Prickly ash is a small aromatic perennial evergreen tree that grows roughly up to 35 ft tall, known to grow all around the world. There are over 200 species of Prickly Ash.
Prickly Ash is versatile and can be used for many things from alternative medicine to cooking.
Benefits of Prickly Ash
Prickly ash is utilized for infusions, poultices, and powders.
Medicinally, prickly ash can be used to treat:
- Toothaches
- Cancer
- Menstrual cramps
- Blood circulation problems
- Joint pain
- Fever
- lung conditions
- itchy Skin
- malaria
- sleeping sickness
- ulcers and wounds
- fungal infections
- colds and coughs
- osteoarthritis
- back pain
- digestive issues
- Hemorrhoid remedy
- Antidiarrheal agent
- Antifungal agent
- Antinausea agent
- Antirheumatic properties
- Appetite stimulant
- sore throats
- pain from childbirth
- colic in babies
Prickly ash comes in a variety of forms, including liquid extracts, ground powders, tablets, berries, and pieces of its tree bark.
There are several ways to take prickly ash:
From chewing on its bark, to making a tea.
Prickly ash comes in many forms such as tinctures, poultices, ground powders, tablets, berries, and pieces of its tree bark.
How It Works
Prickly ash bark contains alkaloids, which are nitrogen-containing plant compounds that cause physiological actions. Examples of alkaloids are morphine, quinine, and more. Prickly ash also contains an aklomide that causes a numbing feeling on the tongue and mouth.
This may be the reason prickly ash was commonly used for toothaches.
Prickly ash oil contains the highest concentration of alkaloids. They help stimulate tissues resulting in dilatation of the veins and improved circulation.
Prickly ash also has a rubefacient effect. This means that when used on the skin, the volatile oils produce redness, causing dilatation of the capillaries and increased blood flow.
