Tree Medicine: Until relatively recently, large parts of the earth were covered with vast forests; our ancestors had an intimate relationship with trees, that was both deeply spiritual as well as practical, as sources of foods, medicines and shelter. Fragrant woods, roots, resins, leaves, seeds, fruits, flowers and bark are all found in the pharmacopeias of botanical medicine, both modern and ancient. Essential oils, salves and healing balms, incenses, aromatic baths, powders and tinctures are all routinely used by herbalists, naturopathic doctors and shamans around the world. Science is confirming what the old ethnobotanical lineages knew, and countless new extracts and nutraceutical products are now available, derived from the gifts offered by many tree species. Abundantly available, easy to use, beneficent and harmless if used correctly, with both preventive and curative powers, tree medicines are a valuable addition to everyone’s home pharmacy for a wide range of common health problems.
Module 1: Tree medicines for healing the spirit and deepening peace of mind
Healing the spirit means many things including alleviating grief, resolving past trauma and giving intuitive insight to guide us through difficulties; cultivating and deepening peace of mind is a necessity in turbulent times. Modern research now confirms what almost everyone already knows from personal experience: spending time in forests is therapeutic for the body and mind. The simple presence of the trees, their beauty, the peace they create in their environment, their age and wisdom are all part of their healing powers. But trees are not just a source of solace and refuge, beauty and protection; they are also the source of numerous important medicines that have been used since time immemorial for their mood uplifting and mind calming properties. Some of these medicines have a long history of use as incense for purification, some can be used in aromatic baths, some are made into teas and tinctures for anxiolytic functions; all are pleasing to the senses, nourishing to the heart and supportive of our spiritual growth.
- Introduction: the healing power of trees
- Overview of the course
- Sacred temple incenses and aromatic “wish fulfilling gems” for prayer, meditation, ceremonial offerings and creating magical synchronicity
- The blessings of sandalwood and agarwood
- The history and uses of the many types of copal
- Linden, albizia and other tree flowers that promote happiness
- Cedar, juniper and other conifers used for spiritual protection around the world
Module 2: Tree medicines for immune protection, atmospheric purification and respiratory health
There is a direct anatomical and physiological relationship between the human respiratory system and trees: the lungs are a mirror image of their structure, and we are breathing with them in an opposite gaseous exchange. It is only natural that many of the compounds that trees produce for their own immunity are major medicines for respiratory conditions. Essential oils distilled from the needles of conifers and leaves of eucalypti purify the atmosphere and protect the lungs; spices from trees strengthen immunity both as herbs and oils; flowers and fruits from trees such as elderberry are famous for their immune boosting powers. Trees offer many medicines from their barks and roots that restore and regenerate respiratory functions, and also give resins that bees make into propolis, a powerful natural antimicrobial remedy.
- Tree flowers and fruits for respiratory immunity
- Aromatic salves, steam treatments and herbal baths with tree medicines for the lungs
- Tree spices and their essential oils for antimicrobial protection
- Conifers and eucalypti essential oil preparations for respiratory health
- Propolis: bee medicine from tree resins
- Wild cherry bark, loquats and others tree medicines for coughs and congestion
- Mulberry leaves, plum paste, apricot seeds and other ingredients of traditional Chinese formulas for respiratory conditions
Module 3: Tree medicines for digestive health and dental hygiene
Tree medicines have been used since antiquity for supporting digestive health and treating digestive ailments. Spices from trees have well known benefits for improving the appetite and protecting gut immunity; many tree species are used in different forms for their antimicrobial and antiparasitic powers; numerous tree medicines are beneficial and effective for dental hygiene purposes. Some of the traditional herbal formulas from Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine that are now widely available are tree medicines, such as Triphala, the “three fruits,” that are a complete pharmacy for countless digestive problems.
