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Sharon
Anyone know about using cottonwood buds or poplar buds for making what is commonly called “balm of Gilead”? I’ve read and heard good things about it for pain – but am now of the mindset that anything out there on the web that sounds good, effective, or otherwise interesting – should now be run by Doc Jones since he knows more than 99% of the internet posts! So what say you Doc? Worth the time to go gather buds and make it (either as a balm or as a tincture) – and if so, which one? Do you happen to have a video on this that I have missed in my binge watching?
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I’m planning a foraging trip soon for Cottonwood buds, but see no point in it if Doc says “don’t bother”. If there are better things out there instead of the Cottonwood buds, preferably to make a liniment/tincture from instead of a salve, I’m open to suggestions!
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Dr. Patrick Jones
Poplar, cottonwood, aspen, birch are all cousins of willow and have similar properties. They’re basically aspirin on a stick and are good for pain, inflammation and fevers. Also good for pain topically as a tincture/liniment. Harvest away Sharon! :0)
Don't use herbs or combine herbs with medications or use them during lactation or pregnancy without talking with your healthcare provider.
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I know many people use oil and simmer the buds to make a balm, but for something sticky like this, just take the buds and put them in vodka? They’d be fresh, so maybe a stronger alcohol?? What about the ratio – what should I use there? Thanks as always for your patience with my many questions.
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barbvoakes@hotmail.com
Thanks Doc. I have a question. Can people with an aspirin allergy use these topically? Do you have a list of herbs to stay away from if there’s an allergy to aspirin? My son-in-law hurt his back muscles and I made him your No Mo Spasms tincture but couldn’t put in the Cramp. Bark or the Willow. I substituted Hops for these. What would you have done please? Thanks
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If I had an aspirin allergy, I’d try the topical application on a very small spot and see what happened.
As to the substitution question, there are a lot of herbs that work well topically for pain. Hops is a good choice. Skullcap is good, pine needle is good… Have a look at the pain management lessons. Lots of good ones there. :0)
Don't use herbs or combine herbs with medications or use them during lactation or pregnancy without talking with your healthcare provider.
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Due to the fact they’re fresh (and therefore contain more water) and the really sticky/resinous nature of the buds, I think Everclear is best. Dry ones would probably be OK with just vodka.
Don't use herbs or combine herbs with medications or use them during lactation or pregnancy without talking with your healthcare provider.
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Yep, these would be fresh and STICKY! So would this end up being a strictly topical tincture/liniment or could it be used internally? Perhaps this would also be a candidate for inflamed bursa help? Thanks 🙂
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Internal or topical. And, yes it’d probably make your bursitis happier. :0)
This one is good for that too:
2 Boswellia Resin
2 Turmeric Root
1 Black Cohosh Root
1 Burdock Root
1 Devil’s Claw Root
1 Ginger Root
1 Yucca Root
Don't use herbs or combine herbs with medications or use them during lactation or pregnancy without talking with your healthcare provider.
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GCubed
For the formula’s that contain Devil’s Claw, which Devil’s claw are we talking about? My Matria Medica mentions Harpagophytum procumbens which grows in Africa. The internet mentions Proboscidea louisianica, which can be grown in the US. Can the Devil’s Claw doc uses be grown in these United States?
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Those two species are not related at all (common names are fun that way). The devil’s claw I’m always using is Harpagophytum procumbens
Don't use herbs or combine herbs with medications or use them during lactation or pregnancy without talking with your healthcare provider.
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I forgot to ask you Doc – on the cottonwood fresh buds and the everclear – would I be able to get a 1:5 ratio or is this one of those strictly folk recipes?
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Poplar and birch we don’t have, but I’m kinda confused (imagine that!!) on the other “aspirin products”… With willow, it’s the bark, with cottonwood, it’s the buds, what is the medicine with aspen? They are certainly as easy to come by here as the cottonwoods are.
