12 AMERICAN MEDICINAL LEAVES AND HERBS. 
WITCH-HAZEL, 
Hamamelis virginiana L. 
Pharmacopeial name.—Hamamelidis folia. 
Other common names.—Snapping hazel, winterbloom, wych-hazel, striped alder, 
spotted alder, tobacco wood. 
Habitat and range.—The home of this native shrub is in low damp woods from New 
Brunswick to Minnesota and south to Florida and Texas. 
Description —This shrub, while it may grow to 25 feet in height, is more frequently 
found reaching a height of only 8 to 15 feet, its crooked stem and long forking branches 
covered with smoothish brown bark. 
sometimes with an addition of lichens. 
A peculiar feature about witch-hazelisits 
flowering in very late fall or even early 
winter, when its branches are destitute 
of leaves, the seed forming but not ripen- 
ing until the following season. 
The leaves are rather large, 3 to 5 
inches long, thick, and_borne on short 
stalks; they are broadly oval or heart- 
shaped oval, sometimes pointed and 
sometimes blunt at the apex, with un- 
even sidesat the base, and wavy margins. 
The older leaves are smooth, but when 
young they are covered with downy hairs. 
The upper suriace of the leaves isa light- 
green or brownish-green color, while the 
lower surface is pale green and somewhat 
shining, with prominent veins. The 
threadlike bright-yellow flowers, which 
appear very late in autumn, are rather 
Fic. 4.—Witch-hazel (Hamamelis virginiana), leaves, odd ooking Ammeconsist, Of ys aed 
flowers, and capsules. corolla with four long, narrow, strap- 
c shaped petals, which are twisted in vari- 
ous ways when infullfiower. Theseed capsule does not mature until the following sea- 
son, when the beaked and densely hairy seed case bursts open elastically, scattering with 
great force and toa considerable distance the large, shining-black, hard seeds. (Fig. 
4.) This interesting shrub is a member of the witch-hazel family (Hamamelidacez). 
Collection, prices, and uses.—Witch-hazel leaves are official in the United States 
Pharmacopeia. Theyshould be collected in autumn and carefully dried. Formerly 
the leaves alone were recognized in the United States Pharmacopeeia, but now the 
bark and twigs are also official. The leaves have a faint odor and an astringent, some- 
what bitter, and aromatic taste. They bring about 2 to 3 cents a pound. 
The soothing properties of witch-hazel were known among the Indians, and it is still 
employed for the relief of inflammatory conditions. 
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