6. Henriette's Herbal Homepage on Liquidambar. Even with no perfect tree, I would say burn the Sweet Gums. Sweet gum's indeterminate growth pattern means that even after the spring buds open, the tree grows continuously all season long, lengthening branches and adding progressively deeper-lobed leaves until cool weather slows, shrinks, and stops leaf production. The Impact of Selected Essential Oils Applied to Non-Woven Viscose on Bacteria That Cause Lower Urinary Tract Infections-Preliminary Studies. Thank you. Binder-Free Modification of a Glassy Carbon Electrode by Using Porous Carbon for Voltammetric Determination of Nitro Isomers. The bark is a light brown tinged with red and sometimes gray with dark streaks. This resin was described in 1651 by a Spanish naturalist as 'liquid amber'. In: Burns RM, Honkala BH, editors. We have loads of color, and Ive been enjoying some of my favorite trees as I drive around the community. Chewing gum is a soft, cohesive substance designed to be chewed without being swallowed. It takes the sweet gum tree 20 to 30 years to mature enough to produce its fruit. Sweet gum pods that fall in autumn can also be used as a mulch. Resin Backyard Nature: Sweet Gum Turning off the personalized advertising setting wont stop you from seeing Etsy ads or impact Etsy's own personalization technologies, but it may make the ads you see less relevant or more repetitive. Though they can be murder on bare feet if they fall before softening, these brown spiky balls are popular in arts in crafts and also, apparently, in magic. Yes! When the balls would fall off the tree in Autumn , it would be quite difficult to walk under the tree and if you were not careful, you would fall , it was like walking on golf balls. Sweetgum salves have a minor antiseptic value, but work well as an anti-inflammatory. The Witchs Burrs or Gum Balls of this particular tree were enormous in size, I dont think I have ever seen another Sweet Gum Tree in my lifetime that has been this size. Sale Price $31.96 The sap, known as storax, has been used for centuries to treat common ailments such as skin problems, coughs, and ulcers. The American sweetgum is often planted as a street tree in suburban areas, but it also can tend to form thickets within forests. Sweetgum trees are large, deciduous trees found in Asia and North America. Many of the medicinal properties of sweetgum are derived from the resinous sap that exudes when the outer bark of the tree has been damaged. Learn about the many ways to use these spikey balls. p.s. I'm sitting on a crafters gold mine here people! Bark is brown to gray, very rough with deep grooves and narrow, slightly scaly ridges. I was gifted these three balls the other day and I know what Im going to do with them. Sweet gum balls or witches burrs or witches balls are the sharp, thorny protective casings that house hide the seeds of the sweet gum tree. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. We are dedicated to planting trees all over the world! Expressing a love of nature in everything we create is a top priority. Once you have a fruiting tree, an entirely new variety of benefits is available to you. Continue adding Sweetgum balls with hot glue until you fill the interior of the wreath. The seed burrs are typically 1 to 1.5 spiny balls; they change from green to brown and look like a a vicious mid evil weapon and in fact if you ever get hit in the head by one or step on one in your bare feet, you might come to think of them as Devil Spurs. My mother told me that "crafters" just love sweet gum balls and buy them to use in all kinds of craft projects. Your timing must be perfect. Bark is brown to gray, very rough with deep grooves and narrow, slightly scaly ridges. https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=47846235caption, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6315721, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4441155/, http://christianhomekeeper.org/sweet-gum-tincture/, http://www.lostcreekwitch.com/98/sweetgum/, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liquidambar_styraciflua, http://www.ntfpinfo.us/docs/other/VirginiaTech2001-SweetgumFactsheet.pdf, https://nature.mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/field-guide/sweet-gum, https://ufi.ca.uky.edu/treetalk/ecobot-sweetgum, https://www.arborday.org/trees/treeguide/TreeDetail.cfm?ItemID=928, https://hvp.osu.edu/pocketgardener/source/description/li_iflua.html, The Difference Between Addlers Tongue and Adders Tongue, The Difference Between Addlers Tongue and AddersTongue. And you definitely can't walk around near our little piece of "woods" barefoot if you do, you'll be sorry. :fallen_leaf: :mushroom: :fallen_leaf: :mushroom: :fallen_leaf: Sweet gums, or Witches . We protect and manage the fish, forest, and wildlife of the state. (15% off). Here's a quick reference guide to the healing, magical, and metaphysical properties of more than 100 trees. It is rated as a fast growing tree and will tolerate moist soils. Sweet gum balls ("Witches Burrs" or "Witches Balls") are apparently a traditional American Hoodoo magical item. A mulch of sweet gum balls around your favorite plants will keep the snails away. The sprouting of sweetgum in relation to season of cutting and carbohydrate content. Sweetgum Tree Seed Balls US Forest Service Fact Sheet ST-358. 2023 The Arena Media Brands, LLC and respective content providers on this website. Shrubs are less than 13 feet tall, with multiple stems. Its alternate, serrate, palmately lobed (star-shaped with 5-7 toothed lobes) leaves are dark green and . -. Some people actually want these things! Sweet gum wood is valued for its attractive, interlocked grain. You can make all kinds of things like crafts, tea, and Tamiflu! Many sellers on Etsy offer personalized, made-to-order items. Foliage Other websites I visited, stated in a nutshell that Sweet gum tree medicinal uses when made into a balsam or salve, it is used for skin conditions, hemorrhoids, ringworm scabies and frostbite. Those spiky fruits drop on your lawn and are seemingly immune to your efforts to rake or mow them. Extracts from sweet gum seeds have anticonvulsant effects, which may make them suitable in the treatment of epilepsy. The reason? It had knarly roots protruding from the ground that I use to sit on like a bench. I like. But, when some of these people referred to sweet gum balls as "Witches Balls" or "Witches Burrs", I figured it would be interesting to look into further it is almost Halloween after all! Click Buy it now or Add to cart and