EUROPEAN WILD CHERRY: SUPERSTITIONS, USES AND HEALTH BENEFITS OF WILD CHERRY TREES

EUROPEAN WILD CHERRY, PRUNUS AVIUM  

The European wild cherry tree is the ancestor of all the cultivated cherry trees. It is different in many ways to its American cousin, Prunus serotina, as it is smaller, the flowers are completely different and the fruit is ripe when red (and sweet). It is a member of the Rosaceae or rose family making it a relative of apricots, peaches, plums, loquats, strawberries, raspberries, apples, pears, quinces, crab apples, almonds, silverweed, cinquefoil, Alpine Lady’s Mantle, avens, water avens and a whole host of other plants.

  The wild cherries have been eaten for millennia and some cherry stones have been carbon-dated to 2077BC, so our ancestors were familiar with the fruit. The tree bears flowers in early April, before the leaves have formed, and this makes it a spectacular sight. The fruit is ripe in mid-summer, in June and July and the birds love to eat it. The hawksbill is especially good at breaking open the cherry stone to get at the edible almondy kernel.

  The fruit can be either sweet or sour, but never acidic and is used for making jellies, jam, preserves and wine.

  A sticky resin exudes from the tree when the bark is cut and this sweet gum can be chewed like chewing gum. In traditional medicine it is given for persistent coughs, and is also believed to improve eyesight and give you a healthy flawless complexion.

  Perhaps surprisingly it is the fruit stalks and bark (as well as the resin) that are used in medicine. The stalks are astringent, diuretic and used as a tonic. They have been used to treat diarrhoea, cystitis and other bladder infections, oedema, bronchial problems and anaemia. The bark only contains a small percentage (16 per cent approximately) of tannin, so is used in medicine in combination with the fruit stalks.

  All cherry trees contain prunasin and amygdalen which convert to hydrocyanic acid (cyanide or prussic acid) in water. However in small doses this can stimulate the respiratory system, improve digestion and give an enhanced feeling of well-being. However in large doses it can prove fatal so is best left alone.

  The fruit gives a grey-green dye, while the leaves produce a green one. The cherry tree wood is a rich red-brown which polishes well and is valued for furniture, musical instruments, carving and turnery.

  In Britain there are two superstitions surrounding cherries, and the general one is that if you want to know when you will marry you count the stones on the plate in this way:-“This year, next year, sometime, never” and whatever you say when you get to the last stone tells you your fate.                           

  Another superstition only in Kent, is that if you visit a cherry orchard and do not rub your shoes with cherry leaves, you will die of suffocation from a cherry stone.

  There is a superstition in Switzerland which says that if the first fruit a cherry tree produces is eaten by a woman who has just had her first child, it will produce fruit in abundance throughout its life.

  In the Ardennes region in France, children used to carry lighted torches into fruit orchards on the first Sunday of Lent and chant:-

     “Bear apples, bear pears,

       And cherries all black

       To Scouvion!”

This is known in Britain as wassailing the fruit, but there it was only done with apple trees.

  Nicholas Culpeper, the English herbalist, writing his Herball in the 17^th century, had this to say of cherry trees: -

“Government and virtues. It is a tree of Venus. Cherries, as they are of different tastes, so they are of different qualities. The sweet pass through the stomach and the belly more speedily, but are of little nourishment; the tart or sour are more pleasing to an hot stomach, procure appetite to meat, and help to cut tough phlegm and gross humours; but when these are dried, they are more binding to the belly than when they are fresh, being cooling in hot diseases, and welcome to the stomach, and provoke urine. The gum of the cherry-tree, dissolved in wine, is good for a cold, cough, and hoarseness of the throat; mendeth the colour in the face, sharpeneth the eyesight, provoketh appetite, and helpeth to break and expel the stone; the black cherries bruised with the stones, and dissolved, the water thereof is much used to break the stone, and to expel gravel and wind.”

