Wild hydrangea
Hydrangea arborescens
A shrub of eastern North America whose bark and roots were used by the Cherokee and Delaware for stomach trouble, burns, sprains, high blood pressure and gallstones. No pharmacological, toxicological or clinical studies of the plant were found for this entry, so its effects and safety are unknown.
What it is used for
- Gallbladder and bile flowTraditional
Delaware root preparations with blue flag were used for gallstones, and the Cherokee gave a bark infusion to induce vomiting to 'throw off disordered bile'. Untested.1
- Burns and sunburnTraditional
The Cherokee applied a poultice of scraped bark to burns and to 'risings' (boils), and used the plant for ulcers.1
- Muscle pain and crampsTraditional
Used by the Cherokee for sprains and as a poultice for sore or swollen muscles.1
- High blood pressureTraditional
Cherokee chewed the bark for high blood pressure and for stomach trouble. No studies.1
How it is prepared
poultice
Scraped bark applied to burns and boils (Cherokee).
Burns and sunburn
infusion
Cold infusion of bark, recorded by the Cherokee as an antiemetic. No attributed dose.
Nausea and vomiting
Amounts are as recorded by the named source, not a recommendation.
Safety
- Pregnancy
- Avoid
- Breastfeeding
- Insufficient data
Do not use if
- Pregnancy (Cherokee use for the menstrual period is classed as abortifacient in the ethnobotanical record)
Side effects
- Vomiting and purging are recorded traditional effects of bark preparations
Toxicity
No toxicity studies were found. Bark infusions were used by the Cherokee as an emetic and purgative.
In the healing traditions
- Indigenous North American
Wild hydrangea (Cherokee, Delaware)
Cherokee: bark chewed for stomach trouble and high blood pressure; cold bark infusion as an antiemetic for children; bark infusion as an emetic for 'disordered bile'; purgative; poultice of scraped bark for burns and boils; for sprains, sore muscles, tumours and as an antiseptic; compound infusion taken for the menstrual period; young peeled twigs boiled and fried as food. Delaware: roots with blue flag root for gallstones.
Hamel & Chiltoskey 1975; Tantaquidgeon 1942, 1972; Perry 1975; Witthoft 1977 — via Native American Ethnobotany Database
History
Wild hydrangea appears in the Cherokee medicine and food records compiled by Hamel and Chiltoskey and others in the 1970s, and in Gladys Tantaquidgeon's mid-twentieth-century studies of Delaware medicine.
Sources
- 1.Native American Ethnobotany Database (BRIT): Hydrangea arborescens (records from Hamel & Chiltoskey 1975, Tantaquidgeon 1942/1972, Perry 1975, Witthoft 1977)
- 2.GBIF Backbone Taxonomy: Hydrangea arborescens L.
Reference, not prescription. Nothing here is medical advice. Herbs can interact with medicines and be dangerous in pregnancy; tell your doctor or pharmacist about anything you take.