The Amazing Truth About Medicinal Trees

Although the bark and the wood of trees are rarely edible, their extracts have been the most important cures in the world. It is said about Malaria that it has killed more people than all the wars and plagues in our history combined. Oliver Cromwell and Alexander the Great are two of the most widely known people who died from this cause. But there have been millions of others. For centuries, the single treatment known for Malaria was quinine, an alkaloid found in the bark of Cinchona tree, growing in the tropical forests of Bolivia and Peru.

Quinine was first time used to treat Malaria by the Quechua Indians and when finally arrived in Europe with the name of ”wonder-cure”, was used to treat king Carol the 2nd and the queen of Spain – among others. Quinine was chemically reproduced starting in 1940’s, but in recent years, last forms of malaria developed resistance to synthetic quinine, so the cinchona tree came back in the spotlight.

If you ever had a headache, chances are that you run for the medicine box to grab an aspirin, the most used drug in the world. Before the aspirin came in a box, the pains could be treated if the person was near water, where he would try to find a White Willow and chew its bark. Aspirin is a derivative from salicylic acid, that comes from the White Willow bark. Nowadays the aspirin is synthetically made.

Another amazing tree used in medicine since forever is Ginkgo biloba. Its leaves were the essence of the Chinese medical cures, used to treat all kind of affections, from asthma to hemorrhoids.

Now the leaves of Gingko have made their appearance in the western medicine, being used to treat memory loss and coronary affections. The extracted fluid from this leaves helps the blood circulation.This relaxes the blood vessels; increases the flow of blood in the body, especially the one that goes to the brain.

Moreton Bay chestnut contains an unusual alkaloid, capable to neutralize AIDS.

The Tasmanian blue gum, southern blue gum or blue gum, (Eucalyptus globulus) leaves contain eucalyptus oil, extremely efficient in treating cough, sore throat, bronchitis and asthma.

Hamamelis virginiana, known as American witch-hazel, is a tree with powerful antiseptic properties. The Amerindians like Cherokee, made infusions from its leaves with whom they washed the sore spots or wounds.

Taxus brevifolia (Pacific yew or western yew) is a conifer native to the Pacific Northwest of North America. The chemotherapy drug paclitaxel (Taxol), used in breast, ovarian, and lung cancer treatment, is derived from Taxus brevifolia. As it was already becoming scarce when its chemotherapeutic potential was realized, the Pacific yew was never commercially harvested from its habitat at a large scale; the widespread use of the paclitaxel (taxol) was enabled when a semi-synthetic pathway was developed from extracts of cultivated yews of other species. Unlicensed pharmaceutical production use of closely related wild yew species in India and China may be threatening some of those species.

Boiled Beech tree leaves and bark were used as a wash or made into a poultice to treat different problems such as frostbite, all kinds of minor burns and in treating poison ivy rash.

Beech nuts were eaten to rid a person of intestinal parasites. Beech bark was also made into an herbal tea and this was used in the treatment of disorders that affected the lungs. The herbal beech bark tea was also used to induce an abortion in pregnant women suffering from problems in the early stages of pregnancy.

Apple based juices and herbal fruit infusions were often prescribed for the treatment of persistent fevers and all kinds of eye infections in the ancient world.

Remedies prepared from the apples were also used many years ago to gain relief from metabolic disorders like gout, for the treatment of bilious constitutions, to heal skin eruptions and to aid nerve impairment. Apples mixed with saffron were often used by peasants of Westphalia to cure cases of jaundice decades ago. Apple therapy is still in use to this day; many doctors prescribe apple based remedies to treat stubborn cases of diarrhea in patients of all age groups – including babies and young infants. The apple is an ideal fruit for many infants and invalids as it is rich in so many of the essential vitamins and minerals, the apple is also a good food as the fruit sugar found in the fruit is in a predigested form.

Drinking a tea prepared with the husks of the seedpods of the Brazil Nut will alleviate stomach aches. In addition, as the Brazil nuts have a rich content of protein, vitamin E (a vital antioxidant) and monounsaturated fats, they are effective in combating a number of heart ailments. These nuts also contain an exceptional source of another antioxidant – selenium. It has been found that the amount of selenium contained in one Brazil nut is equivalent to more than 2,500 times of the mineral present in any other type of nuts. Selenium is a non-metallic ingredient that has proved to enhance mood and also the functioning of the brain. In addition, selenium also augments the blood circulation to the brain.