AMERICAN WILD BLACK CHERRY- HEALTH BENEFITS AND USES OF WILD BLACK CHERRY TREE

AMERICAN WILD CHERRY, PRUNUS SEROTINA 

The American wild black cherry is also known botanically as Prunus capuli, Cerasus capollin and Prunus salicifolia. It is related to other cherries, such as the morello cherry and as a member of the Rosaceae family it is a relation of the soft fruits; apricots, peaches, plums, loquats, raspberries, medlars as well as apples, pears, quinces, almonds, and a whole host of other fruit trees such as the blackthorn which produces sloes..It is also a relation of plants such as the silverweed, Alpine Lady's Mantle, Avens, Water Avens, cinquefoil and the rose and dog rose.

  It gets the name serotina because it is a late flowering tree, as far as cherry trees are concerned. It has long clusters of flowers which bloom between the months of May and June, and the fruit ripen between in September, when they turn from red to black. This is of course much later than other cherry trees whose fruit is ripe in June or July.      

   This is the only native cherry tree in the US which is used commercially  The early Appalachian pioneers used the ripe fruit to flavour their rum and brandy, giving rise to another name for the cherry - the rum cherry. It is also called the Mountain black cherry and the fruit is called black choke. Native American used these trees for medicinal purposes as well as for nutrition.                                                                                                                 

  The leaves contain prunasin (a cyanogenic glycoside) and when crushed emit a cherry-like aroma of cyanide. This is converted to hydrogen-cyanide, which, in small amounts can stimulate the respiration and improve digestion. It has also been claimed that it is beneficial in the treatment of cancer. However in larger amounts in can cause respiratory failure and death. The seeds should not be eaten as these too contain the substance.

  The trees can produce cherries for a hundred years, and are fast-growing to about 90 feet and 50 feet wide, towering above the other trees such as the sugar maple and beech, in the forests where they grow. The fruit can be used to make pies, jellies and wine, as well as ice cream. They are used commercially to flavour soft drinks, in baked products and so on as well as to flavour vodka.

The root bark and inner bark were used by many Native Americans.These have astringent properties, and were used as infusions for diarrhoea, fever, coughs, colds, sore throats and many other ailments. The root bark and inner bark should be steeped in warm water and not boiled for an infusion as boiling destroys the medicinal properties. A tisane of the root bark and inner bark was used by many Native Americans in the fist stages of labour to ease the pains, as it has sedative properties. The fruit was used as a treatment for dysentery.                                                                                         

   A lotion made from the root bark was used as a wash to clean old wounds and sores. The fruits have antioxidant properties and are low in calories, although have a high natural sugar content.

  The wood from these wild cherry trees is beautiful when polished and is used for furniture, cabinet-making and for the interior finish of buildings. It is also used to make small items such as toys, as well as to make musical instruments. The wood is also used for smoking food to impart its own unique flavour.

  A green dye is obtained from the leaves, and the fruit will produce a dark-grey to green dye.

  The trees were introduced to Central Europe as ornamentals and now they are becoming invasive in forests in Germany, Belgium, France and The Netherlands. An instance of a North American tree being an invasive species; usually the US has invasive species from Europe causing havoc to its ecosystems and biodiversity.

STORK'S BILL, EDIBLE AND MEDICINAL: HEALTH BENEFITS AND USES OF STORK'S BILL

STORK’S BILL, ERODIUM CICUTARIUM  

Stork’s bill is a member of the Geraniaceae or geranium family, making it a relative of the wild geranium. It is native to Europe, including Britain, North Africa, the Himalayan region and Japan. It was introduced into North and South America by the Spaniards, and is now classed as an invasive weed. It grows to around two feet tall and flowers between June and September, with the seeds ripening between August and October.

