Japanese Pagoda Tree, Sophora japonica Nitrogen Fixing Trees, Medicinal Uses

By Liliana Usvat
Blog 267 -365

This tree is native to eastern Asia, especially China and Japan. Others common names include Chinese pagoda tree, Styphnolobium japonicum, Japanese pagoda tree, and Chinese Scholar.

Chinese Scholar Tree or Japanese Pagoda Tree A native of China, this medium sized tree grows to 65 feet in height, usually with a broad round crown.  It has a rapid growth rate and tolerates city conditions, heat, and drought. When grown in a yard, the Japanese Pagoda Tree can reach a height ranging from 50 to 75 feet; however, when grown along the road in compact soil, it only grows to 30 or 40 feet. Sophora has a height and spread of from 40 to 60 feet. It is hardy in zones 4 to 8  and prefers an open, sunny location.  

Bloom This tree begins to bloom when 10 to 15 years old. In late summer and early fall, 10- to15-inch upright panicles of mildly fragrant, creamy-white, pea-like flowers are produced at the ends of branches and live about a month.

Seeds Flowers are replaced by ornamental yellow seed pods, 6 to 8 inches long, which persist well into the winter and resemble strings of beads.

Bark The young bark is pale gray, becoming furrowed into fibrous, interlaced, scaly ridges.

Medicinal Uses

Sophora japonica, also known as Huai Hua Mi, is edible and often used as a cool Chinese herb to stop bleeding. 

Fruits as a source of sophorose and rutin drugs.

Main chemical constituents are triterpenoids, flavonoids, betulin, sophoradiol, flower oil, and tannin. Triterpenoids mainly include azukisaponinⅠ, Ⅱ, Ⅴ, soyasaponin I, Ⅲ, and kaikasaponin Ⅰ, Ⅱ, Ⅲ. Flavonoids mainly include quercetin, rutin, isorhamnetin, isorhamnetin-3-rutinoside, and kaempferol-3-rutinoside. And flower oil contains fatty acids, such as lauric acid, dodecenoic acid, tetradecenoic acid, teradecadienoic acid, palmitic acid, hexadecenoic acid, stearic acid, octadecadienoic acid, octadecatrienoic acid, arachidic acid and β-sitosterol.

The  fruit is expert in stopping bleeding and lowering blood pressure; root bark and leaf are skilled in curing sore. In addition, its shoots and seedling are also used medicinally. According to Ben Cao Gang Mu (Compendium of Materia Medica), its newborn shoots and seedling can be consumed as vegetable or tea. And Bao Pu Zi, literally “Book of the Master Who Embraces Simplicity”, and Ming Yi Bie Lu (Appendant Records of Famous Physicians) say that this herb is one of the best brain tonics, which can improve hair color and live longer if only people take it earlier.

Yu Huai Zang Lian Wan. From Cheng Fang Bian Du (Convenient Reader of Established Formulas), this formula is basically formulated for chronic and new hemorrhoids. Other key herbal ingredients are Huang Lian (Coptis Rhizome), Di Yu (Sanguisorba Root), and so on.

2. Huai Hua San. From Jing Yan Liang Fang (Experiential Fine Formulas), this prescription combines it with Zhi Zi (Gardenia) for the treatment of blood-heat type of hemafecia.

3. Huai Hua San. From Liang Peng Hui Ji (Close Friends’ Collection), this recipe uses this herb with Bai Cao Shuang (Plant Soot) to cure vaginal bleeding.

4. Huai Xiang San. From Sheng Ji Zong Lu (Complete Record of Holy Benevolence), it couples charred Huai Hua Mi with a little bit She Xiang (Moschus) to treat throwing up blood.

5. Huai Hua Jin Yin Hua Jiu. In the formula of Yi Xue Qi Meng (Enlighten of Medicine), this herb works with Jin Yin Hua (Honeysuckle Flower) and wine to cure sore and ulcer.

Reforestation

 It has long been planted as shade tree thanks to its rapid growth rate and an immense size. 

