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Article: Trees that heal (and don't). (an apothecary of real and imagined arboreal cures)(Forest Folklore)
- Article from:
- American Forests
- Article date:
- January 1, 1991
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1991 American Forests. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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HA0008
Of the 750 native and naturalized species cataloged in the Check List of United States Trees (1979), only a relative handful truly possess medicinal powers. But a longtime interest in the subject convinces me that at least 300 species have been credited with having therapeutic properties.
The ills of humans have long responded to treatment by poultices, physics, ointments, pain killers, and other remedies concocted from leaves, twigs, bark, fruit, and roots. But so-called kitchen or folk medicine is gradually disappearing into history. This is a pity, for its traditions-even its superstitions-are colorful and tell us much about our past that is not ...