Hamamelis virginiana. N.O. Hamamelidaceae.
Synonym: Spotted Alder and Snapping Hazel.
Habitat: This shrub, like the Alders and the Hazel, grows in bunches as high as eight or ten feet, and is found on high lands and the stony banks of streams.
Features ? The branches are flexuous and knotty, the bark smooth and grey with brown spots. The leaves are four to five inches long and about two inches broad, obovate; feather-veined, irregularly notched at the edges, smooth above and downy underneath. Yellow flowers appear in autumn, when the leaves are falling. Taste is astringent, and smell slight and agreeable.Part used ? Bark and leaves.
Action: Astringent and tonic.
A decoction of the bark, which is more astringent than the leaves, checks external and internal hemorrhages, and this astringency, when in combination with the more specific principles of Pilewort, makes one of the most effective pile medicines known. The compound can be obtained in the form of both ointment and suppositories for external application. For varicose veins an extract of the fresh leaves and young twigs of Witch Hazel is applied on a lint bandage kept constantly moist.Both decoctions of the bark and infusions of the leaves are made in the proportion of 1 ounce to 1 pint boiling water (after simmering for ten minutes in the case of the bark decoction) and taken in wineglassful doses.
A preparation of the bark, twigs, and dried leaves from Hamamelis virginiana, a plant found in the United States. It has strong astringent properties and is used to check haemorrhages and excessive mucous discharges, and also for piles (see HAEMORRHOIDS).
(hamamelis) a preparation made from the leaves and bark of the tree Hamamelis virginiana, used as an *astringent, especially for the treatment of sprains and bruises.
(English) From the hazel tree Hazell, Hazelle, Haesel, Hazle, Hazal, Hayzel, Haezel, Haizel... hazel
Corylus speciesDescription: Hazelnuts grow on bushes 1.8 to 3.6 meters high. One species in Turkey and another in China are large trees. The nut itself grows in a very bristly husk that conspicuously contracts above the nut into a long neck. The different species vary in this respect as to size and shape.Habitat and Distribution: Hazelnuts are found over wide areas in the United States, especially the eastern half of the country and along the Pacific coast. These nuts are also found in Europe where they are known as filberts. The hazelnut is common in Asia, especially in eastern Asia from the Himalayas to China and Japan. The hazelnut usually grows in the dense thickets along stream banks and open places. They are not plants of the dense forest.Edible Parts: Hazelnuts ripen in the autumn when you can crack them open and eat the kernel. The dried nut is extremely delicious. The nut’s high oil content makes it a good survival food. In the unripe stage, you can crack them open and eat the fresh kernel.... hazelnut or wild filbert
Health Encyclopedia