans(named after the flower)in the hilly regions of Uttarakhand. It is admired for its distinctive flavor and color.

The flowers are used as a tea substitute.

Basic Requirements
 

1. Rhododendrons must have a constant supply of moisture. 
2. Rhododendrons must never sit in stagnant water. Roots submerged in poorly oxygenated water will likely die, though a plant may survive through better drained surface roots. 
3. Rhododendrons must be grown in an acid medium (pH 5-6) that is coarse enough for the roots to have access to needed oxygen.
4. Plant Rhododendrons in spring or fall.
5. Space plants 2 to 6 feet apart, depending on the expected mature size of the plant.Dig a hole only as deep as the root ball and 2 to 3 times as wide.
6. Rhododendrons need an acidic soil. If your soil is in very poor condition, amend the soil you've removed from the hole with a small amount of compost. 

History

The first species available for garden use , in the mid-1600s, was R. hirsutum, the hairy alpine rose, which may grow as high as 1 metre (3 feet). Others range from matlike dwarf species only 10 cm (4 inches) high (R. prostratum, from Yunnan, China) to trees in excess of 12 metres (R. arboreum, R. barbatum, and R. giganteum, from Asia). Leaves are thick and leathery and are evergreen in all but the azalea species, some of which are deciduous.

Large-leaved species (and their hybrids) from the Himalayan region have long been popular ornamental plants in temperate areas without extreme winter cold. Rhodora (R. canadense), from northeastern North America, bears rose-purple flowers before the leaves unfurl. In the British Isles, R. ponticum has become a serious weed. Introduced in the late 18th century from Spain, Portugal, and, to a lesser extent, Turkey, this rhododendron forms impenetrable thickets in which virtually nothing else grows.

Medicinal uses

(anthopogon hypenanthum)

The stems and leaves of the sub-species R. anthopogon hypenanthum are used in Tibetan herbalism. They have a sweet, bitter and astringent taste and they promote heat. They are

• antitussive, 
• diaphoretic and 
•  digestive and are used to 
• treat lack of appetite, 
• coughing and 
• various skin disorders. 
• In Nepal, the leaves are boiled and the vapour inhaled to treat coughs and colds.  
• The flowers of the sub-species R. anthopogon hypenanthum are also used in Tibetan medicine, having a sweet taste and neutral potency. They are
•  antitussive, 
• febrifuge and 
• tonic, being used in the 
• treatment of inflammations,
•  lung disorders and 
• general weakening of the body. 
• They are also used when water and locality are not agreeable due to a change of environment.

( Rhododendron arboreum)

• Rhododendron arboreum’s nectar is brewed to make wine and is effective in diarrhoea and dysentery. Its Corolla is administered in case of fishbone stuck in the gullet. Snuff made from the bark of the tree is excellent cold reliever. Young leaves can be processed into paste and applied on the forehead to alleviate headaches.

    (Rhdodendron_campanulatum)

• Rhdodendron campanulatum is also used as snuff and is effective in case of cold and hermicrania. Also the species is used in curing chronic rheumatism, syphilis. The dried twigs and wood are used by Nepalese against phthisis and chronic fever. On being burnt its smoke causes irritation.

   (Rhododendron cinnabarium)

• Rhododendron cinnabarium is used in making flavoring agents, jam etc. The fried corolla of the species is liked by local inhabitants in Sikkim which taste delicacy while it is poisonous to animals.

  (Rhododendron setosum)

• Rhododendron setosum is used in making of aromatic oil, perfumery and cosmetics.

 

  (Rhododendron_thomsonii)

• Extract from the Rhododendron thomsonii is used as natural insecticides as in valley of North Sikkim, while it is toxic/poisonous to human beings.
• Rusty-leaved rhododendron contains chemicals that lower blood pressure.
•  It also contains chemicals that interfere with the electrical activity of nerves, which at low doses might relieve pain associated with some conditions, but at higher doses can result in poisoning.
• Despite serious safety concerns, rusty-leaved rhododendron is used in combination with other herbs for painful conditions such as gout, muscle and joint pain (rheumatism), nerve pain (neuralgia), sciatica, face pain (trigeminal neuralgia), muscle pain, migraine, headaches, and rib pain.

Religious
Rhododendron lepidotum and Rhododendron anthopogum’s leaves are used as incense in Buddhist Monasteries. The flowers are used as offerings to pay homage and for decoration purpose at social occasions.

Reforestation using Rhododendron

Rhododendron can be uses in reforestation and stimulate local economy trough echo tourism.