When winter brings the cold and flu season, the natural world offers some powerful remedies to help you stay healthy.
One of the most effective and often overlooked sources of healing comes from trees, particularly their bark. This protective covering contains active ingredients that are often more concentrated in higher amounts than in other parts of the tree.
Here are seven medicinal bark trees used for centuries and how you can use them today to stay well through the colder season.
1. Black Cherry (Prunus serotina)
Black Cherry trees have been used for centuries by Native Americans, who utilized the inner bark, roots, stems, and fruits to treat many conditions, including colds, coughs, cholera, and skin sores.
These parts of the tree were prepared in different ways, often as teas or poultices. When settlers arrived, they used the fruit and bark of Black Cherries to flavor rum and make a popular drink known as cherry bounce.
The main medicinal product of the Black Cherry tree is its bark. Young trees are stripped of their bark, which is then separated into the corky outer bark and the inner bark.
The inner bark is dried, ground, and used in making soothing remedies like lozenges or tablets for coughs or respiratory issues. (ref)
2. Cinchona Tree (Cinchona spp.)
This tree’s bark contains quinine, a compound that has been used for centuries to treat malaria, particularly the type caused by the Plasmodium parasite. Native to South America, the tree’s bark became so important in medicine that it was even called “the fever tree.”
While synthetic alternatives are available today, such as chloroquine, quinine is still a key ingredient for treating malaria, especially in places with limited healthcare infrastructure. (ref)
3. English Oak (Quercus robur)
A study on oak bark found that extracts from the bark can have varying antibacterial effects. The bark was most effective against bacteria like Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus, making it useful for treating those infections.
Extracts made with acetone and ethanol (at 30%) worked best, though the 70% acetone extract also showed effectiveness against all tested bacteria. (ref)
Oak bark has a long history of use by Native Americans and early settlers. The oak tree’s bark, leaves, and other parts were often boiled into teas or used in poultices to treat wounds or infections.
4. Pepper-bark Tree (Warburgia salutaris)
The Pepper-bark Tre, native to southern Africa, has an IUCN endangered status (ref) but has been valued for its medicinal properties. In ancient times, the inner bark was used to treat a wide range of conditions, including malaria, colds, coughs, stomach aches, diarrhea, and muscle pains.
People would dry the bark, grind it into snuff to clear sinuses, or chew and smoke it to help with chest problems. The stem and root bark acted as an expectorant, and the leaves were used in infusions to treat rheumatism.
People chewed dried bark or drank its juice. for general body aches or stomach issues, and fresh roots were boiled to prevent diarrhea. Leaf decoction baths were used for skin diseases; in some cases, a decoction from the bark, roots, or leaves was used to treat malaria. (ref)
5. Willow (Salix spp.)
Modern research confirms the black willow bark’s positive effects on pain relief, especially for arthritis. Studies suggest willow bark extract can help reduce pain and improve joint function in conditions like osteoarthritis and other types of joint pain, though results may vary. (ref)
Willow bark was used as a pain remedy, and it was often made into teas or poultices to reduce inflammation and relieve discomfort.
6. Sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua)
The Sweetgum tree contains shikimic acid in its sap, leaves, bark, and seeds, a key ingredient used in the production of Tamiflu®, an antiviral drug. Historically, sweetgum extracts have been used for various medicinal purposes. (ref)
The sap has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and chemopreventive properties. It has been shown to reduce hypertension in animals and may even have anticonvulsant effects, making it potentially useful in treating conditions like epilepsy.
Sweetgum sap also has antifungal properties and has been effective against pests such as nematodes and mosquitoes, showing its potential as an eco-friendly pesticide. Native Americans and settlers used it for a range of ailments, including to treat wounds and infections.
7. Slippery Elm (Ulmus rubra)
Known for its healing properties, the slippery elm’s inner bark can be stripped from the tree’s outer bark. Historically, people used it to treat sore throats by making lozenges, or as a pill for digestive issues like upset stomachs.
It was also used in ointments or creams to soothe irritated tissue like skin rashes and wounds and is still used today for similar purposes.
Unlike the American Elm, slippery elm is less susceptible to Dutch Elm disease, making it a more reliable resource in modern times. (ref)
Whether you’re looking to ease discomfort or strengthen your defenses against the cold season, these trees provide powerful remedies from nature. Remember, when using medicinal barks, it’s important to follow proper preparation methods and consult with a healthcare professional if you have concerns.
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Nancy has been a plant person from an early age. That interest blossomed into a bachelor’s in biology from Elmira College and a master’s degree in horticulture and communications from the University of Kentucky. Nancy worked in plant taxonomy at the University of Florida and the L. H. Bailey Hortorium at Cornell University, and wrote and edited gardening books at Rodale Press in Emmaus, PA. Her interests are plant identification, gardening, hiking, and reading.