Herbal Medicine for Preppers: Tupelo, Ironwood and Sourwood

[00:00:00] [SPEAKER_00]: Hey y'all, welcome to this week's show. We are continuing our series on the

[00:00:05] [SPEAKER_00]: Disinal Houses of Trees. And we'll cover a couple today, maybe two or three because

[00:00:12] [SPEAKER_00]: they're fairly short entries. And the first one I want to tell you about is really

[00:00:30] [SPEAKER_00]: around here. We call them gum trees or black gum or swamp gum. They're just called gum

[00:00:38] [SPEAKER_00]: trees. They have gum balls on them is what they're called. There's like prickly balls that

[00:00:42] [SPEAKER_00]: the seed seeds are in. And Tupelo is a new world tree. You may have heard of Tupelo

[00:00:54] [SPEAKER_00]: honey before. I believe Van Morrison actually did, but I think I whole album entitled

[00:00:59] [SPEAKER_00]: Tupelo Honey. It's remarkable. I mean if you ever tasted Tupelo honey or gum tree

[00:01:11] [SPEAKER_00]: honey is what we would have called it. Black gum honey, you will never forget it. It

[00:01:16] [SPEAKER_00]: is just so good. I mean my grandfather was a beekeeper and my great grandfather was a beekeeper.

[00:01:23] [SPEAKER_00]: And I think it was specifically my great grandpa that had his hives down by the swamp. The

[00:01:29] [SPEAKER_00]: house was set on a little bit of a really hill. I mean this is really low-wine country,

[00:01:34] [SPEAKER_00]: but it's just a little bit higher than the gardens and the cow pasture and then down at the

[00:01:41] [SPEAKER_00]: end of the property was the swamp. And that's where he had his hives and it's probably, you know,

[00:01:46] [SPEAKER_00]: basically to keep the kids from getting stung by bees when they were little, you know? Because

[00:01:50] [SPEAKER_00]: he and my great grandparents raised a fairly large family on that farm. And that was that honey

[00:01:57] [SPEAKER_00]: from those hives under those black gum trees was just incredible. Essentially as black and dark

[00:02:07] [SPEAKER_00]: as molasses, it would burn your throat. I mean the best thing you've ever had on a homemade

[00:02:14] [SPEAKER_00]: buttermilk biscuit biscuits made with lard and buttermilk strata farm the way my great

[00:02:19] [SPEAKER_00]: grandmother made them with that honey and some butter. Oh wow, I mean it just absolutely amazing.

[00:02:27] [SPEAKER_00]: And he take a you know always a piece of the cone and put it in the jar with the honey.

[00:02:32] [SPEAKER_00]: And when I was a kid I knew that was my favorite thing. I'd run in there to get one of those

[00:02:36] [SPEAKER_00]: jars of honey that had been an open and grab a spoon and get a chunk of that, uh, that uh,

[00:02:44] [SPEAKER_00]: the waxy cone. Full of that dark honey and just slowly chew on and chew on it like it was

[00:02:50] [SPEAKER_00]: bubble gum or something. I'm just oh my gosh, it was incredible. And of course, honey keeps for,

[00:02:56] [SPEAKER_00]: well honey keeps forever. They you know they found honey in the tombs of the pharaohs of Egypt

[00:03:01] [SPEAKER_00]: that were still edible and just perfectly fine. And so we were eating his honey for probably 20 or 30

[00:03:10] [SPEAKER_00]: years after he passed away. I mean, you know it's just really great, really great stuff but

[00:03:16] [SPEAKER_00]: it does all to these trees also have so pretty good medicinal value mainly learned

[00:03:24] [SPEAKER_00]: through the native American tribes that used it and let's see where I can start here.

[00:03:30] [SPEAKER_00]: Well we'll start with one of the tribes and one of the tribes in which I have the cell

[00:03:33] [SPEAKER_00]: relatives and kind of grew up in and around. Um, the herbal remedies of the Lumbi Indian states,

[00:03:40] [SPEAKER_00]: some Lumbi healers would scrape the bark from the roots of the black gum tree and boil it

[00:03:46] [SPEAKER_00]: to make a tree to treat colic cramps or worms. The inner bark was made into a tree to treat milky

[00:03:52] [SPEAKER_00]: urine and diarrhea. Some local healers would also use the branches of the black gum and

[00:03:59] [SPEAKER_00]: gall of the earth that I'm thinking earth gals is what they're talking about.

[00:04:05] [SPEAKER_00]: Could be a gall on an oak tree as well but I'm thinking this would specifically be earth gals

[00:04:10] [SPEAKER_00]: to obtain a tonic use of treat high blood pressure. So not exactly sure how that works but

[00:04:17] [SPEAKER_00]: in a more modern use plants for a future says the bark is a medic. I mean, it's healthy throw up.

[00:04:23] [SPEAKER_00]: Optimallic, which means it's good for the eyes that reduces inflammation and worm

[00:04:27] [SPEAKER_00]: abuse meaning that it can help get rid of intestinal worms parasites. And infusion has been used

[00:04:33] [SPEAKER_00]: as a bath and also given to children with worms. That's a decoctionity of the plant essentially.

