CHERRY BARK

Medicinal Uses

fevers

colds

coughs

sore throat

headaches

whooping cough

bronchitis

tuberculosis

pneumonia

other lung problems

diarrhea

gastritis

colitis

flatulence

constipation

irritable bowel syndrome

gout

digestive disorder

indigestion

chronic sinus inflammation

allergies

pain

cancer

eases labor pains

blood tonic

astringent wash for sores and ulcers

parasites

disinfect and dress burns, cuts, wounds, and ulcers, and for cholera

dysentery

dyspepsia

measles

hypertension

ease cramping

Wild cherry contains the substances amygdalin and prunasin, which in the body breaks down into hydrocyanic acid, which although toxic in large amounts, in small amounts can increase respiration, improve digestion, inhibit the development of cancer cells, and improve mood.
Used as an astringent to stop bleeding, diarrhea and hemorrhoids
Wild cherry is indicated for an “excited tissue state” (Wood, 2008), meaning heat, redness, inflammation, and tenderness.
Wild cherry is considered a general restorative in the case of chronic illness such as bronchitis or during convalescence from illness.
Matthew Wood (2008) declares that “Wild Cherry is the American Indian version of Crataegus (Hawthorn).
Wild cherry’s nervine, sedative action helps slow circulation and heart rate, relieving palpitations and arrhythmia.
By repairing irritation in the capillaries, the anti-inflammatory flavonoids in wild cherry eliminate circulatory congestion and heat, redness, tenderness, and rapid heartbeat; together with cyanogens, which reduce cellular heat, flavonoids which exert a noticeable cooling effect (Wood, 2008).
Wild cherry has a dual nature in that it can also be warming to those with cold skin and poor circulation to the extremities (Wood, 2008).
As Peter Holmes explains, “wild cherry can speed recovery by recouping lost forces, strengthening the heart, kindling the appetite, and clearing any remaining heat in the skin” (Holmes, 1997).
Many caution against its use for pregnant mothers and children under two years of age, but Native Americans used wild cherry to ease labor pains and gave it to nursing mothers who “drank the tea to pass the medicinal effects on to their infants.”
It can also be used as a digestive stimulant and for the treatment of jaundice.
The same properties that calm dry irritable coughs is also effective for nervous palpitations so that wild cherry bark serves as a mild sedative to the circulatory and nervous systems as well as other mucosal surfaces including those of the gastro intestinal and urinary tracts.
Externally, fomentations of the tea of the bark can be applied to allay pain and promote the healing of inflammation associated with injuries and burns.
David Hoffmann recommends an ointment as a treatment for hemorrhoids and cuts.
The anti-inflammatory properties of wild cherry bark has been found particularly effective as an eyewash for inflamed eyes.
Eyewash for inflamed, puffy eyes and or as a cream to help soothe skin problems such as eczema, psoriasis, acne, and rashes.

Constituents

cyanogenic glycosides (prunasin and amygdalin)
flavonoids
benzaldehyde
volatile oils
plant acids
tannins
acetylcholine
hcn
kaempferol
quercetin
scopoletin
coumarins
gallitannins
scopoletin
resin
calcium, potassium, iron, zinc and magnesium

Energetics/ Organoleptics

ENERGETICS: cooling, warming and drying
TASTE: sweet, bitter, and pungent
CHAKRAS: Wild cherry is an ally for the heart and sacral chakras, as it is sweet, loving, nurturing, and sensual It helps open the heart, making space to lovingly communicate with and receive from others.
ELEMENTS: Wild cherry is associated with feminine energies and is categorized as both an earth and water element.
PLANET: planetary influence is Venus.

Contradictions

Do not use in cases of severe infection.
David Hoffmann (2003) states “theoretically, large doses of wild cherry bark are toxic,” presumably due to the cyanogenic glycosides, which are metabolized into hydrocyanic acid (cyanide). Cyanogenic glycosides are present in many rose family plants including apple seeds, peach pits, hawthorn seeds, and cherry bark, however, the body is able to readily detoxify low levels of hydrocyanic acid and thus wild cherry can be used safely, even in children
All parts of Prunus species except the fruits contain poisonous substances. The bark, leaves, and seeds of this species are especially toxic. POISONOUS PARTS: Wilted leaves, twigs (stems), seeds. May be fatal if ingested. Symptoms include gasping, weakness, excitement, pupil dilation, spasms, convulsions, coma, respiratory failure. Toxic Principle: Cyanogenic glycoside, amygdalin, prussic acid.
Despite the cautions and warnings that one might encounter about Wild cherry bark, most herbalists consider this herb both effective and safe.

