[Herbal Spirit] Tree Lore and Remedies

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Tree Lore and Remedies

by Maggie Howe

 

WILLOW: Willow barks active ingredient, salicin, has a strong

analgesic effect and was used to make the first aspirin. (Today,

salicylates are synthetically produced.) Willow-bark tea may be used

to ease aches and pains, but because it acts as a blood thinner (like

commercial aspirin), be careful not to drink any before surgery or a

tooth extraction. To make the tea, place two tablespoons of willow

bark (use the inner bark from a twig; never remove bark from the

trunk, as it can kill the tree) into a cup of water and simmer for 20

minutes.

LORE: People once carried a piece of willow with them in order to ease

the fear of death. Bark from the tree was often used in funeral pyres.

 

ROWAN: Mashed apple and ripe red rowanberries can be cooked together

with honey and then eaten to cure nagging coughs.

LORE: In Scotland, eating the ripe berries is said to promote

longevity,

while a necklace of rowan-berries brings good luck to its wearer. A

cross of rowan twigs tied with red thread placed in a window was

thought

to protect a house against storms.

 

PINE: The antitumor properties of pinecones are currently being

studied.

But pine-needle tea (recipe below) is already known to be an excellent

source of vitamin C. Pine bark also contains compounds called

pycnogenols - powerful antioxidants that are more potent than

vitamins

E

and C. Pycnogenol supplements can be bought at health-food stores.

LORE: Pine trees were known as the keepers of peace by many native

peoples, and gatherings of clans were often sought beneath the pines.

 

ELM: Slippery-elm lozenges, available commercially, can soothe sore

throats and coughs. Tea made from four teaspoons of the inner bark

simmered for 20 minutes in a cup and a half of water helps to ease

upper

respiratory problems.

LORE: Druids thought the elm to be a tree associated with elves.

 

BIRCH: Betulinic acid, known for its antitumor properties, is made

from

birch bark. Northern Europeans have long used birch brooms or twigs

while in the sauna: The skin is gently flailed with a twig to aid

circulation.

LORE: Tying a red ribbon around a birch tree was thought to ward off

evil.

 

HAZEL: Hazelnuts, also known as filberts, are a rich source of

unsaturated fatty acids and phosphorus. Herbalists have long

recommended

that the powdered nuts be mixed with honey and water to help ease

chronic coughs.

LORE: Dowsing or divining rods (used by well diggers in the hopes of

finding water) were made from hazel wood.

 

YEW: The cancer remedy Taxol is derived from the bark of the Pacific

yew

tree (Taxus brevifolia).

LORE: In Europe, the yew was known as the tree of immortality and

trees

were planted in graveyards.

 

HOLLY: Holly bark may be mixed with goldenseal and used to make a tea

to

ease indigestion. The berries are poisonous and should only be used

by

a

knowledgeable health practitioner.

LORE: The Druids believed that if they decorated their homes with

holly

in the winter months, beneficial wood spirits would be enticed to

enter

during snowstorms.

 

OAK: White-oak bark can be used externally in a wash to treat burns,

rashes, insect bites, and inflammations. Boil one-half to two pounds

of

bark in two quarts of water. Reduce until only one quart of the liquid

remains, and apply.

LORE: Oaks were the ancient Western Europeans' favorite trees. Oaks,

whose roots go down as deep as the branches grow high, served as a

metaphor for the Druid, who believed himself to be firmly rooted in

the

earth but with his head in the clouds. Houses made of oak were said to

last 100 years, and it is believed that King Arthur's round table was

made out of oak because of its strength and durability. Acorns were

considered lucky charms and were carried for protection, prosperity,

and

longevity.