Frangula Bark

Origin It is the dried bark of the Rhamnus frangula, family Rhamnaceae, stored at least one year before being used medicinally and  Other Names Buckthorn, Frangula, Alder Buckthorn, Black Alder, Dog Wood, Black Dogwood, Black Alder Tree, European Black Alder, Black Alder Dogwood, Arrow Wood, European Buckthorn, Persian Berries, Alder Dogwood Geographical source England and Europe   Active Constituents Up to 6% of anthraquinone glycosides, O-glycosides type, mainly glucofrangulin which on hydrolysis produces frangulin.   Uses Frangula is used as agreeable laxative, preferable to Cascara on account of its less disagreeable taste. Alder Buckthorn charcoal is prized in the manufacture of gunpowder, being regarded as the best wood for the purpose. It is particularly highly valued for time fuses because of its very even burn rate.[1][8] The wood was formerly used for shoe lasts, nails,and veneer. The bark yields a yellow dye, and the unripe berries furnish a green dye Pharmaceutical Prepration   Galen, a Greek physician of the 2nd century A.D., knew of Alder Buckthorn, although he did not distinguish clearly in his writings between it and other closely related species. All of these plants though, were credited with the power to protect against witchcraft, demons, poisons, and headaches.[citation needed] The bark (and to a lesser extent the fruit) has been used as a laxative, due to its 3 – 7% anthraquinone content. Bark for medicinal use is dried and stored for a year before use, as fresh bark is violently purgative; even dried bark can be dangerous if taken in excess References *F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]). [4]Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Not so modern (1930’s?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants. *Launert. E. Edible and Medicinal Plants. Covers plants in Europe. a drawing of each plant, quite a bit of interesting information. *Bean. W. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 – 4 and Supplement. A classic with a wealth of information on the plants, but poor on pictures. *Triska. Dr. Hamlyn Encyclopaedia of Plants. Very interesting reading, giving some details of plant uses and quite a lot of folk-lore. *Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures. *Lust. J. The Herb Book. Lots of information tightly crammed into a fairly small book. WAS THIS INFORMATION USEFUL?