214 
PARK AND CEMETERY 
AND CONTRIBUTIONS 
J. J. LEVISON, Brooklyn, N.Y., Sec.-Treas. 
OFFICIAL COMMUNICATIONS 
H. S. RICHARDS, Chicago, President 
PARK TREES AND SHRUBS OF MEDICINAL VALUE. 
By L. P. Jensen , Member A. A. P. S. 
The park superintendent is, or ought to 
he, a public educator on all subjects which 
may bring forth a wider interest and appre- 
ciation of the useful and valuable proper- 
ties in his charge. 
Chief among these interests are undoubt- 
edly the ones relating to trees, shrubs, 
vines and herbs. The public is becoming more 
and more interested in the study of nature 
and in the appreciation of plants, their 
cultivation and habits. The more informa- 
tion the park superintendent is able to give 
the public regarding the interest and use- 
fulness of his parks and their contents, the 
more popular he and his parks will be- 
come, and this will, of course, on the other 
hand, stimulate his own interest and pleas- 
ure in the performance of his work. 
It is not enough for him to know all 
about the growth and habits of his plants, 
because this is essential to success in his 
work, but he should also know something 
about the history of the plants and the 
various uses to which they may be put 
economically as well as artistically, so that 
he may be able to tell the people many lit- 
tle known facts about the various plants 
in his parks, and thereby induce the public 
to visit the parks for study as well as rec- 
reation and rest. 
One subject of great interest in this re- 
spect is that of the medicinal value of 
plants, the knowledge of which has been 
practically lost as far as the general public 
is concerned. 
In this age of synthetic and commercially 
prepared medicinal compounds and prep- 
arations the necessity of this knowledge has 
become more or less obsolete, even among 
professionals. This is, to my mind, not as 
it ought to be, and it seems to me that the 
park superintendent has an opportunity to 
utilize these little known facts in his work 
of increasing the general interest in parks. 
The early gardens of the ancients were 
largely utilized for the growing of plants 
for medicinal purposes. The savages of all 
ages and of all parts of the world have 
known how to cure the ordinary ailments 
by the use of plants, native to their coun- 
try, and we still find remains of medicinal 
herb gardens of our grandparents in the 
longest settled parts of our country. 
To write of the medicinal value of all 
the plants cultivated in our parks would 
not be possible in a short article, and I 
have therefore restricted myself to the men- 
tion of a few of the more common and 
well known trees and shrubs of our parks 
and their medicinal value. 
LARGE TREES. 
Acer, Maple, all the species of: Bark, astring- 
ent, diuretic, leaves, used as an infusion. 
Betula alba, White Birch, B. papyrifera, Paper 
Birch and B. lenta. 
Black Birch. Bark 'and leaves used as a remedy 
for various chronic diseases of the skin and blad- 
der, and for rheumatic and gouty complants; the 
empyreumatic oil of birch obtained from the in- 
ner bark by distillation is used externally for the 
same purpose. Birch beer is obtained by ferment- 
ing the saccharine sap of B. lenta. Bark is used 
in the manufacture of ink. 
Carya, Pecan and Hickory, all species. Bark: 
cathartic, leaves: astringent, shell: astringent. 
Carpinus Americana, Hornbeam. Leaves: mild 
astringent. 
Castanea vulgaris var. Americana. Chestnut. 
An infusion or fluid-extract of the dried leaves 
is employed in the treatment of whooping cough 
and other pectofiat affections. 
Catalpa bignonioides, Indian Bean. A decoction 
of the seeds and dried bark used in cases of 
asthma and bronchitis. 
Celtis occidentalis, Hackberry. Bark: anodyne, 
refrigerant, buds: antisyphilitic. 
Biospy rus Virginiana, Persimmon. A decoction 
of the bitter and astringent unripe fruit and inner 
bark used in the treatment of diarrhoea, sore throat 
and hemorrhage. The ripe fruit sometimes fer- 
mented with hops, corn meal and wheat bran, as 
a beverage, under the name of “simmon beer.” 
Fagus ferruginea, American Beech. Bark: as- 
tringent. 
Fraxinus, Ash. Species of: Bark: antiperiodic. 
tonic, diuretic, seed: used in obesity, leaves: used 
in gout. 
Gleditschia triacanthos, Honey Locust. Sap: 
tonic. 
Gymnocladus Canadensis. Kentucky Coffee Tree. 
Seed and pod: emetic, leaves: cathartic. 
Juglans cinera. Butternut. The inner bark, es- 
pecially that of the root, is employed as a mild 
cathartic, and furnishes a yellow dye. Liquidam- 
ber styraciflua. Sweet Gum. The balsamic exuda- 
tion obtained from this tree is used in the form 
of sirup as a substitute for storax in the treatment 
of catharrhal affections, or externally as an oint- 
ment in dressing frost-bites and abscesses, also in 
the manufacture of chewing gum. . 
Liriodendron Tulipifera, Tulip Tree. A stimulat- 
ing tonic is obtained by macerating the inner bark, 
especially of the root. 
Morns rubra and M. alba, Mullberries. Fruit: 
acid, laxative, bark: vermifuge, cathartic. 
Ostrya Virginiana, Hop Hornbeam. Bark: tonic, 
antiperiodic. 
