Kapok Tree Sacred tree of Maya Medicinal Uses as Diuretic and for Type 2 Diabetes

By Liliana Usvat
Blog 303-365

Kapok is the most used common name for the tree and may also refer to the cotton-like fluff obtained from its seed pods. The tree is cultivated for the seed fibre, particularly in south-east Asia, and is also known as the Java cotton, Java kapok, silk-cotton, Samauma, or ceiba.

Reforestation

The kapok tree is deciduous, shedding all of its leaves during the dry season. As its seeds are easily blown into open areas, kapok trees are some of the first to colonize open areas in the forest. The white and pink flowers of the kapok tree emit a foul odor that attracts bats. 

As the flying mammals move from flower to flower feasting on the nectar, they transfer pollen on their fur, thus facilitating pollination. The kapok tree does a great job at spreading its seeds, producing anywhere between 500 and 4,000 fruits at one time, with each fruit containing 200 seeds. When these fruit burst open, silky fibers spread the many seeds all over the forest.

Due to its content of bitter substance, kapok is not attacked by pests.

Other Names

Ceiba pentandra is a tropical tree of the order Malvales and the family Malvaceae (previously separated in the family Bombacaceae), native to Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean, northern South America, and (as the variety C. pentandra var. guineensis) to tropical west Africa. 

Medicinal Uses

Ceiba pentandra bark decoction has been used as

•  a diuretic, 
• aphrodisiac, and 
• to treat headache, as well as
•  type II diabetes. 
• It is used as an additive in some versions of the hallucinogenic drink Ayahuasca.

The seeds, leaves, bark and resin have been used to treat 

• dysentery, 
• fever, asthma, and 
• kidney disease.

• In Samoa the bark is used for asthma, while 
• in the Philippines where trees were planted, the bark is regarded as useful for fever, 
• as a diuretic, for 
• diarrhoea and 
• as a purgative. 
• It is also applied to swollen fingers and wounds, while 
• an infusion is used as mouthwash.

• decoction of the flowers is given for constipation and 
• an infusion of the leaves is used for coughs, 
• hoarseness, 
• catarrh and 
• uterine discharge. 
• The tender young leaves are used for gonorrhoea, as are the tender tap roots, which are also used in cases of dysentery. 
• The unripe fruit is demulcent, emollient and astringent so useful to soothe the mucous membrane in cases of bronchitis and so on. 
• A decoction of the roots is given for diarrhoea and chronic dysentery while 
• the gum from the bark is astringent and styptic so good for wound healing. 
• It is sometimes given in milk to children who have diarrhoea 

 Clinical studies have shown that the stem bark has liver protective properties and the tree has antioxidant properties, (leaves and stem bark) while root extracts have been found to have anti-diabetic properties.

Plant pacifies 

• vitiated pitta,
•  wounds, 
• ulcers, 
• skin diseases, 
• hemorrhoids, 
• urinary calculus, 
• cystitis, 
• inflammations, 
• cough, 
• bronchitis and 
• dark discolorations on face.

Useful part : Resin, Leaves, Bark, Thorns.

Folclore

According to the folklore of Trinidad and Tobago, the Castle of the Devil is a huge kapok growing deep in the forest in which Bazil the demon of death was imprisoned by a carpenter. 

The carpenter tricked the devil into entering the tree in which he carved seven rooms, one above the other, into the trunk. Folklore claims that Bazil still resides in that tree

Mayan Culture

In Mayan myths the kapok tree was sacred. They believed that the souls of the dead would climb up into the branches which reached into heaven.

Capirona Tree Cure for Diabetes and Cancer

By Liliana Usvat
Blog 302-365

Nombre común (Spanish): 

Capirona

Scientific name: 

Calycophyllum spruceanum

Capirona (Calycophyllum sp.) is among the most important trees in the lives of

 Amazonian people.  It grows over 100 feet tall, high enough to emerge above 

the main canopy.

The capirona tree turns deep red and sheds its bark twice a year  to get rid of parasites. 

This tree avoids lichens, fungi, epiphytes and lianas, by getting rid of its bark. Once or twice a year it sheds off its bark entirely. The smooth green bark underneath is kind of like a sunburnt human! Look around you and compare its smooth, baby like bark, against the rest. 

