Privet
Parts Usually Used
Leaves, bark
Description of Plant(s) and Culture
Privet is a deciduous shrub; grows to 15 feet in the natural state, the stems bear dark green, opposite, oblong-ovate to lanceolate leaves 1 or 2 inches long and about 1/2 as wide. The small, white, funnelform flowers grow in dense, pyramidal panicles during June and July. The fruit is a shiny black berry.
Where Found
Grows wild in southern Europe, northern Africa, and western Asia and is commonly cultivated as a hedge plant in parks and gardens in North America.
Medicinal Properties
Astringent, bitter
Biochemical Information
Oleanolic, palmitic, linoleic and ursolic acids, mannitol and glucose, starch, bitter resin, bitter extractive, albumen, salts, and a peculiar substance called ligustrin
Legends, Myths and Stories
The genus Ligustrum, of the olive family (Oleaceae) comprises approximately 50 species.
Uses
Historically, herbalists prepared a decoction of the leaves or bark for diarrhea and chronic bowel complaints. It was also employed as a topical wash for skin conditions, as well as a mouthwash, gargle, and vaginal douche. Additionally, traditional practitioners utilized a tea brewed from the plant as a bitter tonic intended to stimulate the appetite and aid digestion.
Warning
The berries are poisonous; children have died from eating them.
Bibliography
American Folk Medicine , by Clarence Meyer, Meyerbooks, publisher, PO Box 427, Glenwood, Illinois 60425, 1973 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) The Herb Book , by John Lust, Bantam Books, 666 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY. copyright 1974.
Indian Herbalogy of North America , by Alma R. , Lotus Press, PO Box 325, Twin Lakes. , 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