  It is similar to the Crane’s bill (wild geranium) and in Britain it is sometimes called the Hemlock Stork’s Bill. (However it is not related to hemlock and does not have its toxic properties.)                                                                                                             

  The young leaves and stems may be eaten raw and added to salads, as they taste a little like parsley when young and tender. They can also be used like spinach and Kang Kong (water spinach), and may be added to soups stews and so on to enhance their flavour. Children often chew the root as you do chewing gum. It is best to harvest the leaves and root before the plant comes into flower. They can be used fresh or fried for later use, although you should check on the conservation status of the plant in your locality before uprooting them.

  The root and leaves are the main parts used in traditional medicine and breast-feeding mothers eat these to increase their milk flow. Externally the decoction of the root is used as an antidote to bites, and to soothe the pain from them; it is also useful for skin infections. In the past an infusion if the plant was used as a remedy for typhoid fever.

  If you suffer from rheumatism you may want to steep the leaves in your bath water to gain some relief from the pain.

  The plant is said to control bleeding (it’s haemostatic) and is used in Mexico to decrease the bleeding after child-birth, and to prevent infection. It has astringent properties as well as antioxidant ones. In Peru it is used by traditional healers to regulate blood pressure (both high and low).                     

  According to one study the plant may have some antiviral properties, but more research is needed.

  The tisane or infusion made from the root and leaves is used to reduce inflammation, and the hot moist leaves may be used in a poultice to reduce swelling.                                                         

  In the Bach Flower remedies the crane’s bill is used to relieve obsessive anxiety or worrying and for those who give disproportionate attention to trivial events and small problems. It is said to help them gain a wider and truer perspective on issues which to so many of us are routine events. It helps such people to spend less time worrying about things which they have blown up out of all proportion.

  When the Stork's bill is growing in arid conditions, the stem may be red, giving rise to the name the Red-Stem Stork's Bill, although if it is growing in more moist conditions it will have a green stem. A green dye is obtained from the whole plant.

  The plant is also called Pin clover or Pin grass (it is no relation to clover) because of its long, thin seed capsules. The seeds have a helix-shaped bristly hairs attached to them and these help them to be dispersed as they stick to the hair of goats and other browsing animals, and to birds’ feathers. The hair also has a corkscrew action which buries the seed in the ground. The hairs are also interesting as they twist or uncurl depending on the humidity in the atmosphere, making them one of nature’s barometers.

COMMON BROOMRAPE : HISTORY OF HEALTH BENEFITS OF BROOMRAPE

COMMON BROOMRAPE, OROBANCHE MINOR 

Common broomrape is native to southern Europe and has colonized in Britain and North America. It was first noted in Oregon in 1923 and since then it has increased its population size so much so that it is listed as a noxious weed.

 This plant is a complete parasite, lacking chlorophyll. It seems to prefer to live on red or white clover or wild carrot plants, while others live on specific plants such as thyme or thistle and are called after their hosts, for example, thyme broomrape. As a member of the Orobanchiaceae family it is a relative of red and yellow rattle, which are only semi-parasitic.

  Common broomrape may be brown, yellow or purple, or other colours within this broad spectrum. They flower in May and will be in bloom until the end of August. The plant has astringent properties, which explains why it was used in traditional medicine for wound healing.                                                                                                                      

  The English herbalist, Nicholas Culpeper, writing in his Herball in the 17^th century has this to say of the medicinal benefits and uses of broomrape: -

“The broom-rape also is not without its virtues. The decoction thereof in wine, is thought to be as effectual to void the stone in the kidney and bladder, and to provoke urine, as the broom itself. The juice thereof is a singular good help to cure as well green wounds as old and filthy sores and malignant ulcers; the insolate oil, wherein there has been three or four repetitions of infusion of the top stalks with the flowers strained and cleared, cleanseth the skin from all manner of spots, marks, and freckles, that arise either by the heat of the sun, or the malignity of humours. As for the broom and broom-rape, Mars owns them; and it is exceeding prejudicial to the liver. I suppose by reason of the antipathy between Jupiter and Mars: therefore, if the liver be disaffected, administer none of it.”

