White Poplar

Populus tremuloides

American Aspen Mountain Aspen Quaking Aspen Quiverleaf Trembling Aspen White Poplar Parts used Uses Habitat and cultivation Constituents How much to take Collection and harvesting Combinations

White poplar - a small, short-lived tree growing up to 40 feet tall; white poplar has a smooth, nearly white bark that roughens and darkens with age. Roundish-oval leaves, which flutter in a slight breeze, are borne on slender flattened leafstalks. Male and female flowers of white poplar (April-May) appear in long clusters called catkins on separate trees about one month before the leaves.

So lavish with its gifts is white poplar that it feeds no less than 500 species of animals, fungi, and other life-forms. The beaver prefers its bark to all others and builds his dams of its poles; its winter buds are fare for grouse; the moose browses on its foliage all year round.

Man, too, once relied on white poplar as a source of foods and medicines. Various North American Indian peoples ate the inner bark of white poplar or drank the syrup derived from it as a spring tonic or energy source. The Crees boiled the bark for a cough medicine. The Delawares boiled the root to obtain a tonic for debility, and they made a cold remedy from the bark. The Mohawks used the bark tea to expel worms. The Fox people boiled white poplar buds in fat as a salve for a cold sufferer's sore nostrils. The Chippewas brewed a drink from the roots of white poplar to prevent premature childbirth, prepared a heart medicine from various parts of the tree, and applied the chewed-up bark to cuts. In the 19th century, herbalists, picking up where the Indians left off, experimented with tinctures of the bark as a remedy for fever, rheumatism, arthritis, and the common cold, as well as for worms.

PARTS USED

Bark.

USES

Like willow bark, white poplar bark has widely recognized anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving properties. White poplar is often taken to treat arthritic and rheumatic aches and pains. White poplar is also used to lower fever, especially when this condition is associated with rheumatoid arthritis. Being a stimulant, white poplar bark acts as a tonic remedy in the treatment of anorexia and other debilitated states. The bark's significant astringent and antiseptic qualities make it useful for treating diarrhea and the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome. White poplar is also used to treat urinary tract infections.

As a cholagogue white poplar can be used to stimulate digestion and especially stomach and liver function, particularly where there is loss of appetite. In feverish colds and in infections such as cystitis white poplar may be considered.

HABITAT AND CULTIVATION

Native to North America, white poplar prefers damp and moist areas, and is commonly found growing alongside rivers and in valleys, along roadsides, and in groves. White poplar is also widely cultivated in temperate regions. The bark of white poplar is collected in early spring.

CONSTITUENTS

The bark of white poplar contains phenolic glycosides (including salicin and populin) and tannins. Salicin and populin are salicylates, substances that have fever-reducing, pain- relieving, and anti-inflammatory properties that are similar to those of aspirin.

HOW MUCH TO TAKE

Decoction: put 1-2 teaspoonfuls of the dried bark in a cup of water, bring to the boil and simmer for 10-15 minutes. This should be drunk three times a day. To stimulate appetite, drink 30 minutes before meals.
Tincture: take 2-4 ml of the tincture three times a day.

COLLECTION AND HARVESTING

The bark of white poplar should be collected in the spring, taking care not to ring-bark the tree and thus kill it.

COMBINATIONS

In the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis white poplar may be used with black cohosh, bogbean and celery. As a digestive stimulant white poplar can be used with balmony and golden seal.