Medicinal Trees: Viburnum

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  • Torey
    Torey Posts: 5,690 admin

    We have two native species here. V. edule and V. opulus. The Japanese Snowball tree is used as a landscape tree and according to my plant atlas, there are two other species also used as landscape plants but I'm not sure that I have ever noticed them before.

    V. edule is referred to here as highbush cranberry or squash berry. Mooseberry is a new name for me. Makes a delicious sauce. The berries aren't as plentiful on V. edule as they are on V. opulus but I haven't found a really good spot for picking V. opulus. I'm hoping to do so on some of my planned walks this year.

    V. opulus is also referred to as highbush cranberry but most often it is called Cramp Bark. It is one of my favourite medicines. I keep a small bottle of it beside my bed for those nasty leg cramps during the night. It works so well for me, almost instantly. I've used it for others who have experienced a variety of cramps; muscle cramps, digestive cramps, asthmatic spasms and female cramping. The only one it didn't work for was someone who was experiencing painful back spasms. But it could be that he wasn't taking enough or needed something in combination for the synergistic effect.

    I see they have moved it from Caprifoliaceae to Adoxaceae.

  • judsoncarroll4
    judsoncarroll4 Posts: 5,498 admin

    We mostly have the haws here int eh South. I want to grow some Guelder Rose and such when I can settle back in at home.