  Culpeper describes the broomrape in this way:-

“The broom-rape springeth up in many places from the roots of the broom, but more often in fields, or by hedge-sides, and on heaths. The stalk thereof is of the bigness of a finger or thumb, above two feet high, having a show of leaves on them, and many flowers at the top, of a deadish yellow colour, as also the stalks and leaves are.”

  He seems not to have realized its parasitic nature, and that it grows in “fields…hedgerows and on heaths” where there are plants such as red clover for it to live off. Interestingly, the crimson clover seems not to be to the liking of broomrape.                                                             

  Most of the research that has been done on this plant is because it is a weed, and not because it may have health benefits for us, so whether Culpeper’s herbal wisdom is sound has yet to be proved one way or another as far as broomrape is concerned.

WILD GERANIUM OR SPOTTED CRANESBILL- HISTORY OF HEALTH BENEFITS AND USES OF WILD GERANIUM

WILD GERANIUM, SPOTTED CRANESBILL, SPOTTED GERANIUM, GERANIUM MACULATUM

This wild geranium is native to eastern North America and can be found in wet or damp places, in swamps, marshes, moist woodlands and meadows. It is a member of the Geraniaceae family of plants.

  This wild geranium can grow to heights of around two feet, and may have pink, lilac rose-purple or pale violet flowers, and sometimes, but more rarely, white ones. It is also called, in different areas, alum root (but it has no relation to alum or to Heuchera glabella which is also called alumroot). Geranium comes from the Greek, geranos meaning crane, and Cranesbill refers to the seed-like capsules.                                

  It was used by Native Americans for STDs and for diarrhoea, and the herb became a favourite herbal remedy for the early settlers. Boiled in milk, the root is said to be effective against diarrhoea in children. The boiled root was also used for toothache and crushed to a paste applied to piles. The plant became official in the US pharmacopoeia between the years 1820 and 1990, and is believed to be valuable for dysentery, for the stomach, and Irritable Bowel Syndrome, and was used to staunch haemorrhages in the lungs, uterus, bowels and stomach as well as being used for excessive nosebleeds. It is supposed to be good for cancer of the stomach, but there have been few clinical trials carried out on this plant.

  A lotion made from the root was applied to runny eyes and the root, with cayenne pepper was made into a decoction for typhoid fever and childhood cholera. In the 19^th century the root was used as a remedy for gastric ulcers, to relieve pain and perhaps to cure them. An infusion of the root was given for kidney troubles and to stop a heavy menstrual flow and for period irregularities in general.

  It is deemed best to harvest the root just before it comes into flower, which it does in April, blooming until July. The root is at its most potent medicinally before the flowers bloom.                                                                           

  The whole plant, especially the root is considered an astringent as the leaves and root are tannin-rich, so it is a good wound healer, and useful for loose bowel movements. It is also a useful diuretic and has been used as a general tonic.

  Externally the root has been used not only for piles, but also for thrush and vaginal infections as well as mouth inflammations.

  When combined with Geum urbanum, avens, comfrey (Symphytum officinale) and Agrimonia eupatoria, common agrimony it is said to be effective for stomach problems especially for peptic ulcers.

  However the traditional uses of this plant have yet to be supported by clinical research.

  

SAVINE INFORMATION: HISTORY OF USES AND HEALTH BENEFITS OF SAVINE

SAVINE, JUNIPERUS SABINA 

Savine has leaves like those of the common juniper, whose berries are used in cooking. It is a member of the Cupressaceae family and as such is related to the cedars, junipers and redwoods. It is an evergreen shrub.

  At one time it was studied for its cytotoxic effects, but studies were not conclusive and the discovery of taxol in yew trees (Himalayan yew for example) meant that it was no longer studied.

  The plant is used by gardeners as ground cover, and so it has spread from its native regions of Central and southern Europe and North America, to the rest of the world.                                                                              

  The young shoots have been used as an abortifacient, diuretic and emetic to provoke purging. It has also been used to promote a woman’s menstrual flow. However it is toxic and an irritant to tissues so is not recommended for use.

