Black Cherry
Parts Usually Used
Dried inner bark. (Leaves and seeds are poisonous)
Description of Plant(s) and Culture
A deciduous tree that grows 40-90 feet tall. The bark is rough, dark gray fissured to expose inner reddish bark beneath. The leaves are oval to lance-shaped, blunt-toothed margins; smooth above, pale beneath, with whitish brown hairs on the prominent midrib. The flowers are in dense drooping slender racemes or spikes, blooms April to June. Fruits are strings of small, juicy cherries, dark red turning black, at times nearly black cherries.
Best known for its highly valued and beautiful wood.
Where Found
Dry woods. Nova Scotia to Florida; Texas to North Dakota; Minnesota. The cherry tree is a native of Asia and was brought to Italy in the first century BC.
Medicinal Properties
Alterative, astringent, sedative, anti-tussive, digestive, expectorant, carminative, antispasmodic, diuretic
Legends, Myths and Stories
Wild Cherry bark is an aromatic bitter, popular both in the form of a decoction or steeped in whiskey, brandy or wine. As an infusion, the bark should NOT be boiled, as it destroys much of the virtues.
Uses
Historically, the aromatic inner bark was prepared as a tea or syrup for respiratory complaints, including coughs, colds, flu, laryngitis, bronchial spasms, bronchitis, sore throats, and asthma. Traditional herbalists also administered it as a "blood tonic" and for conditions such as fevers, elevated blood pressure, colic, edema, arthritis, diarrhea, eye inflammation, and dyspepsia.
In folk practice, it was regarded as an expectorant, a mild sedative, and a remedy for general debility accompanied by poor circulation, loss of appetite, or persistent coughing. Additionally, the fruits were historically utilized as a substitute for cherries.
How Sold
Supermarket (fruits)
Warning
Bark, leaves, and seeds contain a cyanide-like glycoside, puransin, which converts (when digested) to the Highly Toxic hydrocyanic acid. Toxins are most abundant in bark harvested in the fall. Should be used only under medical supervision.
Bibliography
, Loma Linda, CA 92354, Original copyright 1939, revised edition 1994 The Herb Book , by John Lust, Bantam Books, 666 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY. copyright 1974. The Complete Medicinal Herbal , by Penelope Ody, Dorling Kindersley, Inc, 232 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016, First American Edition, copyright 1993 Indian Herbalogy of North America , by Alma R. , Horticultural Hall, 300 Massachusetts Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, 1973 The Herbalist Almanac , by Clarence Meyer, Meyerbooks, publisher, PO Box 427, Glenwood, Illinois 60425, copyright 1988, fifth printing, 1994 Culpeper’s Complete Herbal & English Physician: Updated With 117 Modern Herbs , by Nicholas Culpeper, Meyerbooks, publisher, PO Box 427, Glenwood, Illinois 60425, 1990, (reprint of 1814) Eastern/Central Medicinal Plants , by Steven Foster and James A.
, Houghton Mifflin Company, 215 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10000 An Instant Guide to Medicinal Plants , by Pamela Forey and Ruth Lindsay, Crescent Books (January 27, 1992). Old Ways Rediscovered , by Clarence Meyer, Meyerbooks, publisher, PO Box 427, Glenwood, Illinois 60425, published from 1954, print 1988 The Yoga of Herbs: An Ayurvedic Guide to Herbal Medicine , by Dr. David Frawley & Dr.
Vasant Lad, Lotus Press, Twin Lakes, Wisconsin, Second edition, 1988. , 180 Varick Street, New York, NY 10014, first printed by the United States Government Printing Office, Washington, in 1928, this Dover edition 1974 American Folk Medicine , by Clarence Meyer, Meyerbooks, publisher, PO Box 427, Glenwood, Illinois 60425, 1973