Wahoo

Parts Usually Used

Bark and root bark

Description of Plant(s) and Culture

Wahoo is a deciduous shrub or small tree that grows up to 25 feet high. The bark is gray and its smooth, somewhat quadrangular branches bear opposite, elliptic, pointed leaves that are finely serrate and fine-haired underneath. Axillary cymes of 7 or more purple flowers appear during June. The fruit develops in October and is a scarlet, four-lobed capsule containing brown seeds with scarlet arils.

Its most striking appearance is presented in winter, when its pale purple fruits have burst open and been exposed by the fallen leaves, all against a backdrop of glaring snow. It is this appearance which has earned it the nickname of burning bush. Wahoo can be recognized by the unusual structure of its fruit after the leaves drop in the autumn. For medicinal use, the bark should be gathered in the fall.

The fruits may be attractive but they are considered poisonous and should not be used.

Where Found

Found in moist woods and along riverbanks in the eastern United States; as far west as Montana and Texas. Ontario to Tennessee, Alabama, Arkansas, Oklahoma to North Dakota.

Medicinal Properties

Cholagogue (increases flow of bile to the intestine), alterative, cardiac, diuretic, expectorant, laxative, tonic

Biochemical Information

Bitter principle, euonic acid, crystalline glucoside, asparagins, fat, culvitol, 14% ash and resins.

Legends, Myths and Stories

The name “Wahoo” is a Native American name, most commonly applied to a large shrub or small tree. The name wahoo is also given to an Elm (Ulmus alata) and another variety, Euonymus americanus. The European settlers didn’t take long to pick up the Native American applications of wahoo bark, using it for laxative, diuretic, and tonic effects. Something of a nineteenth century fad developed, and the bark went into various patent medicines and was extremely popular for a time in England.

It was listed as an official drug plant. In 1912, a report was published showing the plant produced digitalis-like effect on the heart, boosting the herb’s popularity as a heart medicine. But 4 years later wahoo was dropped as an official drug plant, though it continued to be included in the National Formulary until 1947.

Uses

During the nineteenth century, wahoo was commonly utilized as a diuretic and laxative, and herbalists recommended it for conditions such as indigestion, dropsy, fever, and congestion of the chest and lungs. It was traditionally considered a stomach bitter that practitioners believed addressed liver congestion and associated chest discomfort. Historical accounts also noted the use of bark decoctions to promote bile flow, induce vomiting, and manage skin ailments, dandruff, scalp issues, and uterine discharge.

Following twentieth-century observations comparing its cardiac effects to digitalis, the plant also gained popularity among practitioners as a heart remedy.

Bibliography

Eastern/Central Medicinal Plants , by Steven Foster and James A. , Loma Linda, CA 92354, Original copyright 1939, revised edition 1994 Indian Herbalogy of North America , by Alma R. , Lotus Press, PO Box 325, Twin Lakes. , Copyright 1988, published 1992 American Folk Medicine , by Clarence Meyer, Meyerbooks, publisher, PO Box 427, Glenwood, Illinois 60425, 1973 Taber’s Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary , 15th Edition, F.

A. , 15 Columbus Circle, New York, NY 10023 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