Witnessed by: Western
Alder buckthorn (Rhamnus frangula), of the Rhamnaceae family. Thornless deciduous shrub or small tree of wet ground, oval untoothed leaves, small greenish flowers, and berries turning green to red to black; native range: Europe, western Asia and North Africa, in damp woodland, fen carr and wet hedgerow; naturalised in North America. Globally recognized as Faulbaum in German, bourdaine in French, and alder buckthorn, black alder dogwood, frangula, arrow wood in English. The part used is the bark of stem and branch, dried and kept at least one year. Thin, tough, glossy grey-brown quills flecked with pale breathing-pores, crimson in the inner surface and turning the spittle yellow; faintly of the sickroom, the taste sweetish and then bitter.
In this cross-tradition database, we analyze how this substance operates across world medicine systems — tracking its traditional tastes, temperatures, tissue affinities, post-digestive effects, and planetary correspondences across Ayurveda, Unani, and Western herbalism.
ALDER BUCKTHORN
IDENTITY
Name
- Common
- alder buckthorn
- Scientific name
- Rhamnus frangula L.
- Family
- Rhamnaceae
Form
- Part used
- the bark of stem and branch, dried and kept at least one year
PROPERTIES
Nature
Taste
how the plant declares itself on the tongue
- Western
- bitter (sweetish at first, then bitter and nauseous)
Temperature
- Western
- cool
Affinity
where in the body it travels
Organs / channels
- Western
- bowels · liver · intestines
PRACTICE
Virtue
Actions
- Western
- laxative and mild cathartic (by anthraquinone glycosides working on the large bowel), cholagogue, and bitter tonic to the digestion
Cautions
Contraindications: intestinal obstruction, ileus and undiagnosed acute abdominal pain; inflammatory bowel disease and appendicitis; pregnancy, breast-feeding, and children under twelve
Toxicity: the FRESH bark is a violent emetic and gripes savagely — it must never be used unaged. The aged bark is safe in dose for short courses, but prolonged use loses the bowel its tone, drains potassium and darkens the gut lining (pseudomelanosis coli). Not for use beyond one or two weeks.
Interactions
- Western
- cardiac glycosides: potassium loss from prolonged laxative use raises sensitivity to digitalis and its toxicity · diuretics: additive potassium depletion with thiazide and loop diuretics · antiepileptics: hastened bowel transit may reduce absorption of orally taken drugs
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