Wild Cherry- Organic

Part Used:

Bark collected in Autumn and exposed to the sun and/or bark that is tinged green.

Active Constituents are:

• Volatile oil

• Coumarins

• Gallitannins

• Resin

• Benzoic acid

* Scopoletin

• cyanogenic glycosides (including prunasin a derivative of amygdalin, which is hydrolysed by enzymes to hydrocyanic acid (0.075% – 0.16%) & benzaldehyde)

Main Actions are:

• Anti-tussive

• Astringent – tannins

• Sedative

Used traditionally in the following areas:

Respiratory System:

…as a cough remedy, the cyanogenic glycosides are hydrolysed to glucose, benzaldehyde and hydrocyanic acid, otherwise known as prussic acid which is excreted rapidly from the lungs, increasing respiration and then sedating the sensory nerves which provoke the cough reflex. Increase oxygen uptake by the blood, is expectorant and being excreted from the lungs increases the rate of respiration, transiently. So it has been found to be useful in:

• Chronic Bronchitis

• Non-productive coughs

• Irritable & Persistent coughs

• Coughs that deplete vital energy

• Geriatric cough (due to mucous membranes & cardiac failure)

• Psychosomatic coughs

• Pertussis

• Pulmonary Tumour

• Tracheitis

NOTE: DO NOT use in acute (sudden) infections where there is a productive cough i.e. it is removing the infection. Suppressing a cough is going against the natural healing process so use with caution. It has been the base for cough and bronchitis medicines for at least the last 100 years.

Although prussic acid is highly poisonous, if followed and used in the medicinal doses above the low content (0.07% – 0.16%) ensures it is quite SAFE. It is therefore used only in situations where coughing is serving no useful purpose and is in fact exhausting the vital energy.

The cyanogenic glycosides have been shown to stimulate digestion and the Benzoic acid has antiseptic and anticatarrhal effect so shows promise in the following area:

Gastrointestinal System:

• Nervous dyspepsia

• Diarrhoea

Dosage:

Infusion 0.5 – 2gm tds (three times daily)

Organic Wild Cherry Prunus serotina (Root)

Available in black kraft bags.