Guaiac
Parts Usually Used
Resin
Description of Plant(s) and Culture
Guaiac is the resin from a tree; the crooked trunk grows 30-40 feet high and provides lignum vitae, the olive-brown, heavy, very hard wood which contains the oily resin.
Where Found
Grows in the West Indies, Mexico, Central America, and northern South America.
Medicinal Properties
Antiseptic, diaphoretic, diuretic, stimulant
Legends, Myths and Stories
In Paracelsus’ time, merchants brought home a sort of wood that was said to contain a medicinal resin. This wood was extraordinary because it sank in water, obviously being heavier than water, and this made it different from any other wood known at the time. It was found in the West Indies and South America and, when heated, a resin flowed from it that became a remedy for consumption.
Uses
Historically, herbalists employed guaiac for conditions such as gout, rheumatism, fever, catarrh, sore throat, and skin diseases. Traditional practitioners administered a decoction of the wood, maintaining warmth to encourage perspiration or keeping the individual cool to promote diuretic activity.
Warning
Avoid during pregnancy.
Bibliography
American Folk Medicine , by Clarence Meyer, Meyerbooks, publisher, PO Box 427, Glenwood, Illinois 60425, 1973 The Complete Medicinal Herbal , by Penelope Ody, Dorling Kindersley, Inc, 232 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016, First American Edition, copyright 1993 The Herb Book , by John Lust, Bantam Books, 666 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY. copyright 1974. 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. , 15 Columbus Circle, New York, NY 10023