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The name Balm of Gilead is used to describe cottonwood poplar buds that are used medicinally. Maud Grieve, an herbalist, believed that the true Gilead came from the Commiphora species of small, thorny trees of Africa and Asia. The buds from this particular tree were used to make incense and perfume, besides being used for their medicinal properties. The buds can be infused in oil and turned into products for topical use for arthritis, cuts or inflammation to name a few. I’ve tried this plant in an extract form for a constant cough left over from the flu. Though there were other herbs in the mixture it tastes exactly like the buds smell, reminding one of spring time and warm weather.
Common Name: Balm of Gilead (Poplar Buds)
Latin Name: Populus spp.
Family: Salicaceae
Areas of Origin: North America, Europe, Asia, North Africa
Botanical Description: A tree which can grow to 70’ in height and 2-3’ in diameter. The buds are large and brown in color with a sticky, resinous sap to them which smell sweet and rich. The tree has flowering catkins, which can be male or female, and grow in a downward curving cluster of small flowering buds.
Parts Used: Leaf buds
Uses: Good for coughs, rheumatoid arthritis, cuts and wounds, sore muscles
Until next time, discover the power of welcoming nature’s healing plants into your life.
Links
Tree Medicine: Poplar Bud Harvest and Medicine Making (janettecormier.com/single-post/2015/03/20/Tree-Medicine-Poplar-Bud-Harvest-and-Medicine-Making)
References
Popular. (n.d.). Web MD. Retrieved from (webmd.com/vitamins/ai/ingredientmono-245/poplar)
Strauch, B. (1996, December/January). Herb to Know: Balm-of-Gilead. Mother Earth Living. Retrieved from (motherearthliving.com/plant-profile/herb-to-know-balm-of-gilead)
Kitchen Cupboard Underground is a weekly blog on home remedies and natural wellness. Find 100% natural, wellness and personal care products Made for You and delivered to your door at BotanicalTherapy.com
Four granodiorite statues of goddess Sekhmet,
originally
from the Temple of Mut at Thebes. Reign of Amenhotep III. New Kingdom, 18th Dynasty, ca. 1400 BC. Now in the British Museum.
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