Contents:
Common Names | Parts Usually Used | Plant(s) & Culture | Where Found | Medicinal Properties
Legends, Myths and Stories | Uses | Formulas or Dosages | Warning | Bibliography
Scientific Names
- Guaiacum officinale L.
Common Names
- Gualacum
- Guayacan
- Lignum vitae
- Pockwood
Parts Usually Used
Resin
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Description of Plant(s) and Culture
Guaiac is the resin from a tree; the crooked trunk grows 30-40 feet high and provides lignum vitae, the olive-brown, heavy, very hard wood which contains the oily resin.
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Where Found
Grows in the West Indies, Mexico, Central America, and northern South America.
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Medicinal Properties
Antiseptic, diaphoretic, diuretic, stimulant
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Legends, Myths and Stories
In Paracelsus’ time, merchants brought home a sort of wood that was said to contain a medicinal resin. This wood was extraordinary because it sank in water, obviously being heavier than water, and this made it different from any other wood known at the time. It was found in the West Indies and South America and, when heated, a resin flowed from it that became a remedy for consumption.
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Uses
Guaiac is used to help gout, fever, catarrh, syphilis, sore throat, consumption, rheumatism, and skin diseases. Take a decoction of the wood and keep warm to induce perspiration and keep cool for diuretic action.
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Formulas or Dosages
Decoction: boil 1 tsp. granulated wood in 1 cup water. Take 1 tbsp. 3-6 times per day.
Resin: take 2-5 grains at a time.
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Warning
Avoid during pregnancy.
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Bibliography
American Folk Medicine
The Complete Medicinal Herbal
The Herb Book
The Nature Doctor: A Manual of Traditional and Complementary Medicine
Webster’s New World Dictionary