   It was usually used in the form of an ointment and mixed with verdigris the powdered leaves were used to get rid of warts. The ointment was used to promote discharge from blisters on the skin.

  The leaves have been used as an insect repellant and a decoction of these was used to get rid of body and head lice. The essential oil obtained from the shoots and leaves is used in perfumery.

  The 17^th century English herbalist, Nicholas Culpeper has this to say about its uses:-

“Government and virtues. It is under the dominion of Mars, being hot and dry in the third degree, and being of exceeding clean parts, is of a very digesting quality. It is hot and dry, opening and attenuating, and a powerful provoker of the catamenia, causing abortion and expelling the birth; it is very good to destroy worms in children. *Mr. Ray comments the juice of it mixed with milk, and sweetened with sugar, as an excellent medicine for that purpose; beaten into a cataplasm with hog's lard, it cures children's scabby heads. It is a most powerful detersive, and has so violent an effect upon the uterine passages if used imprudently, that wicked women have used it to very ill purposes. It is a very fine opener of obstructions of any kind, whence in compositions for the jaundice, dropsy, scurvy, rheumatism, &c. it makes a very useful ingredient. It is also an enemy to worms, and its chymical oil rubbed upon the navel of children, has often a wonderful effect in expelling them. It deserves the high regard of surgeons, as it is a very potent scourer and cleanser of old sordid stinking ulcers, whether used in lotions, fomentations, ointments, or even the powder only mixt with honey.”                                                       

* Mr. Ray (1627-17050 wrote the Historia Plantarium, published in three volumes between 1686 and 1704. He was an English naturalist and botanist who was responsible for establishing the species as the “ultimate unit of taxonomy” according to the Encyclopaedia Britannica.

BLUE COHOSH - WOMAN'S HERB BUT NOT RECOMMENDED FOR USE: HISTORY OF HEALTH BENEFITS OF BLUE COHOSH

BLUE COHOSH, CAULOPHYLLUM THALICTROIDES 

Blue cohosh is native to North America, but is no relation to black cohosh (Cimicihiga racemosa). It is a member of the Berberidaceae family and so is related to the common barberry or rasout and to kashmal, the berberry, as well as to another North American native plant, the Oregon grape.

  It is also called papoose root, as Native Americans used to drink an infusion of this two weeks before their babies were due in order to have an easier birth. The plant acts on the uterus and has been used to promote the menstrual flow and to regulate period. It has oestrogen-like effects and so should not be used by women who should not take the contraceptive pill.                                                              

  The root is the main part used, whether fresh or dried, but this must be used only under the close supervision of a physician as it can cause many side effects. People with diabetes, heart problems, pregnant women and diarrhoea should not take this herb as a medication.

  The seeds have been used roasted, as a coffee substitute, as dandelion root and chicory have been used. The flowers were used by Native American women to induce labour and menstruation. However these only bloom between the months of April and May.

  The blue cohosh plant can grow to heights of three feet, and has either yellow-green or burgundy-purple flowers. These give way to blue-black berries with seeds ripening in September. Because of the berries similarity to blueberries, the plant is also known as blueberry root, and it has other names too, such as yellow or blue ginseng, and beech drops.

  The medical establishment advises that this plant is unsafe to use, especially as there are safer herbs to help with female problems such as the Chaste tree, the small-flowered chaste tree, and black cohosh among many others.

  It is believed that the saponin, caulosaponin is responsible for the plants action on the uterus, although it may be that the action is contributed to by other alkaloids present in the plant. Not very much research has been done into it.

  In traditional medicine this plant has been used for the treatment of gout, arthritis and rheumatic pains as it is thought to have an anti-inflammatory action. The root has been used to get rid of intestinal worms, to promote sweat in fevers and as a diuretic, although, of course, there are safer alternatives to use for the same effects.                                                                        

  Basically the information here is for interest’s sake; it is not considered safe to use this herb.