Gray Alder, Alnus incana Nitrogen Fixing Tree and Medicinal Uses

By Liliana Usvat
Blog 266-365

Alnus incana is a deciduous Tree growing to 18 m (59ft) by 5 m (16ft) at a fast rate.
It is hardy to zone (UK) 2. It is in flower from Feb to March. The flowers are monoecious (individual flowers are either male or female, but both sexes can be found on the same plant) and are pollinated by Wind.It can fix Nitrogen. 

Alders have nodules on their roots that contain nitrogen-fixing bacteria. When an alder rots, this nitrogen is added to the soil.

These plants are wind pollinated. Their pollen grains are so small (0.03mm) they can float long distances on a slight breeze

Suitable for: medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and can grow in heavy clay and nutritionally poor soils. Suitable pH: acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers dry moist or wet soil. The plant can tolerate maritime exposure.

Reforestation

This species fixes atmospheric nitrogen and is also tolerant of polluted soils, it can be used for land reclamation, especially on coal tips. This is an excellent pioneer species for re-establishing woodlands on disused farmland, difficult sites.

 Its fast rate of growth means that it quickly provides sheltered conditions to allow more permanent woodland trees to become established. 

In addition, bacteria on the roots fix atmospheric nitrogen - whilst this enables the tree to grow well in quite poor soils it also makes some of this nitrogen available to other plants growing nearby. 

Alder trees also have a heavy leaf canopy and when the leaves fall in the autumn they help to build up the humus content of the soil. 

Alder seedlings do not compete well in shady woodland conditions and so this species gradually dies out as the other trees become established. The bark and the fruits contain up to 20% tannin. Wood - light, soft, fairly elastic, easy to split. 

• Prefers a heavy soil and a damp situation. 
• Grows well in heavy clay soils 
• Thrives in drier soils than many other members of this genus. 
• Tolerates very infertile sites. 
• This species has a symbiotic relationship with certain soil micro-organisms, these form nodules on the roots of the plants and fix atmospheric nitrogen. 
• Some of this nitrogen is utilized by the growing plant but some can also be used by other plants growing nearby. 
• Special Features:Attractive foliage,
•  Not North American native, 
• Wetlands plant, Inconspicuous flowers or blooms.

Medicinal Uses

• An infusion of the bark is used as a gargle fortreating sore throat, poor circulation, diarrhea and eye problems.
• Bark (outer & inner) is astringent and powerfully bitter.
• Bark 3.5g boiled in 250ml vinegar is a good remedy for lice. This also makes an excellent mouth wash when diluted with equal parts water.
• Bark is dried and aged for several weeks, then powdered. 30ml powdered bark is mixed with 250ml brown apple cider and 5ml is taken 3 times a day to relieve constipation.
• Leaves applied directly to bare feet in shoes helps with blisters, burning and aching.
• Leaves are used to relieve inflammation.
• Leaves in decoction have been used to soak sore feet.
• Buds and green cones can be chewed and the juice swallowed. This is good juice and good for colds.
• Bark decoctions were used to relieve cramps, diarrhea and vomiting, to aid circulation, sooth stomach ache, ease childbirth, stop bleeding, and also to treat eye problems.
• Leaves were moistened with warm milk and used as a poultice to relieve external swellings and inflammation or somtetimes used alone.
• Twig decoctions were drunk as a remedy for impure blood.

Native Americans used speckled alder 

to treat anemia, as an emetic, 
acompress or wash for sore eyes, and 
a diaphoretic, 
for internal bleeding, 
urinary problems, 
sprains, 
bruises or 
backaches, 
itches, 
flux, and 
piles, 
to cure saddle gall in horses. 

Folklore:

• Some Dena'ina say it should not be used for cooking meat because a red juice which looks like blood bubles out of it when it is burned.
• In Europe was considered a spirit-haunted tree, and when cut it may begin to , bleed, weep or even speak.

Liliana Usvat - Reforestation and Medicinal use of the Trees : Gravity Water Systems

Liliana Usvat - Reforestation and Medicinal use of the Trees : Gravity Water Systems