Witch Hazel Research Paper

Witch hazel or Hamamelis virginiana is a deciduous tree or shrub growing up to 15 feet tall (Witch Hazel Uses). Growing wild in the woods, witch hazel “bears yellow flowers in October and November after the leaves have fallen” (Ryan). Witch hazel grows “naturally from Nova Scotia west to Ontario, Canada and south to Florida, and Texas in the United States” (Michael). Witch hazel usage dated back to Native Americans in now known northeastern United States. The Osage Indians used the witch hazel bark, the Potawatomi steamed twigs of witch hazel, and the Iroquoi Indians brewed witch hazel bark into tea to treat colds, coughs, and fevers (Andriote). Like the Iroquoi Indians, the Cherokee also used witch hazel tea made from the leaves or bark to …show more content…
The Indians actually thought “the bush was magical because by blooming in the cold season it was reversing the laws of nature…” (New York Times). Witch hazel got its names from “the Middle English “wicke” for “lively”-the dowsing stick bends toward the ground when water is detected below-and “wych,” an old Anglo-Saxon word for “bend”” (Andriote). Witch hazel is very versatile. There are many uses for the home, health care, and also pet care. Witch hazel’s key actions are that it is astringent, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, mildly sedating, mildly antibiotic, “but the main one is astringency” (Michael). Indians are recognized for discovering witch hazel used to medicate sores and skin ulcers, ease sore muscles, and heal dysentery, colds, and coughs (Andriote). One of the most common uses is on hemorrhoids which is made from witch hazel bark that is made from an ointment (Andriote). Leaves of the shrub is also made into a tea to treat dysentery (Witch Hazel Uses). Witch hazel leaves are made into a tea and applied directly to chicken pox blisters, poison ivy and poison oak, intense sunburns, mosquito bites, diaper rash, and acne …show more content…
To shrink varicose veins, witch hazel “bark tinctures are diluted and sponged” onto the intended site; this helps to “tighten the veins, relieving the discomfort temporarily (Michael). Simply put, “the tea is good for burns, scalds, insect bites, and inflamed swellings” (Witch Hazel Uses). Witch hazel also is used as an acne remedy has been said to be “arguably one of the most effective treatments” (Kruger). The anti-inflammatory properties of witch hazel make it a dependable choice to treat inflamed gums, a sore throat, eczema, psoriasis, and other skin condition (Kruger). Probably the most popular use of witch hazel would be the use of a cleanser (Kruger). Witch hazel “does a great job of getting sweat, oil, and dirt off of one’s face and balancing one’s oil production”