Oxydendron arboreum. Sorrel Tree. Leaves: 
tonic, diuretic, used in fever. 
Populus balsamifera, Balsam Poplar. The buds, 
as well as those of other species of the genus, 
covered with a resinous exudation which is used 
medicinally as a substitute for turpentine and 
other balms. Populus tremuloides. Quaking Asp. A 
bitter principle in the bark causes its use in the 
treatment of intermittent fevers and cases of de- 
bility. 
Pyrus serotina, Wild Black Cherry. The bark 
contains a bitter tonic principle, and infused with 
cold water generates a small percentage of hydro- 
cyanic acid gas; employed as a tonic and sedative 
in cases of pulmonary consumption, in the form 
of cold infusions, sirups and fluid extracts. Fruit 
used for a cherry brandy. 
Prunus Pennsylvania, Wild red Cherry. The 
small acid fruit used in the preparation of cough 
mixtures. 
Quercus alba, White Oak, and species of genus. 
A decoction of the inner bark is employed in cases 
of hemorrhage and dysentery. 
Bobinia Pseudacacia, Black Locust. The bark 
of the root; tonic, or in large doses purgative and 
emetic. 
Salix nigra, Black Willow, and species of genus. 
The tonic and astringent bark used as a popular 
febrifuge, and containing salicylic acid, a power- 
ful anti-piritic used in the treatment of acute cases 
of gout, rheumatism and typhoid fever. 
Sassafras officinale, Sassafras. The root, and es- 
pecially its bark affords a powerful aromatic stim- 
ulant; the oil of sassafras destilled from tue root, 
is used to impart a pleasant flavor to many arti- 
cles of domestic use; the pith of the young 
branches infused with water furnishes a mucilage 
used as a demulcent in febrile and inflammatory 
affections. 
Sorbus Americana, S. sambucifolia and S. aucu- 
paria, Mountain Ash. Bark and unripe fruit are 
extremely astringent and occasionally used in the 
treatment of diarrhoea. 
Tilia Americana, Basswood, American Liden. 
Aqua tilia, an infusion of the buds and leaves of 
the different species of Tilia, is used as a domes- 
tic remedy in cases of indigestion and nervousness. 
TTmus fulva, Slippery Elm. The inner bark: mu- 
cilaginous, nutritious, and externally used in vari- 
ous medicinal preparations. 
MEDIUM AND SMALL TREES. 
Alnus serrulata, Black Alder. A decoction of 
the bark and leaves, as well as those of A. in- 
cana, is a popular remedy against impurity of the 
blood and in the treatment of diarrhoea and haema- 
turea. 
Amelanchier Canadensis, June Berry, Service 
Berry. Plant: anti-corbutic. 
Cereis Canadensis, Red Bud. Flower: anti-cor- 
butie. 
Chionanthus Virginica, White Fringe. A decoc- 
tion of the tonic and anti-periodic bark of the root 
employed in the treatment of intermittent fevers. 
Cornus Florida, Flowering Dogwood. The bark, 
especially of the root, in common with that of 
other species of the genus, possesses bitter tonic 
properties and is used in the treatment of inter- 
mittent and malarial fevers. 
Magnolia glauca, Sweet Bay. The dried bark of 
this species furnishes an aromatic tonic and stimu- 
lant used in intermittent fevers, a tincture made 
by macerating the fresh fruit or bark in brandy; 
is a popular remedy for rheumatism. M. acuminata 
and M. umbrella have the same medicinal prop- 
erties. 
Ptelea trifoliata. Hop Tree. Fluid extracts and 
tinctures of the bark and root is employed in 
cases of dyspepsia and debility. 
Rhamnus Purshiana, Bearberry, and R. Caro- 
liniana, Indian Cherry. Bark possesses powerful 
cathartic properties and is sold as fluid-extracts 
and tincture as cascara sagrada. 
Viburnum prunifolium, Black Haw. and species 
of genus. Fruit and bark tonic and astringent, 
used in the form of fluid-extracts in the treatment 
of uterine disorders. 
CONIFEROUS TREES. 
Abies Canadensis, Balsam Fir. Canadian balm or 
balm of fir, an aromatic liquid oleo-resin, ob- 
tained from this and other species of Abies by 
puncturing the vesicles formed under the bark of 
stem and branches, is used chiefly in the treat- 
ment of chronic catarrhal affections. 
Juniperus Virginica. Red Cedar. A decoction of 
the berries used as a substitute for savine cerete. 
and an infusion of the berries as a diuretic. 
Larix, Larch, species of. The inner bark is used 
in the treatment of catarrhal affections of the 
pulmonary and urinary passages. 
Pieea nigra. Black Spruce. Essence of spruce, 
prepared by boiling the young branches is used 
in the manufacture of spruce beer, a popular 
beverage. 
Pinus palustris, Yellow Pine. The turpentine, 
tar, pitch, rosin and spirits of turpentine manu- 
factured in the United States are almost exclu- 
sively, produced by this species. 
Thuya occidentalis, Arbor Vitae, White Cedar. 
The distilled oil and a tincture of the leaves are 
used in the treatment of pulmonary and uterine 
complaints. 
Tsuga Canadensis, Hemlock. Canada or hem- 
lock pitch prepared from the resinous secretion of 
this species, is used in the preparation of stimu- 
lating plasters. 
