* Remember to always consult a doctor if you plan to medicate with natural plants.
Wonder Plant #009 - Witch Hazel (Hamamelis Virginiana), recommended by doctors
Early American settlers used Witch Hazel's forked branches to search for water and gold. You know these old tales of people looking for water wells with a "Y" shaped branch? Well, it's actually still going on to this day. I actually saw a someone using this technique a few years back when my parents had a well dug on their property. It looks like this:
Hazel Witch is also called Hazel Nut, Snapping Hazel and Winterbloom. It is a deciduous* shrub that can grow up to 15 feet tall. It is a popular ingredient of modern herbal remedies. As a matter of fact, more than a million gallons of Witch Hazel water are sold each year in the USA, making it one of the most popular herbal remedies. If you are wondering why it's name has "witch" in it. It comes from the medieval English word "wych" that means flexible. It's branches were often used to make bows by First Nations.
*Deciduous: falling off or shed seasonally or at a certain stage of development in the life cycle.
Properties and uses:
- Soothe skin irritation
- Heal minor wounds
- Treat hemorrhoids
- Astringent: causing a tightening of soft organic tissues.
- Hemostatic: anti-hemorrhagic
- Sedative
- Tonic
- Treat diarrhea
- Vaginal douches
- Bark has sedative and hemostatic properties
Preparation and dosage:
- Decoction: boil 1 tsp. of barks and/or leaves in 1 cup of water. Use 1 cup a day.
- Tincture: 5-20 drops
- Ointment: 9 parts of base for 1 part of fluid extract.
Useful links:
- Witch Hazel - University of Illinois
- Common Witch Hazel - University of Kentucky
- Witch Hazel - University of Michigan
Sources:
- All definitions were taken for the Merriam Webster website: https://www.merriam-webster.com
- Prevention Magazine Health Books. Complete Book of Medicinal Cures. 1994. Berkley Health Reference. p387.
- Lust, John. The Herb Book. 1974. Bantham Books. p. 406.
Pictures (in order of appearance):
- vopros-remont.ru/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/54684866468.jpg
- media.licdn.com/mpr/mpr/shrinknp_800_800/AAEAAQAAAAAAAAiGAAAAJDdiZjRlOThhLTNmOWMtNDZlOC1iYzFiLWE2ZjUwY2FmZjRjNg.jpg
- eleganceandbeautyreviews.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/skin-care-benefits-for-witch-hazel-1.jpg