Mezereon
Parts Usually Used
Bark
Description of Plant(s) and Culture
Mezereon is a small, European and Asian shrub; the stems have tough, leathery, gray-brown bark and bear alternate, smooth, lanceolate leaves. The rose-purple fragrant flowers appear on the branches in lateral clusters from February to April, before the leaves appear. The fruit is a red berry.
Where Found
Has escaped from cultivation to grow wild in thickets and open woods in the northeastern states of the United States and eastern Canada.
Medicinal Properties
Cathartic, diuretic, emetic, rubefacient, stimulant
Uses
Historically, mezereon was employed as a purgative. Homeopathic practitioners prepared remedies from the bark for skin complaints as well as respiratory and digestive ailments. Traditional accounts also noted its application for cutaneous eruptions.
Warning
The entire plant is poisonous, and 3 or 4 berries can kill a person. People have even been poisoned by eating birds that had eaten the berries. Never use without medical supervision under any circumstances.
Bibliography
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 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