Tree Spirit Medicine... my 'book' in progress

As many of you may know, trees are one of my greatest passions.  So, back in 2006 when I was studying with David Winston in his 2-year Herbal Studies Program, we had to complete a medicinal botanical-related project - one for each year.  Of course I chose to do mine about my tree friends:  their medicine, their contributions to humanity, their mystery, magick and use in traditional ceremony and ritual, etc.  I dove into my research with wild abandon, gathering as much information as I could.  I used books of course, and I also used my connection with the trees to help guide me about what information they wanted to share.

As the months rolled on, I found that I could not limit my project-turned-'book' to just one year, so I was approved to expand it into a two-year project.  I had so much fun with my botanical buddies, that I finally realized that I would have to force my Self to stop writing so that I could turn it in!  With that said, I would like to quote from the Epilogue:

"First and foremost:  My love and gratitude to all the trees who unselfishly lent their physical and spiritual support to my discussion ~ and especially to those trees who graciously stepped back and agreed to wait for volume II ~ or a book ~ whichever comes next. 

Secondly, it is my hope that you have enjoyed reading this paper as much as I have enjoyed writing it.  Some of the lighthearted comments contained within are mine, and some reflect the humor and good-natured-ness of the tree spirit I was working with ~ whether sitting together with them or researching in books ~ their chatter, input and friendship was unwavering. 

I hope that I have conveyed some of my passion and appreciation for these silent, giving beings:  from oxygen to food to shelter to shade…  …and still they keep giving.  Even though the majority of humanity has been so destructive with them, they still choose to be among us, and I am grateful for the opportunity to learn…  ...to listen……and, when they decide, …sometimes even to speak for them."

In wanting to share an excerpt, it seemed only fitting to start with the chapter on Willows.  I hope it brings new understanding and helps strengthen your relationships with the trees in your yards and neighborhoods.


Ethnobotany and Folklore
Wherever she is in the world, Willow makes herself at home:  she simply puts down her roots, stretches out her l-o-n-g, tenuous arms / branches, and simply e-x-h-a-l-e-s….for she IS home.  The more than five hundred members of the Salix tree family are at home almost anywhere on the planet ~ from tropical climates to polar realms; from low lying areas to moderately high altitudes; from east to west to north to south.  Hardly another family of trees can claim that ability, which also speaks to her spirit/character as well:  she is hardy enough to grow in nearly all soils and stretches at almost any angle, yet she is flexible enough to bend with the harshest weather and not break.



Shakespeare even remarked of her white-like leaves, her fondness for reflecting over water, and her ability to grow often at a slant as he committed her to literary history with his apt description in the play, Hamlet: 


“There is a Willow grows aslant a brook
That shows its hoar leaves in the glassy stream.”   Used not only as an ornamental tree, white willow is still used to help support fragile stream banks around the world.  Traditionally, her light wood was used in England to make cricket bats and was also used around the world to construct artificial limbs before the advent of plastics and more modern technology.

Black willow, a species of tree native to eastern North America, is named for its dark gray-brown bark.  The tree is the largest and most important New World willow and is one of the first trees to bud in the spring.  The numerous uses of the wood of this and other willows are for furniture doors, millwork, barrels, cradles, coffins, fences, wattle-and-daub walls, boxes and all kinds of baskets used for food, storage, wood gathering, fishing and sewing.  Salix nigra is a lesser known tree for industrial purposes, and was more widely used by the indigenous peoples of North America, especially the the Ojibwa of the Great Lakes region who used the young branches and twigs to make baskets and other parts were used to treat indigestion.  Black Willow roots are very bitter, and have been used as a substitute for quinine.

Willow bark is a time-honored remedy used by Hippocrates, Plinius, Paracelsus and Culpepper to name only a few.  Salix has been used for soothing pains ~ particularly rheumatic ones ~ and has febrifugal, sudorific and astringent effects.  The active component, salicin, which oxidizes in the human body to become salicylic acid, was later synthesized into acetylsalicylic acid, more commonly known as the analgesic aspirin.  Willow preparations have the useful, gentle ability to ease muscular and joint pains and to help control fevers without aspirin’s side effect of tending to cause bleeding from the stomach.  

Willow has also been used as a symbol for forsaken love, and one who wore a sprig of willow could silently share their heartache with others ~ and sometimes gain a little sympathy!  Salix has also long been associated with dispelling darkness and sadness ~ again reflecting her spirit/character to be flexible and ‘go with the flow’ of life.  Willows were planted at Roman burial sites and in Victorian England, then later in America, willow was a common motif on caskets and gravestones.  

Brian Boru Harp

As a Bach flower essence, willow is the remedy for bitterness and resentment, benefiting folks who blame others for their problems, who alienate others, who feel they have been treated unfairly by fate, or who fail to see themselves as the source of their own misfortunes.  On the positive side, willow flower essence can encourage optimism and faith, and and help these folks recognize and take ownership of their responsibility for creating their destiny through their actions and thoughts. 

Another practical use for Salix is harp making.  The oldest and best preserved Celtic harp ~ the twelfth century Brian Boru harp from Ireland ~ has a body carved from a single piece of willow wood, while the knee and pillar are made of oak.  In this way, the instrument unites male (oak) and female in perfect balance. 
   
(On a commercial note, Guinness's beer logo displays the famous Brian Boru harp, knowingly or unknowingly bringing the essence of willow into the modern day.)  


Green Blessings!