The older the tree, the more of its bark will be unpeeled, creeping up its trunk. It flowers between march and april. It fruits between july and November. Seeds are dispersed by the wind.

This tree can grow to the forest’s canopy and reach a height of 30 metres. It has a very distinctive appearance due to its smooth and shiny bark. It has the ability to completely shed its bark, which changes from a vibrant green to brown colour depending on the time of year. It is common to find Capirona trees growing close to one another.

Extremely resilient and flood resistant, the Capirona produces small,  white flower and long seed pods with 3-5 seeds inside. 

The bark is commonly brewed into a salve which is rubbed on the skin, forming a thin coating that helps fight the effects of aging, parasites, and fungal infections.  The bark is also effective in treating diabetes. Peruvian tribes commonly use Capirona decoctions to treat fungal infections of the skin as well as certain skin parasites that are commonly found in the Amazon Basin.

Medicinal Uses

This tree is commonly used by the Kichwa, Kukama and Tikuna tribes for its medicinal properties. 

The bark is used for 

• cleansing wounds, 
• cuts and burns, due its 
• anti-bacterial qualities. 
• It also has anti-fungal and 
• anti-microbial properties, 
• used for treating skin conditions. 
• The bark is used for treating wrinkles and patchy skin. 
• It is believed to help the skin rejuvenate, as does the bark of this tree. 
• It has been used in the cosmetic industry for its ability to prevent wrinkles, 
• remove discolorations and scars. 
• Also an antioxidant, and known to be used as a repellent and insecticide.
• The bark is also effective in treating diabetes.

It has small perfumed white flowers. 

This tree is a sacred teacher plant and used by shamans for its curative/spiritual qualities. 

• It can be used as part of a shamanic dieta or as an 
• admixture to Ayahuasca.
• Capirona has a very light energy that can brighten dark moods. 
• Connect to this tree to help combat negative energies from other people or the environment. 
• The essence can make your energetic body slippery, like the bark of this tree, so that negative energies slide off. 
• The colour of Capirona's energetic medicine is lime green, representing the tree's distinctive bark. 
• This colour is refreshing and invigorating.

How to use it?

A bark decoction is used topically for 

• eye infections and 
• infected wounds as well as 
• for skin spots, 
• skin depigmentation, 
• wrinkles and scars. 
• It also stops bleeding quickly and 
• is often applied to bleeding cuts and 
• to soothe insect bites and 
• reduce bruising and swelling. 

The resin is used for 

• abscesses, and 
• skin tumors.
•  A tea made from the bark is used as a lotion after bathing. This forms a thin film covering their bodies believed to help fight the effects of aging, parasites and fungal infections

A bark decoction is also used to treat diabetes. 1kg of the bark is boiled in 10 liters of water until 4 liters remain. It is believed that if this decoction is drunk every day (about 5 ounces daily) for three consecutive months that it is a “cure” for diabetes.

• Peruvian tribes also apply the powdered bark to fungal infections of the skin. 
• They also prepare a bark decoction to treat skin parasites – especially “sarna negra” – a nasty little bug that lives under the skin which is commonly found in the Amazon basin area.

Calycophyllum spruceanum grows in the South American countries of Bolivia, Colombia, Brazil, Ecuador, and Peru

Links

http://web.horacemann.org/pages/faculty/pictures/amazonpage6.htm
http://www.thesacredscience.com/blog1/chazuta
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5j0dzcEBRdk

Horse Chestnut Tree Used for Varicose veins, Phlebitis Lupus and Skin Ulcers.

By Liliana Usvat
Blog 301-365

Horse Chestnut (Aesculus Hippocastanum)

Horse chestnuts are trees that are 50 to 100 feet tall that spread 40 to 50 feet wide. The trunk can grow to be 3 feet thick encased in dark colored bark. White flowers turn into large brown nuts covered in spiny husks.

It was introduced from Turkey in the late 16th century and widely planted in Canada

Horse chestnut trees grow in nearly any soil but seem to prefer a sandy loam. They grow very rapidly into tall straight trees that can reach heights of over 100 ft (approximately 30 m) tall, with widely spreading branches. 

