Cottonwoods Balm

January and February are the perfect months to harvest the sticky dormant leaf buds of Balsam Poplars. The buds can be made into a sweetly-scented oil that is wonderfully pain-relieving when applied topically, great for healing wounds, and supporting the lungs.

The majestic Cottonwood is mostly known for its abundance of soft white fluff, that floats through the air like summer snow and leaves the ground covered in white fluffy cotton. Also considered a pest to some, who find the Cottonwood's sticky buds stuck to their cars, or in pet fur - the gift they offer us is unfortunately overlooked. Often found in swampy wet areas alongside Willows, Dogwoods, Bigleaf Maples, Alders and Red Cedars, it can clean contaminated soil and reduce excess atmospheric carbon, metabolizing it into less toxic compounds. Cottonwoods are a species of Populus and belong to the Willow Family, containing many similar pain-relieving constituents that the plant family is famous for.

Among its many gifts it is also a 'gateway tree', helping people to enter into the world of plant medicine, as was the case for me - this medicinal tree was what originally sparked my intrigue and fascination in trees and began my journey into plant medicine.

It captured my attention one autumn morning, when I walked across it's yellow mat of heart shaped leaves. I caught the scent of something sweet and resinous in the air and I found its source amongst the leaves, fallen branches looking like crooked fingers, with big sticky buds at the ends of them.

Its sweet smell totally captivated me, the richness and depth of it was like coming home, familiar and soothing. On this day of Cottonwood discovery I was lucky enough to be with someone who was familiar with tree medicine and shared the knowledge of its gifts to me, opening up a brand new world of plant medicine. I was amazed at how nature was providing something so medicinally strong.

Cottonwood buds are worked with to make a Balm of Gilean - rich insalicin and, used externally, is a pain relieving anti-inflammatory. The oil made from the buds not only smells heavenly, it is heaven sent when used to rub into aching muscles and joints:) It brings relief not only for arthritis sufferers, but also for hikers, skiers or gardeners who have aching muscles. The oil also lifts the Spirits and gives a feeling of ease and wellbeing, relaxation and joy. The buds can also be added to boiling water for use in steam inhalations to bring sweet relief for those suffering with congested sinuses or lungs.

Between now and the Spring Equinox is the perfect time to begin gathering Cottonwood buds, as they are rich in resin. The cold snowy weather keeps the resin hard and shiny, not yet sticky from the warmth of the sun. The medicinal resins contained in the dormant buds are the plants protective mechanism against predators, infection, and environmental damage. The resins become mostly concentrated during the cold months of winter.

As the largest buds are up in the higher branches of the trees, the easiest way to harvest the buds, once you have identified the tree, is to go out after a windy day and search beneath it for fallen branches. You will find twigs laden with the largest plump buds fallen from the crown of the tree.

The inner bark of the Cottonwood and other Poplars also has medicinal application and can be harvested in early spring, February until the beginning of April is a good harvest window. It’s best not to harvest by peeling bark from the living tree, but rather by pruning off half inch to two inch diameter twigs and peeling them. These can also be the branches that you found during your bud harvest in the winter. Smaller twigs can also be chopped into small pieces whole, revealing a magical star-shaped pith in it's cross section.

The leaves can also be harvested and are best in early summer, containing a combination of medicinal properties which includes the healing and antimicrobial resins found in the buds as well as the pain relieving glycosides found in large quantities within the inner bark, but the buds and bark are more commonly worked with and are considered to be much stronger.

Medicinal Elements

Energetics & Taste: Dry, bitter, slightly sweet and aromatic.

Actions: Antimicrobial, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, diaphoretic, expectorant, astringent, diuretic, bitter, stomachic and tonic.

Preparations: Tea (leaf), Decoction (bark, buds), Tincture (leaf, bark, buds), Infused oil/salve (leaf, bark, buds), Liniment (leaf, bark, buds), Vinegar (bark), Powder (bark)

When might you work with Cottonwood?

- As part of a digestive tonic formula (bark tincture)

- In a bitters blend (bark, leaf tincture)

- As a pain-relieving salve, infused oil, or liniment (buds, bark)

- Like an herbal band-aid, to disinfect and help seal a cut or scrape (sticky resin, infused oil/salve of buds)

- On a sunburn (infused vinegar, liniment)

- To help thin and clear stagnant, damp phlegm (decoction or tincture of buds)

Making Medicine with Poplar

Cottonwood/Poplar inner bark and twigs can be made fresh or dried into a pain-relieving tincture, or made into a tea by decocting a few pieces of the twigs or bark in water. Simmering on the stove the decoction smells resinous & sweet. To keep the tea palatable, don’t make it too strong; simmered past a few minutes the tea begins to turn dark and incredibly bitter.

The infused oil, as described in the below folk-method, is superior at healing burns, as it is antiseptic and encourages skin cell proliferation. The bud infused oil can also be used in place of Vitamin E as a preservative. Add 1-3 tablespoons to a quart of another infused oil to help extend shelf life.

The buds also makes a good tincture for pain and inflammation, it can be applied for gut healing and reducing candida infections, healing lung infections and reducing coughs, and as a bitter and carminative digestive aid for after heavy meals. The tincture can be diluted in water to make a sore throat gargle, or a healing mouth rinse to help heal infections, reduce pain, and encourage healthy gums.

And lastly for soothing throat syrups, instead of using oil infuse the buds into honey! Add a spoonful, in tea, on toast, or drizzled on anything you fancy. The honey is my favourite preparation to use for sore throats.

Poplar Bud Oil Recipe

- Rinse your freshly harvested Poplar buds in a few changes of cold water to remove any dirt or debris. Strain the buds and place them on a screen for a day to let the residual water evaporate off completely.

- Place buds in a wide-mouth mason jar. If using weight-to-volume method,

weight out 1 part buds (in grams), and pour in 3 parts oil (in mls). If using the folk-method, simply fill the jar 3/4 of the way up with them, then fill the glass jar all the way up to the top with a carrier oil, such as olive oil, sunflower oil, almond oil etc.

- Leave in a cool dark place and remember to shake it and open the lid periodically to let out any air.

- You can leave the buds in the jar from 6 weeks to up to one year, then strain off the buds and your left with a dark and thick amber oil! Store in a cool dark place. Fresh Poplar bud oil has a shelf life of 2-3 years.

Cottonwood Salve Yield: 8 ounces

1 ounce (28 grams) beeswax

1 cup Cottonwood Oil

1. Melt the beeswax in the top of a double boiler or a saucepan over very low heat.

2. Once the beeswax is melted, add the cottonwood bud oil. Stir well to combine, using as little heat as possible to keep the mixture liquid.

3. Immediately pour into tins or glass jars.

4. Let the salve sit until it hardens. Label and store in a cool place. This salve will last for 2 years, possibly longer.

So, as you wait for the snow to melt and for the soil to warm you can be harvesting some healing medicine ready for evenings later in the Spring and Summer when you come in from the garden with your back and your muscles aching from digging your beautiful garden. Heaven!

Special Considerations

• Those who are sensitive or allergic to aspirin should avoid cottonwood.

• Very few people actually have hay fever due to cottonwoods; they are more likely reacting to grass pollen.

• There have been reports of rare occurrences of contact dermatitis due to Populus tremula