Wild Cherry Bark

What is wild cherry bark?

The wild cherry tree (Prunus serotina) is native to both the eastern part of North America and Europe. They can get as tall as 100 feet and have trunks that are 4 feet across. The trees make fruit that you can eat. The fruit is usually the size of peas and has a dark red-purple color. The bark of wild cherry trees can be reddish brown, dark gray, or even black, and it comes off in flakes. The bark and small branches can both be used to make herbal remedies (if you cut the twigs off fresh).

The energy of wild cherry bark can either be cool or warm, and it can also dry. Cherry trees are in the same family as roses, so the bark is thought to be good for the heart and emotions as well as the body. In general, wild cherry is used for tissues that are "excited," which can show up as redness, inflammation, or tenderness. Native American tribes have used cherry bark for a long time to treat coughs, colds, fevers, labor pain, dysentery, digestive problems, and wounds on the skin. Most herbalists use it today to help with coughs and breathing, but it can also be used for other things.

How do I use wild cherry bark?

Additionally, it can be applied topically to staunch hemorrhaging or to cleanse inflamed eyes with wild cherry peel. Moreover, wild cherry bark exhibits potential as a digestive aid, providing relief from prevalent digestive ailments including diarrhea, dyspepsia, and flatulence.

Wild cherry bark benefits:

The bark of a wild cherry has antitussive properties, which means it can stop a cough. In fact, it's so strong that you might not want to use it when your body needs to cough, like when you need to get something out of your lungs. Most herbalists recommend it for coughs that don't seem to help or that keep going even after an infection is gone. It can also be used for coughs that keep a person from sleeping or make them too tired to do anything else. Cherry bark can relax muscles and help you cough up mucus. It can also help you cough up more mucus and open your airways. It can help calm the respiratory system even more when mixed with herbs like licorice root, marshmallow root, or mullein leaf.

◉ Cough Suppressant/Respiratory Health: Wild cherry bark has a strong antitussive effect, which means it stops coughing. This makes it a good option for dry, hacking coughs that come with spasms. Because it is an astringent, sedative, antispasmodic, and bronchodilator, it dries up mucus, makes it easier to cough up mucus, and opens up the airways.

The cyanogenic glycosides in wild cherry bark are broken down in the body into glucose, benzaldehyde, and hydrocyanic acid, which is also called prussic acid. Prussic acid is quickly gotten rid of through the lungs, where it first speeds up breathing and then calms down the nerves that make you cough. Since wild cherry bark has a mild sedative effect, a tincture or syrup made from it can help people with coughs that make it hard to sleep through the night. It can also help get rid of coughs that don't help and are annoying even after the initial infection has gone away.

◉ Digestive Health: Wild cherry bark is a bitter herb. Bitters help digestion by stimulating bitter receptors on the tongue, stomach, gallbladder, and pancreas. Their main job is to make digestive juices like stomach acid, bile, and enzymes work better to break down food and help nutrients get absorbed. Wild cherry bark can also strengthen and tone the digestive system as a whole, and because it is a relaxant, it is especially helpful for nervous dyspepsia (indigestion).

◉ Heart health: For a very long time, people have used the bark of the wild cherry tree to treat heart conditions, particularly when they come with a persistent cough, heart palpitations, or high blood pressure. Matthew Wood, a well-known herbalist, says that "wild cherry bark acts on the cardiovascular system, balancing the blood flow and reducing the irritation and congestion that can make the heart work harder." When sweet and bitter are both in a remedy, it means that it is especially good for you because both of these flavors make the mouth, stomach, and digestive system make more saliva.

Bitterness is also linked to the heart and blood flow because it calms inflammation and lowers fever. The sweet taste points, so to speak, toward the heart with its nourishing effect. Along with this, the astringency also strengthens the heart. Prunus serotina not only calms irritation, but it also feeds, strengthens, and tones the heart muscle. The American Indians called Crataegus (Hawthorn), which is also in the Rosaceae family and is used to treat heart and digestive problems, "Wild Cherry."

◉ Skin Health: The parts of wild cherry bark that help reduce inflammation and tighten tissues are called "constituents." It can be used as an eyewash for red, puffy eyes, and it can also be added to natural skin creams to help soothe eczema, psoriasis, acne, rashes, and other skin problems.

Where can I buy wild cherry bark?

Buy wild cherry bark from the health food store in the USA, Alive Herbals.

Wild cherry bark information (at a glance):