Walnut
Description:
Black Walnut trees can live more than 300 years and reach heights of 60 feet with a circumference of 23 feet. Black Walnut trees grow in the Central to Eastern regions of North America. The most notable attribute of the Black Walnut tree is its characteristic smell. The Black Walnut nuts are covered in a smooth hard shell that is difficult to break. The ancient Doctrine of Signatures, states that the physical appearance of plants can hint to their healing properties.
In accordance with this belief it is thought that walnuts with their twisted shape on the surface, have long been thought useful in treating brain disorders. Dioscorides, the ancient Greek author of De material medica, which has been the foremost textbook of pharmacology for 16 centuries, considered walnuts to have an excitatory effect on the head (exciting the brain). This effect has been attributed to the plants high levels of serotonin.
For hundreds of years, Native American Indians drank inner bark tea as an emetic and laxative, and chewed the bark to soothe toothaches. They chewed the husk for colic, drank husk juice for treating ringworm, and in a poultice, the husk reduced swellings. Black Walnut bark has alterative, astringent, detergent, tonic, anodyne, emetic, laxative, and vermifuge effects. The leaf has astringent and insecticide properties. The husk, shell and peel are sudorific, especially when the walnuts are green.
While unripe, the nut has worm anti-parasitic properties. The bark has purgative qualities and the sap is used as an anti-inflammatory. Today, Black Walnut bark and leaves are used in the treatment of skin troubles such as herpes, eczema, skin rashes, psoriasis, and skin ulcers. An infusion of the bark and leaves is used in lowering high blood pressure and can be used as a cleansing wash as well. It is also used to treat diarrhea, and for stopping milk production. Chewing the bark relieves toothache pain and as a poultice reduces headaches.
Rubbing crushed leaves or husk juice on the body will destroy ringworm. The green husk of the Black Walnut produces a brown stain resulting from the high organic iodine content. This makes it antiseptic and useful in healing. Its properties are useful in all sorts of cleansing programs.
Walnut are well known here in North America and considered a delicacy. However, to the Chinese, Walnuts, their kernels, are an important tonic herb that has significant strengthening qualities. The main one in particular is used to strengthen the Kidney functions. However, it is also used to strengthen the lumbar region of the back, the legs and the sexual organs. Walnut kernels are needed so they can be combined with other Kidney tonics to make it even better.