Magnolia

Parts Usually Used

Bark

Description of Plant(s) and Culture

Magnolia is an evergreen tree; it has smooth, ash-colored bark and soft, leathery leaves which are alternate, elliptical, glossy bright green on op, and pale underneath. The large, distinctive flowers are cream-colored and appear from May to August. Other varieties: Cucumber Magnolia (M. acuminata); Sweetbay (M. virginiana); (M. tripetata); (M. lilifora); (M. officinalis).

Where Found

Found in the Atlantic and Gulf coast states.

Medicinal Properties

Astringent, diaphoretic, febrifuge, stimulant, tonic, aromatic, antiperiodic

Uses

Historically, herbalists recommended magnolia bark for dyspepsia, diarrhea, and intermittent fever, as well as for rheumatism and various skin afflictions. In traditional practice, it was also employed as a douche for leukorrhea and drunk as a tea by individuals seeking to abandon the tobacco habit. Nineteenth-century herbal sources often promoted magnolia bark as a domestic substitute for Peruvian bark and quinine.

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 Chinese Medicinal Herbs , compiled by Shih-Chen Li, Georgetown Press, San Francisco, California, 1973. Eastern/Central Medicinal Plants , by Steven Foster and James A. , Pantheon Books, Knopf Publishing Group, New York, 1994, first edition 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.

, Lotus Press, PO Box 325, Twin Lakes. , West Nyack, NY, 1987. , 15 Columbus Circle, New York, NY 10023 The Rodale Herb Book: How to Use, Grow, and Buy Nature’s Miracle Plants (An Organic gardening and farming book) , edited by William H. Hylton, Rodale Press, Inc. , 1974