[00:04:39] [SPEAKER_00]: A strong decoction is used to cause vomiting when an able to retain food. A strong ooze from the roots

[00:04:46] [SPEAKER_00]: is used as eye drops. And that's all I got on gum. I can just tell you fantastic if you're a

[00:04:53] [SPEAKER_00]: beekeeper, I wish it was really good. Now the next one we get into is Austria. You may know this

[00:04:59] [SPEAKER_00]: one as hot porn beam or more common where I live ironwood. Two species native to my region and

[00:05:10] [SPEAKER_00]: Kings American dispensatory of 1898 said ironwood is antipiriotic, tonic and alternative. It has been used with

[00:05:20] [SPEAKER_00]: efficiency and intermittent fevers. That's by the way, what antipiriotic means. I've told you before

[00:05:26] [SPEAKER_00]: how like malaria or fevers would be every, like a tertium fever would be every three days.

[00:05:32] [SPEAKER_00]: A quadrant fever would be every four days and people could basically time it down to they knew

[00:05:37] [SPEAKER_00]: the minute their fever was going to come on. That's when that virus is replicating in the system

[00:05:43] [SPEAKER_00]: and it goes its cyclical and so that's a certain period of time and so if you read an herb

[00:05:49] [SPEAKER_00]: says antipiriotic, it means it's good for intermittent fevers. Good for neurologic affections

[00:05:56] [SPEAKER_00]: just Pepsia which is stomach upset basically burping an ingestion. Scrofula and all diseases where

[00:06:04] [SPEAKER_00]: antipiriotic tonic is indicated. Dose of decaction one or two fluid ounces three to four times a

[00:06:11] [SPEAKER_00]: day if fluid extract one fluid dracum. So we would just as home kitchen medicine we would make

[00:06:19] [SPEAKER_00]: a decaction and so you're looking at two to three one to two fluid ounces three to four times a day.

[00:06:25] [SPEAKER_00]: Again more modern use plants for future says ironwood the bark is a stringent, a stringent,

[00:06:31] [SPEAKER_00]: a blood tonic and hemostatic means it's good for the liver. A decaction of the bark is used to

[00:06:39] [SPEAKER_00]: base sore muscles and in future the bark can be held on the mouth to relieve pain of a two-thick

[00:06:44] [SPEAKER_00]: an infusion of the heartwood has been used in treatment of lung hemorrhages, coughs and cold,

[00:06:50] [SPEAKER_00]: cattira and kidney problems. It's interesting we don't normally use the heartwood of a tree

[00:06:56] [SPEAKER_00]: medicinally but it has also been used as an herbal steam bath of the treatment of rheumatism or arthritis.

[00:07:01] [SPEAKER_00]: And botany in a day says a tea of the bark is taken for intermittent fevers and nervousness.

[00:07:08] [SPEAKER_00]: Now I'm going to get I'm going to wrap it up with one more and this is another of the great honey trees.

[00:07:14] [SPEAKER_00]: This is uh give you've ever been in the Atholash amounts. You know we are famous for

[00:07:20] [SPEAKER_00]: sourwood honey. Unfortunately, a lot of what's sold to sourwood honey is not.

[00:07:27] [SPEAKER_00]: Sourwood honey is uh very pale honey. It's almost like champagne colored

[00:07:35] [SPEAKER_00]: and so a lot of people just will say you corn syrup or corn syrup mixed with wildflower honey

[00:07:42] [SPEAKER_00]: and call it sourwood honey and of course that's not ethical but it's probably more fake

[00:07:48] [SPEAKER_00]: sourwood honey sold in America than there is real. And uh it really if someone does have

[00:07:58] [SPEAKER_00]: sourwood honey it's probably not making it very far off of their farm because it is absolutely

[00:08:03] [SPEAKER_00]: delicious the uh the olfokes and the mountains you say sourwood honey so good and if you put a

[00:08:09] [SPEAKER_00]: biscuit on your head your tongue and beat your brains out trying to get to it. That's it's I've

[00:08:14] [SPEAKER_00]: heard that all my life grow it up. Sourwood honey so good your tongue will beat your brains out well

[00:08:21] [SPEAKER_00]: was also the honey most often used in Appalachian cough syrup and cold medicines

[00:08:26] [SPEAKER_00]: and it's believed to have particularly strong medicinal properties. Kings American dispense

[00:08:31] [SPEAKER_00]: story of 1898 says they called sourwood honey the sourul tree okay that's another common name for it.

