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Basswood
Basswood:
The basswood tree, also known as linden or Tilia, is a tree native to the US and Canada that reaches a height of up to 120 feet. Basswood bark is brownish-gray with shallow, perpendicular fissures. The serrated, heart-shaped basswood leaves are from 4-7 inches long with pointed tips. The basswood tree produces clusters of yellow-white, fragrant flowers in June and August. The subspecies Tilia Cordata is most often used for alternative medicine purposes because it is thought to have the highest concentrations of medicinal properties.
Basswood is used in alternative medicine as a sedative to promote relaxation and sleep; a demulcent to soothe irritated mucus membranes; a diuretic to encourage the body to release excess fluids; an antispasmodic to relax muscles; an ophthalmic to soothe the eyes; a vermifuge to kill parasitic insects; and a poultice, when heated and applied over an inflamed area of the body to reduce swelling and pain.
Basswood flowers, leaves, wood, and charcoal (obtained from the wood) are used for medicinal purposes. The plant also contains tannins that can act as an astringent.
Basswood’s inner bark contains mucilage that can be applied topically to soothe skin irritations including boils, wounds, sores, and burns.
Dried basswood flowers are used medicinally to treat coughs, infections, colds, fever, high blood pressure, inflammation, and headaches, especially migraine headaches. Active ingredients in the basswood flowers include flavonoids with antioxidant properties, volatile oils, and mucilage.
Recent research shows that basswood flowers may be hepatoprotective, meaning they shield the liver from damage. The inner bark or sapwood of basswood is widely used in France as a liver restorative because of its mild choleretic action. basswood has been shown to stimulate the flow of bile through the liver, which drains the liver naturally. A well-drained liver is able to restore itself to health, while liver congestion is the first stage of liver disease. European herbalists believe basswood to be a far more gentle liver restorative than pharmaceutical drugs designed to accomplish the same thing.
Historically, basswood flowers were used in bath water to calm hysterical patients. A tea made of basswood flowers was used to relieve indigestion caused by anxiety.
For external treatments, the linden flowers may be used to make an infusion (a tea), a lotion, or a compress. basswood flower lotion may be used to soothe itchy skin conditions, the infusion may be poured into a bath as a relaxant, and the compress may be used to treat eye infections.
Basswood leaves have been used historically to promote sweating when necessary to break a fever.
Basswood wood can be burned until it becomes charcoal and taken internally to treat intestinal disorders. An application of basswood charcoal may be used on swollen limbs to bring down swelling, or to treat skin irritations such as cellulitis or skin ulcers.
Basswood flowers do not contain highly toxic substances and are generally considered as a safe herbal treatment for adults. Basswood herbal extracts may be safe for children but should only be used under the supervision of an experienced herbalist or other healthcare professional. Some people are allergic to basswood flowers; be alert for allergic reactions, although they are rare.
Drinking basswood flower tea in large amounts has been linked to heart irregularities, so basswood should only be used as an herbal treatment under the supervision of an experienced health care professional.
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