Starting as fluffy encased seeds, cottonwoods quickly grow along riverbeds, forming a canopy of fluttering leaves while their roots fasten themselves to the soil. If you spend much time with it, you may find yourself swooning. Its handsome stature, graceful canopy, and evocative scent are cherished by many. Bees gather the resins for their hives, fish spawn among river drift logs, and deer forage the buds eagerly on the winter landscape.
Appearing from fall to late winter, the sticky, resinous buds of cottonwood (Populus spp.) make a powerful medicine that smells so heady it could become your favorite perfume.
With The Wild Remedies Guide to Cottonwood, you can learn about the many gifts of this tree. You’ll find out about it’s ecological and medicinal benefits, from healing wounds and relieving pain to supporting skin health. Rosalee and Emily will also show you how to identify and ethically harvest cottonwood.
Then, you’ll learn how to make cottonwood oil and salve. These recipes capture it’s alluring scent and can be used topically to heal scrapes or burns, as well as relieve the pain and tension of sore muscles. You can even use the moisturizing oil to protect and soothe your skin.
We hope you enjoy this special excerpt from Rosalee and Emily’s new book, Wild Remedies!
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Omg! I have hated this tree for most of my adult life because where I used to live in Northern CA when the blossoms would blow all over the city like snow, my eyes suffered from the irritation they caused. Many people in the city wanted them taken out. This shows me how we have been with our plants because we never got to know them intimately to see their benefits. Thank you so much for this information! I have always admired their beauty and would not support removing them no matter what–after all we need every green thing on this planet to keep growing and doing it’s thing.
I have to echo the previous comment – hated the thing! Sometimes the cottonwood blossoms get so high it looks like snow. I can’t wait to find out more about this tree!
WOW, had no idea the cottonwood was so medically beneficial. I always loved our huge cottonwoods where I grew up. I now live in an urban area and sadly the cottonwoods have been banned in housing areas due to the cotton clogging air conditioning units. Excited to re dive your new release and learn lots more.
Thank you so much for sharing this! Cottonwood has been my obsession lately of trees to learn about so this appearing in my ‘inbox’ today was timely. Where I live there are so many stately cottonwoods and I have always admired them. I have since learned about the delightful aroma of the cottonwood bud oil and have been enjoying my walks out in the cold and snow so much more seeing all the gorgeous cottonwoods with big full resinous buds. Thanks again for all your good work!
Kind regards
Betsy
Thanks! Never heard or used cottonwood but I am looking forward to the experience
Thank you for this information on the cottonwood . I like all the emails and information I receive.
I live in the desert and this book and class work do not apply to me
is there a source for cottonwood buds?
Any medicinal plant can be found with research on PUB MED : Try Medicinal attribures ob Cotton Wood Buds/ flowers or same for the bark .
Hi Ginger, in the ebook we show you how to identify and harvest cottonwood buds yourself. If this isn’t possible, some apothecaries sell dried buds or infused oil.
There’s a huge cottonwood in my yard that is now going to provide so much more than the “rainfall sound” in a gentle wind that I love so much!
I live in New Mexico and cottonwood grows abundantly along the Rio Grande..I’m going to gather some buds this spring and make some of these herbal remedies! Can’t wait!
Wow! Such a great resource! I have been nibbling on buds of P. balsamifera for a few days already to help getting over a cold (actually, I take them as hard candies: never biting into them :-) )… So funny you bring out that booklet now! Great recipes: I am definitely trying some this weekend!
In the description of the book there is mention of gathering local herbs. When you say local, what region are you referring to? Are the herbs mostly from one part of the US or are they herbs that can be found pretty much anywhere? Thanks!
Hi Debbie, most of the plants in the book are widespread in temperate regions. We also designed the book to help everyone get to know their own local plants and seasons, so that it’s accessible no matter where you live.
This is good to know. Here in the desert have found pretty true that where they are growing there is underground water,or they could not get so big and survive good here. Thank you for sharing with us.
For Black Elk, the cottonwood represented the tree of life. It was the sacred tree of the Sun Dance and was used in many Lakota rituals.
After a bit of research, it appears that Maine is not a natural habitat for cottonwood…BUT…it is in the poplar family and we have oodles of poplar around us! Any chance that poplar buds would havexsimilar properties? Thanks for any infi?