- Neem and Arak: antimicrobial tooth sticks for dental hygiene
- Tree spices for enhancing digestive power
- Slippery elm, black walnut, white oak and other tree medicines for restoring gut mucosa
- Ayurveda’s three tree fruits for regulating digestion and elimination
- Mastic gum and other resins for digestive infections
- Papaya, hawthorn and other fruits that stimulate digestion
- Magnolia bark and other tree remedies for digestive stagnation
- Pomegranate, white oak and other tree medicines for digestive infections and parasites
Module 4: Tree medicines for the heart and circulation
Trees offer many medicines that are beneficial for the cardiovascular system in diverse forms such as leaves, bark, fruits and resins. Sometimes the medicines used for human purposes were produced by the trees for the same purposes, such as using resins, the blood of trees, for circulatory conditions. Some tree medicines have been used for these purposes for centuries or longer, while some are more recent additions to the pharmacopeia. Tree medicines in this category can be used for treating cardiac insufficiency, enhancing cerebral circulation to support cognitive functions, to lower cholesterol and regulate blood pressure, to improve vein health and many other similar purposes.
- The powers and uses of ginkgo
- Hawthorn, arjuna and other tree medicines for strengthening the heart and cardiovascular system
- Tree medicines for vein health
- Frankincense, myrrh and other resins: the uses of the “blood” of trees for circulatory benefits
- Tree oils and herbal baths for improving circulation
- Guggulu: Ayuvedic tree medicine for the cardiovascular and musculoskeletal systems
Module 5: Tree medicines for removing pain and inflammation
Numerous tree medicines have significant anti-inflammatory and analgesic powers that can be helpful for both acute and chronic conditions. Some are in the form of essential oils that can be prepared into liniments, some are best taken as tinctures and teas, some can be used in herbal baths. Tree medicines in various forms are used for treating inflammation in the digestive tract, dysmenorrhea, musculoskeletal pain and inflammation, headaches, and many other conditions. These medicines are often milder than their modern synthetic counterparts, but work at a deeper level of healing and with far fewer side effects and adverse reactions.
- The anti-inflammatory powers of frankincense, myrrh and other tree resins
- Jamaican dogwood, white willow bark and other tree based analgesic remedies
- Black haw and other antispasmotic tree medicines
- Conifer and eucalyptus leaves and their essential oils for pain and inflammation
- Eucommia bark for strengthening the musculoskeletal system
- Demulcent tree medicines for soothing digestive inflammation
- Cinnamon, myrrh, melia and other pain relieving herbs used in Chinese medicine
Module 6: Tree medicines for detoxification
Detoxification is an important aspect of healing, that requires specific knowledge of what, when, where and how to get best results. There are numerous tree medicines that gently support the body’s natural detoxification processes, as well as others that are stronger purgatives and purifiers. Some work by assisting the cleansing of the blood; some work by enhancing lymphatic drainage; some work by improving digestive power and restoring the gut membrane and microbiome; and some work by supporting liver and kidney functions.
- Haritaki: the Medicine Buddha’s supreme healing fruit
- Ceanothus, sarsaparilla and other trees for purifying the liver, blood and lymph
- Neem tree: the village pharmacy; the powers of neem bark, seeds, oil, and leaves
- Tree spices for digestive detox and microbial protection
- Black walnut, prickly ash bark, triphala and other tree medicines for restoring digestive health
- Juniper berries and other tree medicines for the urinary system
- Cascara and other tree medicines for laxative purposes
Module 7: Tree medicines for infections, wounds and skin conditions
Tree medicines have been used by cultures around the world for millennia for treating infections, wounds and skin conditions. Some are now widely used such as tea tree oil, while other are less known such as the usnea lichen that grows on trees. Some trees give multiple forms of medicine, such as the olive, which gives food, oil that can be used for herbal preparations, and the leaves that have documented antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory powers.
- The healing powers of the olive tree
- Usnea: antimicrobial tree lichen
- The alkaloid medicines of Mahonia and Berberis species
- Yew tips, poplar buds and other traditional tree medicines for wounds and infections
- Dragon’s blood and copaiba: Amazonian tree medicines for healing the skin
- Tea tree, manuka, niaouli and other potent antimicrobial essential oils
- Spruce pitch, poplar buds and other tree medicines for the skin
- Philodendron, neem and other tree barks for treating infections