Buckthorn

Parts Usually Used

Rhamnus frangula L. Bark, fruit Rhamnus cathartica L. Fruit

Description of Plant(s) and Culture

Rhamnus frangula L. Buckthorn, a shrub to 20 feet, or a tree to 25 feet; the spreading, thornless branches have green bark when young, turning to brownish-gray when older. The light olive-green leaves are alternate, obovate, slightly toothed or entire, and glabrous. The 5-petaled, green flowers grow in axillary clusters, 2-6 flowers per axil. The fruit is a 3-seeded berry-like drupe that turns from green through red to purplish-black and has a greenish-brown pulp.

Rhamnus cathartica L. Common buckthorn is a deciduous shrub, up to 12 feet high; its branchlets are usually tipped with sharp spines; and its opposite pairs or elliptic, crenate-serrate leaves grow in opposite pairs on the stems and branches. In May and June, small, greenish or yellowish flowers appear in two-to-five-flowered axillary clusters. The fruit is a black, fleshy berry-like drupe.

Another variety: Cascara sagrada (R. purshiana)

Where Found

Rhamnus frangula L. Found in Europe, Asia, and eastern United States; in hedges, thickets, at edges of woods. Rhamnus cathartica L. Found in swamps and damp places in northern and northeastern United States, as well as Europe.

Medicinal Properties

Rhamnus frangula L. Purgative, diuretic, emetic, vermifuge (fruit is purgative) Rhamnus cathartica L. Diuretic, purgative, alterative

Biochemical Information

Rhamnus cathartica L. Various glycosides, rhamnoemodine and shesterine in the fruits; the bark contains rhamnicoside

Legends, Myths and Stories

Buckthorn berries are used as dye for different purposes. Picked unripe, the berries, kept dry, are called Sappe berries; steeped in alum water gives a yellow dye (used by painters, bookbinders to color the edges of books, and leather craftsmen. Picked when they are black make a green dye if they are bruised and put in a brass or copper kettle for 3-4 days, some alum added and mixture heated a little, then dried.

The third color is purple, made from berries ripened on the vine to maturity, usually until the end of November and are ready to drop off.

Uses

Herbalists historically employed Rhamnus frangula L. for constipation, believing it operated gently compared to other purgatives. Traditional practitioners also utilized it for complaints concerning the liver, gallbladder, colic, obesity, dropsy, and hemorrhoids. The bark was sometimes steeped in wine to serve as a laxative. , or common buckthorn, were used in folk medicine as a purgative for chronic constipation, consumed dried, brewed as an infusion, or prepared into a syrup from fresh berries.

Historical accounts noted that hot preparations were administered to promote perspiration and address fevers. Traditional herbals also recommended the berries for gallstones, lead poisoning, gout, rheumatism, dropsy, and internal parasites. Topically, herbalists applied buckthorn ointments with the intention of addressing skin diseases, itching, and warts.

Bibliography

The Herb Book , by John Lust, Bantam Books, 666 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY. copyright 1974. , Loma Linda, CA 92354, Original copyright 1939, revised edition 1994 Eastern/Central Medicinal Plants , by Steven Foster and James A. , Houghton Mifflin Company, 215 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10000 The Nature Doctor: A Manual of Traditional and Complementary Medicine , by Dr. A. , 27 Pine Street (Box 876) New Canaan, CT.

06840-0876. Copyright Verlag A. Vogel, Teufen (AR) Switzerland 1952, 1991 Herbal Recipes , by David C. Meyer, Meyerbooks, publisher, PO Box 427, Glenwood, Illinois 60425, copyright 1978, seventh printing, August 1996 Indian Uses of Native Plants , by Edith Van Allen Murphey, Meyerbooks, publisher, PO Box 427, Glenwood, Illinois 60425, copyright 1958, print 1990 Chinese Medicinal Herbs , compiled by Shih-Chen Li, Georgetown Press, San Francisco, California, 1973.

, Lotus Press, PO Box 325, Twin Lakes. , 15 Columbus Circle, New York, NY 10023