Black Walnut

Parts Usually Used

Bark, leaves, rind of the fruit

Description of Plant(s) and Culture

Black walnut is a large, Temperate Zone forest tree growing to 120 feet; its bark is rough and dark. The leaves are pinnately compound, with 9-21 ovate lanceolate, serrate leaflets. Male and female flowers grow in separate catkins. The fruit is a deeply grooved nut inside a spherical, rough husk. October-November.

Where Found

Found in rich woods. Western Massachusetts to Florida; Texas to Minnesota. Canada

Medicinal Properties

Bark: astringent, laxative, alterative Leaves: alterative Rind: herpatic

Biochemical Information

Juglon (also called nucin or juglandic acid)

Legends, Myths and Stories

Black walnut produces the famous walnut wood of commerce, as well as the familiar edible nuts. Treats dog or man bites, painter’s oil, flavoring. Black walnut hulls are used for dyeing hair. Boil the hulls in 1 quart of water. Allow to steep until a very dark brew is obtained. Add copperas, the size of a pea, to set the dye. Strain and use as a hair rinse after shampoo. Repeat rinses until desired shade is acquired.

Uses

Historically, herbalists administered infusions or decoctions of the plant for diarrhea and to reduce lactation. The preparations were also employed as a douche for leukorrhea and as a mouthwash for oral soreness and tonsillar inflammation. Washes prepared from the leaves were used for cleansing, while poultices made from the green fruit rind were traditionally applied to ringworm.

Dried bark infusions were taken as purgatives, and chewing the bark was considered a remedy for toothaches. The unripe nuts were historically used for intestinal worms, and the plant was also utilized as an insecticide against bed bugs. Topical extracts of black walnut were traditionally rubbed onto the skin for complaints such as eczema, psoriasis, and skin parasites. Native American traditions included using an inner-bark tea as an emetic and laxative, chewing the bark for colic, and applying it as a poultice for inflammation.

Bibliography

The Herb Book , by John Lust, Bantam Books, 666 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY. copyright 1974. The Herbalist Almanac , by Clarence Meyer, Meyerbooks, publisher, PO Box 427, Glenwood, Illinois 60425, copyright 1988, fifth printing, 1994 Eastern/Central Medicinal Plants , by Steven Foster and James A. , Houghton Mifflin Company, 215 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10000 The Nature Doctor: A Manual of Traditional and Complementary Medicine , by Dr.

A. , 27 Pine Street (Box 876) New Canaan, CT. 06840-0876. Copyright Verlag A. , Lotus Press, PO Box 325, Twin Lakes. , Simon & Schuster/Fireside, Rockefeller Center 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York 10020 Indian Herbalogy of North America , by Alma R. , 15 Columbus Circle, New York, NY 10023 An Instant Guide to Medicinal Plants , by Pamela Forey and Ruth Lindsay, Crescent Books (January 27, 1992).

The Yoga of Herbs: An Ayurvedic Guide to Herbal Medicine , by Dr. David Frawley & Dr. Vasant Lad, Lotus Press, Twin Lakes, Wisconsin, Second edition, 1988. The Rodale Herb Book: How to Use, Grow, and Buy Nature’s Miracle Plants (An Organic gardening and farming book) , edited by William H. Hylton, Rodale Press, Inc. , 1974