Wild Cherry Bark Tea
Uses and Benefits
Used for hundreds of years for its medicinal benefits, wild cherry bark tea has been prescribed for any number of ailments. While the Native Americans utilized tea brewed from the inner bark of the wild cherry tree to help assist with lung ailments as well as diarrhea, ancient Chinese herbalists used it as a remedy for coughs. Today, it can be enjoyed on its own purely for the taste, or used for one of these other various medicinal reasons. The cherry tree grows all over the world, and is more known for its tasty fruit and eye-catching flowers rather than for its bark, in many cases. However, the bark is the part that contains the most healing power, according to herbalists and physicians in many different cultures.
To prepare wild cherry bark tea, you can place one teaspoon of wild cherry bark in one cup of boiling water, and let it steep for ten minutes or according to taste before straining it. Some prepared tea bags containing wild cherry bark are also available, as this is one of the more common herbal teas to be used. Because it can have a somewhat bitter or strong taste, you can add honey and lemon to the tea for a smoother and brighter flavor overall.
As a cough suppressant and respiratory aid, wild cherry bark tea is excellent. It has been shown for hundreds of years through anecdotal and clinical evidence to work as an expectorant, clearing out air passages and fighting bronchitis and other respiratory ailments. In addition, the tannins in wild cherry bark naturally fight bacteria and fungus in the body. Some say that it also is useful in helping to lower blood sugar levels, relax muscles, fight fatigue, calm the uterus during labor and childbirth or for menstrual pains, and work as a general anti-inflammatory agent in the body.
Because wild cherry bark tea contains hydrocyanic acid, it's important not to overdo it with this type of tea. Although it is fine in moderation, prolonged use could be somewhat dangerous, and it's recommended to only stick to three cups of tea per day when you are using this as a natural cold remedy or for other reasons. If you are concerned about these effects, it's a good idea to speak to your doctor before beginning use. It's also not recommended for nursing or pregnant mothers to drink tea made from wild cherry bark, and it should not be given to children under the age of two.