The bark is grayish-green or grayish-brown in color, and the tree limbs are thick and have corky, elongated, wart-like eruptions that appear from a distance like ribbing. The interior of horse chestnut bark is pinkish-brown, with fine lines running its length. It is odorless and its taste is very bitter and astringent.

The characteristic horseshoe markings found on the branches are actually the scars from where leaves previously grew. Horse chestnut wood is seldom if ever used for lumber due to its soft and spongy character. 

Large leaf and flower buds are clearly visible even during winter months but are encased in a scaly, resinous protective covering that prevents damage from frost or damp. This thick sticky coating melts with the beginning of warm weather in spring, and flowers and leaves appear with remarkable rapidity, usually within three to four weeks.

Horse chestnuts native to North America are called buckeyes because of their large seeds which resembling the eye of a buck, or male deer.

Medicinal Uses

Both the bark and the fruit from horse chestnut trees are used medicinally to strengthen and tone the circulatory system, especially the venous system. It is used both internally and externally to treat varicose veins, phlebitis , and hemorrhoids. Horse chestnut preparations are particularly effective in treating varicose ulcers. 

Due to its ability to improve circulation, it is also helpful for the relief of leg cramps. Its bark also has narcotic and fever-reducing properties. A compound known as aescin, which is present in the horse chestnut fruit, is now often added to external creams and preparations used for the treatment of varicose veins , varicose ulcers, bruises, and sports injuries.

Horse chestnut preparations using the seed, bark, twigs, and leaves are all utilized in traditional Chinese medicine. 

Chinese herbalists consider horse chestnut to be a part of treatment not only for circulatory problems, but use it as an astringent, as a diuretic, for reduction of edema or swelling, to reduce inflammation, as an expectorant in respiratory problems, and to fight viruses.

Some people apply horse chestnut branch bark to the skin for lupus and skin ulcers.

Horse chestnut seed is used for diarrhea, fever, and enlarged prostate.

In France, an oil extracted from the seeds has been used externally for rheumatism. 

The topical preparation has also been used to treat phlebitis. 

Most studies have looked at the plant's use internally. But there is some evidence that applying an ointment to the affected area may also help. 

Part Used Medicinally The bark and the fruit, from both of which a fluid extract is made.  The bark is stripped in the spring and dried in the sun, or by slight artificial heat, and when dry, occurs in commerce in flattened pieces, 4 to 5 inches long and about 1 to 1 1/2 inch broad-about 1 to 1 1/4 inch thick, greyish-brown externally, showing corky elongated warts, and on the inner surface pinkish-brown, finely striated longitudinally.  The bark is odourless, but has a bitter astringent taste. Medicinal Action and Uses The bark has tonic, narcotic and febrifuge properties and is used in intermittent fevers, given in an infusion of 1 OZ. to the pint, in tablespoonful doses, three or four times daily.  As an external application to ulcers, this infusion has also been used with success. The fruits have been employed in the treatment of rheumatism and neuralgia, and also in rectal complaints and for haemorrhoids.

Preparations

Horse chestnut bark is removed in the spring in strips 4 or 5 in (10–13 cm) long, about 1 in (2.5 cm) thick and broad. 

The fruit of the horse chestnut is gathered in the autumn, when they fall from the tree. Both the bark and the fruit are dried in sunlight or with artificial heat, and are either kept whole or ground to a powder for storage. 

A decoction made of 1 or 2 tsp of the dried, pulverized bark or fruit left to simmer for 15 minutes in 1 cup of water can be either taken internally three times a day or used externally as a lotion. 

Horse chestnut preparations are also available as tinctures, extracts, capsules, and external ointments and lotions. 

Cultivation

The Horse Chestnut is generally raised from the nuts, which are collected in the autumn and sown in the early spring. The nuts should be preserved in sand during the winter, as they may become mouldy and rot. 

If steeped in water, they will germinate more quickly. They will grow 3 foot the first summer and require little care, being never injured by the cold of this climate. They thrive in most soils and situations, but do best in a good, sandy loam.

Link

http://www.permaculture.co.uk/articles/benefits-horse-chestnut