[00:08:38] [SPEAKER_00]: That sour quality like sourul has sort of limiting um official name of it is actually oxy

[00:08:44] [SPEAKER_00]: dindrom arboridum. Manay said sourul tree leaves are tonic refrigerant that means cooling

[00:08:51] [SPEAKER_00]: strongly diorratic you know helps relieve excess fluids. fever patients will find a

[00:08:56] [SPEAKER_00]: decoction of the leaves pleasant cooling and dioritic drink. I think sure the leaves and

[00:09:01] [SPEAKER_00]: twigs and whiskey is said to have been a popular remedy in Kentucky for kidney and bladder

[00:09:06] [SPEAKER_00]: ailments of age men being employed to increase renal secretion and to relieve unpleasant symptoms

[00:09:12] [SPEAKER_00]: attending prosthetic enlargement, vesicle calculi and chronic irritation of the neck and bladder.

[00:09:18] [SPEAKER_00]: Well back of the bladder started the neck of the bladder. Yeah really common home remedy in

[00:09:24] [SPEAKER_00]: the mountains for prostate issues just it's a dioritic remedy was especially recommended

[00:09:32] [SPEAKER_00]: to the treatment of dropsy by doctor Davis of Kentucky in 1801 strong dioritic

[00:09:38] [SPEAKER_00]: powers were generally recognized and several experimenters reported remarkable success from its

[00:09:43] [SPEAKER_00]: employment. It was asserted to give from marked relief in urinary troubles with frequent desire

[00:09:51] [SPEAKER_00]: to urinate with burning pain at the urethral outlet and urine passing in drops mixed with blood.

[00:09:57] [SPEAKER_00]: It was subsequently employed in bowel troubles from exposure to cold, diarrhea and dysentery

[00:10:06] [SPEAKER_00]: and undoubtedly acts by giving increased tone to relax capillaries. Specific indications in use

[00:10:15] [SPEAKER_00]: I'll see what his type of out said. And saccharide, acetydee and other forms of drugs see

[00:10:24] [SPEAKER_00]: urinary difficulties of old men painful maturation and scanty renal secretion.

[00:10:30] [SPEAKER_00]: More modern place for future says medicinal use the leaves are cardiac that means

[00:10:36] [SPEAKER_00]: for the chest and heart, essentially dioritic refrigerant and tonic. A teammate in the

[00:10:41] [SPEAKER_00]: lesis has been used to the treatment of asthma diarrhea and digestion and a check excessive

[00:10:46] [SPEAKER_00]: menstrual bleeding. It is dioritic and is a full remedy for treating fevers, kidney and bladder

[00:10:51] [SPEAKER_00]: ailments. The bark has been chewed in the treatment of mouth ulcers and Peterson field guide to

[00:10:59] [SPEAKER_00]: eastern central medicinal plants tells us, American Indians chewed the bark for mouth ulcers,

[00:11:05] [SPEAKER_00]: leaf tea used for nerves, asthma, diarrhea, and digestion to check excessive menstrual bleeding.

[00:11:12] [SPEAKER_00]: Leaf tea can tucky folk remedy for kidney and bladder ailments, dioritic fever, diarrhea,

[00:11:17] [SPEAKER_00]: dysentery, flowers yield the famous sour wood honey. I think we'll wrap it up there. There's

[00:11:24] [SPEAKER_00]: three really useful trees, specific in their use. Definitely if you keep bees, you're going to

[00:11:35] [SPEAKER_00]: want to have at least one of these growing because they like I said absolutely fantastic. Remember

[00:11:42] [SPEAKER_00]: if you buy sour wood honey, be sure to go to a reputable source otherwise you're just getting

[00:11:48] [SPEAKER_00]: clover honey with some corn syrup added to it and if you ever get a chance to have a two-po-o-honey

[00:11:54] [SPEAKER_00]: or black gum honey, get as much as you can and stick it back because that stuff is absolutely fantastic.

[00:12:02] [SPEAKER_00]: So y'all have a great week and I will talk to you next time. The information this podcast is not

[00:12:14] [SPEAKER_00]: been evaluated or approved by the FDA. I'm not a doctor. The U.S. government does not recognize the

[00:12:21] [SPEAKER_00]: practice of herbal medicine and there is no governing body and regulating herbal medicine. Therefore,

[00:12:25] [SPEAKER_00]: I'm really just a guy who says herbal medicine. I'm not offering any advice. I don't even claim

[00:12:29] [SPEAKER_00]: anything I write or say as accurate or true. I can tell you what herbs have been traditionally used for.

[00:12:35] [SPEAKER_00]: I can tell you my own experience and if I believe it knows help me. I cannot know what I tell you

[00:12:40] [SPEAKER_00]: to say. If you use a herb, anyone recommends you are treating yourself. You take full responsibility

[00:12:47] [SPEAKER_00]: for your health. Humans are individuals and no two are identical. What works for me may not work for

[00:12:52] [SPEAKER_00]: you. You may have an allergy, a sensitivity, an underlying condition that no one else even shares

[00:12:58] [SPEAKER_00]: and you don't even know about. Be careful with your health. By continuing to list my podcast or read

[00:13:04] [SPEAKER_00]: my blog, you read a bit of your response to yourself, to your own taste, and make your own choices

[00:13:09] [SPEAKER_00]: and not to blame me for anything ever.