History

Native Americans treated Merriwether Lewis on his famous expedition for a serious gastrointestinal illness with a twig tea of wild cherry bark.
The leaves also yield a green dye, while the fruit yields a green to dark gray dye.
A dried resin made from the tree bark or the dried blossoms can be burned as an incense.
The wood is used in woodworking.
In Japanese folklore, tying one strand of one's own hair to a blossoming cherry tree is said to help one find love.
From ancient times the cherry has been associated with virginity, the red colored fruit with the enclosed seed symbolizing the uterus.
Buddhism teaches that Maya, the virgin mother of Buddha, was supported by a holy cherry tree during her pregnancy.
In Danish folklore, a good crop of cherries was insured by having the first ripe fruit eaten by a woman shortly after her first child was born.

Common Names

Black cherry, wild cherry, American cherry, rum cherry, black choke , bird cherry, cherry bark, choke cherry or mountain black cherry

Botanical Name

Prunus serotina

Family

Rosaceae (Rose Family)

Parts Used

Inner bark (collected in fall and dried) and fruit. Fresh wild cherry wood, scraped inner bark, or a snapped twig all have a characteristic almond odor due to cyanogenic glycosides.

Therapeutic Actions

anodyne

anti-cancer

anti-inflammatory

anti-parasitic

anti-scrofulous

anti-spasmodic

anti-tussive

astringent

bitter

bronchodilator

cardiotonic

carminative

catarrh

constrictive

diuretic

expectorant

nervine

purgative

Proper Use

The seeds (pits) of the fruit should not be consumed unless they have been dried or cooked because they contain high concentrations of toxic compounds.

The fermented bark and leaves of wild cherry are toxic, so never harvest these from the ground. Once harvested, peel and dry bark immediately in a food dehydrator to ensure fermentation does not begin.

Cold infusion, Decoction, Tincture, Syrup

Tincture: 1-2 ml (1:5 in 40%) 3x per day
Hot Decoction: 1 teaspoon dried bark per cup boiling water, simmer 10-15 minutes, 3x per day
Cold Infusion: To prepare a cold infusion, add 1 ounce of bark to 2 cups of cold water and let stand a few hours. Take 1 to 4 fluid ounces, 4 or 5x per day. The cold infusion (sweetened, if desired) should be preferred; boiling temporarily destroys its value, and unless a good quality of bark, carefully preserved, is used, the syrup may have little value.

The tea is made by steeping 2 teaspoons of wild cherry bark in 1 cup of boiling water for 10 minutes; drinking approximately 3 cups daily would be safe. Of the tincture, anywhere from 30 to 60 drops three times daily would also be fine.

Formulary

RESPIRATORY TEA

Patients suffering from asthma and chronic emphysema benefit from a tea made of a handful of equal parts of the following dried herbs simmered for 20 minutes in a quart of water:

Wild cherry bark
coltsfoot
comfrey root
elecampane
yerba santa
1/4 part lobelia herb
several slices of raw ginger

One man with emphysema took this daily for over a year and attributed the fact that he could go on long walks without suffering from shortness of breath as a result of its use and showed no sign of toxicity from wild cherry.

DOUBLE PERCOLATED SYRUP

The first percolation drips water through the cone, into a second cone filled with, good old fashioned sugar. By the time it finishes dripping, you’re left with a delicious almond tasting syrup that masks the bitterness of the cherry bark. Use it for kids and adults as a respiratory antispasmodic/anti-tussive, expectorant, and to reduce sore throat. It workS well as secondary support for pertussis, dry hacking coughs, a tickle in the throat, tension in the chest, and mild wheezing that accompanies a respiratory infection.

HEART SUPPORT

Use wild cherry in combination with hawthorn and motherwort for disturbances of heart rhythms. 1-2 mls of wild cherry, usually twice or three times a day, helps to settle an agitated, irregular heart and gives comfort to the patient's nerves and general well-being.