Speaking of willows, I’ve been told that what we have here is Black Willow and most of it looks like red twigs about chest to head high. Come spring, I can get some good pics, but if they really are, how would you use skinny little twigs of it? I have seen someone making a willow bark tincture (white in their case), but they added devil’s claw to it and made a blend. Is this a combination that would have Doc Jones approval, or is there a better choice to add to “amp up” the aspirin tincture/liniment? If so, what ratio of ingredients would you suggest for old coots with old coot aches and pains?
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The Joint Support formula is quite good for old coot pains. Hops or pine needles tincture topically are great too.
As to the willow cousins (cottonwood, poplar, birch, aspen, willow), the inner bark is the medicine for all of them. The flower buds of cottonwood and poplar are good too. I’d guess the flower buds of any of them would be worth a try.
Don't use herbs or combine herbs with medications or use them during lactation or pregnancy without talking with your healthcare provider.
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Rachael Cocke
If using Poplar branches, do we just cut out the inner bark and tincture it to create the aspirin substitute? Also, would new growth or older growth be more medicinal?
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Inner bark of new growth is easiest and best.
Don't use herbs or combine herbs with medications or use them during lactation or pregnancy without talking with your healthcare provider.
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Dawn
Hi Doc, with all of this aspirin type medicines, I was trying to get a handle on Reye Syndrome. The internet seems to offer largely varying ages from like 8 all the way up to 18. I thought this risk was over by younger years. Can you offer insight?
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I don’t use aspirin-like herbs at all in little kids. The CDC has also recently found that even teenagers can have an issue with Reye’s syndrome if they have viral infections like the flu and take aspirin.
Don't use herbs or combine herbs with medications or use them during lactation or pregnancy without talking with your healthcare provider.
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Doc: on the cottonwood fresh buds and the everclear – would I be able to get a 1:5 ratio or is this one of those strictly folk recipes? My cottonwood here is not sticky yet, but the neighboring town’s cottonwoods are already leafed out (they are just a little lower in altitude than we are). Should I go ahead with NON sticky buds or risk waiting till they are sticky? And without them being sticky, maybe a 120 proof instead of everclear? 1:5 target or just cover them “folk style”…?? I’m assuming that a tincture makes more sense for this than a salve would… Thanks!
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This reply was modified 2 years ago by
Sharon. Reason: Left out a thought
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As long as the Everclear is covering the material, you win. If it isn’t, add more. You can cheat by chopping or grinding the material up. Lots of times, fresh material just has to be a folk method tincture.
Don't use herbs or combine herbs with medications or use them during lactation or pregnancy without talking with your healthcare provider.
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This reply was modified 2 years ago by
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QUESTIONS:
- I am wondering if there is a significant difference in using aspen vs cottonwood.
- Are the buds on Aspen good also, or just the (I assume) INSIDE bark?
- Would a downed (by beavers) tree be ok to use the bark from, or does it have to be fresh?
- Is there any difference medicinally between the bark from the trunk or a branch?
- My cottonwood here is not sticky yet, but the neighboring town’s cottonwoods are already leafed out (they are just a little lower in altitude than we are). Should I go ahead with NON sticky buds or risk waiting till they are sticky?
- And without them being sticky, maybe a 120 proof instead of everclear?
THANKS SO MUCH!! I value your answers more than you will know!
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Sharon’s QUESTIONS:
Q: I am wondering if there is a significant difference in using aspen vs cottonwood. A: Inner bark (Cambium) of either.
- Are the buds on Aspen good also, or just the (I assume) INSIDE bark? A: I haven’t tried aspen buds.
- Would a downed (by beavers) tree be ok to use the bark from, or does it have to be fresh? A: Needs to be harvested fresh.
- Is there any difference medicinally between the bark from the trunk or a branch? A: Cambium is cambium.
- My cottonwood here is not sticky yet, but the neighboring town’s cottonwoods are already leafed out (they are just a little lower in altitude than we are). Should I go ahead with NON sticky buds or risk waiting till they are sticky? A: I’d guess there is some variability between species, subspecies and individual plants as to stickiness.
- And without them being sticky, maybe a 120 proof instead of everclear? A: If it’s not sticky, 100-120 proof is probably fine.
Don't use herbs or combine herbs with medications or use them during lactation or pregnancy without talking with your healthcare provider.
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