| | | | Common Name | | | Cramp Bark (Viburnum)
| | | Botanical Latin Name / Classification | | | Viburnum opulus (LINN.)
| | | Parts Used | | | Bark
| | | Other Names | | | Guelder Rose, Snowball Tree, King's Crown, High Cranberry, Red Elder, Rose
Elder, Water Elder, May Rose, Whitsun Rose, Dog Rowan Tree, Silver Bells,
Whitsun Bosses, Gaitre Berries, Black Haw.
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| | | Scientific Name / Nomenclature | | | N.O. Caprifoliaceae
| | | Description | | | It resembles the Common Elder in habits of growth, hence in some districts
we find it called Red Elder or Rose Elder. The conspicuous, large, nearly
flattopped heads of snow-white flowers are 3 to 5 inches across, the inner
ones very small, but with an outer ring of large, showy, sterile blossoms,
containing undeveloped stamens with no pollen and an ovary without ovules.
Only the inner, complete flowers provide the nectar for the attraction of
insects who are to fertilize them. The resulting fruits, which ripen very
quickly, form a drooping cluster of bright red berries, shining and
translucent, perhaps the most ornamental of our wild fruits, the tree
presenting a very beautiful appearance in August, when they are ripe,
especially as the leaves assume a rich purple hue before falling. But
although edible, the berries, in spite of Chaucer's recommendation, are
too bitter to be palatable eaten fresh off the trees, and when crushed,
smell somewhat disagreeable, though birds appreciate them and in Siberia
the berries used to be, and probably still are, fermented with flour and a
spirit distilled from them. They have been used in Norway and Sweden to
flavour a paste of honey and flour.
In Canada, they are employed to
a considerable extent as a substitute for Cranberries and are much used
for making. a piquant jelly, their sourness gaining for them there the
name of High Bush Cranberry, though the tree is, of course, quite
unrelated to the true Cranberry.
The name Guelder comes from
Gueldersland, a Dutch province, where the tree was first cultivated. It
was introduced into England under the name of 'Gueldres Rose.' The garden
variety, Viburnum sterile, with snowball flowers, does not produce the
showy fruit of the wild species.
The berries have anti-scorbutic
properties. They turn black in drying and have been used for making
ink.
The wood, like that of the Spindle Tree and Dogwood, is used
for making skewers.
The 'Gaitre-Beries' of which Chaucer makes
mention among the plants that 'shal be for your hele' to 'picke hem right
as they grow and ete hem in,' are the deep red clusters of berries of the
Wild Guelder Rose (Viburnum Opulus, Linn.), a shrub growing 5 to 10 feet
high, belonging to the same family as the Elder, found in copses and
hedgerows throughout England, though rare in Scotland, and also indigenous
to North America, where it is to be found in low grounds in the eastern
United States.
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| | | Indications | | | Arthritis, Asthma, Back Pain, Circulatory System / Circulation, Colic, Constipation, Dysmenorrhea (Menstrual Cramps), Hypertension (High Blood Pressure), Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), Menstruation Problems, Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS), Rheumatism
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| | | Constituents / Nutrients | | | The active principle of Cramp Bark is the bitter glucoside Viburnine; it
also contains tannin, resin and valerianic acid.
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| | | Scientific Research and Pharmacologicial Actions | | | The bark, known as Cramp Bark, is employed in herbal medicine. It used
formerly to be included in the United States Pharmacopoeia, but is now
omitted though it has been introduced into the National Formulary in the
form of a Fluid Extract, Compound Tincture and Compound Elixir, for use as
a nerve sedative and anti-spasmodic in asthma and hysteria.
In
herbal practice in this country, its administration in decoction and
infusion, as well as the fluid extract and compound tincture is
recommended. It has been employed with benefit in all nervous complaints
and debility and used with success in cramps and spasms of all kinds, in
convulsions, fits and lockjaw, and also in palpitation, heart disease and
rheumatism.
The decoction (1/2 oz. to a pint of water) is given in
tablespoon doses.
The bark is collected chiefly in northern Europe
and appears in commerce in thin strips, sometimes in quills, 1/20 to 1/12
inch thick, greyish-brown externally, with scattered brownish warts,
faintly cracked longitudinally. It has a strong, characteristic odour and
its taste is mildly astringent and decidedly bitter.
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| | | Precautions / Contraindications | | | None documented.
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| | | Interaction with Medications | | | None documented.
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| | | Possible Side Effects | | | None documented.
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| | 1 product | | | Cramp Bark (Viburnum) (Read all about Cramp Bark (Viburnum).)
Botanical Latin Name: Viburnum opulus (LINN.)
Plant Part: Bark | |
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These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Products are intended to support general well being and are not intended to treat, diagnose, mitigate, prevent, or cure any condition or disease. If conditions persist, please seek advice from your medical doctor.
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