COLD REMEDY

Wild Cherry combines perfectly with licorice root and marshmallow for dry and sore lungs and with elecampane and mullein for a weakened or congested respiratory system.

HAPPY HOME FORMULA

Soak Wild Cherry Bark in water for nine days and then sprinkle all around the home; guarantees more harmony and love in the household.

Cultivation

Black cherry is known for the beauty and quality of its wood. The green leaves turn to yellow in the fall. It is easy to grow and will reward you with dangling, lace-like blossoms in the spring. The plant drops lots of twigs, leaves, and fruit, and in cultivation can be allelopathic (a biological phenomenon by which an organism produces one or more biochemicals that influence the germination, growth, survival, and reproduction) to garden plants.

Wild cherry prefers well-drained soils. pH preference depends on variety and region, with Eastern Black Cherry prefers neutral to acidic soil, Escarpment Black Cherry prefers rich but more calcareous limestone soils, and the Southwestern varieties accept a broad range.

This tree grows to a height of 100 feet with a trunk that may be 4 feet in diameter. The bark is dark gray to black and on large trees is rough, peeling off in flakes that are described as “burnt potato chips.” The white flowers, which bloom in May, are arranged on long terminal racemes, while the dark purple, pea-sized fruits, which ripen in August and September, are arranged in drupes.

The inner bark of the branches or root is harvested in the midsummer or fall (when the cyanogenic compounds are lower) and dried immediately for later use in a tea or extracted in a syrup or tincture. One can harvest branches of smaller trees and use a knife or vegetable peeler to peel off the thin outer and inner bark, as opposed to harming a larger tree by taking the bark off its trunk. The fermented bark and leaves of wild cherry are said to be toxic, so never harvest these from the ground. Once harvested, peel and dry bark immediately in a food dehydrator to ensure fermentation does not begin.

Research & References

Cybulska, P., Thakur, S. D., Foster, B. C., Scott, I. M., Leduc, R. I., Arnason, J. T., & Dillon, J.-A. R. (2011). Extracts of Canadian First nations medicinal plants, used as natural products, inhibit Neisseria gonorrhoeae isolates with different antibiotic resistance profiles. Sexually Transmitted Diseases, 38(7), 667–671. doi:10.1097/olq.0b013e31820cb166

Felter, H.W. and Lloyd, J.U. (1898). King’s American dispensatory. Retrieved on December 8, 2014 from http://www.henriettes-herb.com/eclectic/kings/prunus-sero.html.

Grieve, M. (1931). A modern herbal. Retrieved on December 8, 2014 from http://botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/c/chewil56.html.

Hoffmann, D. (2003). Medical herbalism. Rochester, VT: Healing Arts Press.

Holmes, P. (1997). The energetics of western herbs: Treatment strategies integrating western and oriental herbal medicine (4th ed.). Boulder, CO: Snow Lotus Press.

Lust, J. (1974). The herb book. New York, NY: Bantam Books.

Moermann, D. (1998). Native American ethnobotany. Portland, OR: Timber Press.

Piorier, Erin. (2013). Plant Profile: Wild Cherry Bark. Retrieved on December 8, 2014 Originally published in Plant Healer Magazine, Winter 2013. from https://minnesotaherbalist.wordpress.com/2014/07/29/plant-profile-wild-cherry-bark/.

Thayer, S. (2010). Nature’s garden: a guide to identifying, harvesting, and preparing edible wild plants. Birchwood, WI: Forager’s Harvest Press.

Wood, M. (2008). The earthwise herbal: a complete guide to new world medicinal plants. Berkeley, CA: North Atlantic Books.

Yamaguchi, K., Liggett, J., Kim, N.C., & Baek, S. (2006). Anti-proliferative effect of horehound leaf and wild cherry bark extracts on human colorectal cancer cells. Oncology Reports, 15(1), 275-81. doi:10.3892/or.15.1.275

Yang, M. H., Kim, J., Khan, I. A., Walker, L. A., & Khan, S. I. (2014). Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug activated gene-1 (NAG-1) modulators from natural products as anti-cancer agents. Life Sciences, 100(2), 75–84. doi:10.1016/j.lfs.2014.01.075