Ostrya Virginianus, also known as the iron tree, is a deciduous tree native to North America with medicinal properties. Its bark was traditionally used as a stomach tonic and digestive aid, and by Native Americans to treat toothaches and muscle pain. While not commonly used in modern medicine, the tree is still a popular landscape feature and a source of food for wildlife. Caution should be taken before using the tree as a home remedy.
Ostrya is the name of a group of deciduous trees belonging to the birch family. One of these, Ostrya Virginianus, is native to the North American region, and is commonly known as the iron tree. It is known to supply some types of medicinal uses.
The Ostrya Virginianus, also called the Eastern Hop Hornbeam, is an open-crowned, broadly rounded tree with a hardwood. It has a grayish-brown or steel-gray bark, formed in narrow, sometimes uneven, vertical strips. The tree blooms in late spring.
It is traditionally the bark of the tree that is supposed to have some medicinal qualities. Naturalist books identify plant extracts from this tree as “astringent” and high in iron. Some refer to it as a potential stomach tonic or digestive aid.
According to many medical resources, Ostrya Virginianus is not popularly used in modern medicine. It’s something that has largely faded as ordinary medicine turned from a homeopathic quest to a pharmaceutical industry. Some experts claim that with a wide variety of chemically produced drugs, there is little need for something like Ostrya Virginianus to treat medical conditions.
Available reference materials show that the use of essential oils from the ironwood tree was quite common in the traditional Native American communities that originally inhabited most areas of the United States. Native Americans used Ostrya Virginianus to treat toothaches or muscle pain. It was also used to treat more serious ailments such as rectal cancer. It seems that traditional communities believed in the healing properties of this natural substance.
Modern US government resources show that these trees are still common features in the American landscape. Ostrya Virginianus is a popular landscape tree. Experts point out that a wide variety of wildlife can find sustenance from the seeds of this type of tree.
Horticultural sources reveal that Ostrya Virginianus can thrive in a variety of soils and climates from the northern United States to the south. Birds such as sharp-tailed grouse and wild turkey often rely on its shoots and nuts for food. Red and gray squirrels, cottontails, white-tailed deer, ring-necked pheasant, and other types of animals and birds also feed on the tree.
Although herbal remedies from this plant may still be used in some communities as a healing agent, due to its relative obscurity, all precautions should be taken before attempting to use the bark or other items from the tree as a home remedy. Consult medical professionals and homeopathic medical experts before trying this type of homeopathy as a cure for any medical condition.
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