proceed to checkout. Sweetgum trees are important resources for medicinal and other beneficial compounds. Vines require support or else sprawl over the ground. The star anise pod is about 7% shikimic acid, the pine needles 3% and the Sweet Gum 1.7% to 3%. The Spaniard recognized its similarity to the well-known Asian species (and close kin) that exuded the same resin. Only time will tell. You find its magickal properties called on most commonly in american folk magick and african american hoodoo. When cut, it exudes a sticky, resinous gum or balsam. Sweet gum balls or witches burrs or witches balls are the sharp, thorny protective casings that house hide the seeds of the sweet gum tree. Silvics of North America. USES: Use your witches burrs by adding them spell jars, load them with herbs and oils for your specific intention, cast them into a fire, or use as a . . Powerful POSITIVE Affirmations! Ethnobotanical research by the Foundation for Latin American Anthropological Research documents Liquidambar styraciflua, or arbol de estoraque, as one of the sacred sources of copal resin used for incense and burned during religious ceremonies. The city of St. James is called the sweet gum capital of Missouri for its many streets lined with the tree. government site. Yes! View all posts by Garden Grim, Your email address will not be published. There is a wealth of research about the medicinal properties but limited video related to how to prepare them, but I did find one very simple video that shows how to make tincture with the green gum balls which I have provided the link to below. The witch advises placing them around the perimeter of your house as a ward or using them in protection spells, wreaths, jars, or amulets. 2. An official website of the United States government. According to Articles from Pharmacognosy Reviews : Set where you live, what language you speak, and the currency you use. This shallow root system can sometimes be a problem with older trees that grow in areas of the country that experience high winds or flooding problems and I have seen these trees ripped from the ground during tornado season and during storms that contain straight line winds. It is a kind of native balsam, or resin, resembling turpentine. Little did I know that 45 years later, I would be remembering that tree and learning such vital information about the significance of Sweet Gum Trees. Some folks have experimented with just gathering the infertile seeds from opened balls, which is time consuming. Original Price $5.00 The plant was used to treat colic, internal diseases and to comfort the heart.. 2020 Mar;8(6):258. doi: 10.21037/atm.2020.03.39. Liquidambar styraciflua $18.90, $21.00 There are no sharp dividing lines between trees, shrubs, and woody vines, or even between woody and nonwoody plants. They are quite beautiful but not too showy. Some of the technologies we use are necessary for critical functions like security and site integrity, account authentication, security and privacy preferences, internal site usage and maintenance data, and to make the site work correctly for browsing and transactions. It is deeply fissured with scaly ridges. In Appalachia, a concoction of the resin mixed with whiskey was chewed to clean teeth, heal gums and mouth lesions, or to relieve toothache. Sweet gum balls ("Witches Burrs" or "Witches Balls") are apparently a traditional American Hoodoo magical item. How to Pick Up Sweet Gum Tree Balls and Then Use Them. It may also have been used as an insect-repellent, although other botanical sources were more effective. server | 760 views, 30 likes, 119 loves, 97 comments, 63 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from Densu: Free Rank Up in Khmer Server ABA: 004570720 ID:1443589 Two close relatives of our North American sweetgum are Formosan sweetgum (Liquidambar formosana) of southern China and Taiwan, and Oriental sweetgum (Liquidambar orientalis) of Turkey and the Caucasus. ACS Omega. Taken internally, liquid-amber has stimulant and expectorant effects. Sweetgum tree balls: Gum tree balls on the American sweetgum are coppery-brown rounded spiky capsules. Sow it as early in the year as . When the seed pods turn brown they will fall from the trees and make a rather bothersome mess on your lawn, hence why they are considered a nuisance tree to those who prefer pristine lawns. Boiling the inner bark in water effectively removes the balsam and produces storax. Disclaimer. Try contacting them via Messages to find out! With a slow decomposition rate, sweet gum balls provide long-lasting ground cover, blocking out sun and preventing weed germination. Sweetgums are notably absent from magical and herbal tree lore, which derives largely from Europe. Naturally occurring populations are limited to southeastern Missouri, but sweet gum is widely planted statewide. Bookshelf I grew up in a land without sweet gum trees. Meanwhile, many other kinds of trees exhibit determinate (or fixed) growth: they only produce a set number of leaves per growing season. These differently shaped leaves occur as part of the tree's adaptive growth pattern. Extracts derived from sweetgum trees have shown potential as antioxidants, anti-inflammatory agents, and chemo preventive agents as well as anticonvulsant effects, which may make them suitable in the treatment of epilepsy. Etsy uses cookies and similar technologies to give you a better experience, enabling things like: Detailed information can be found in Etsys Cookies & Similar Technologies Policy and our Privacy Policy. In Kentucky, the tree is found throughout the state, but is scarce in the Bluegrass and on alkaline soils generally. Cultivated in landscapes, it is rapid-growing, long-lived, and relatively free from insect pests and disease. Other extracts derived from sweetgum trees have shown potential as antioxidants, anti-inflammatory agents, and chemopreventive agents. I've certainly learned a lot about sweet gums since then though mostly because I've searched high and low for ways to get rid of the stinking "gum ball" seed pods they drop everywhere. from $0.85. The name Gum tree originated from the sap excreted from the bark that looks gum like known as manna. Your email address will not be published. More recently, storax has proven to be a strong antimicrobial agent even against multidrug resistant bacteria such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. That is to say, it can help nursing mother boost the milk supply naturally. Learn more. Then, the flowers drop, preventing the balls from ever forming. Sweet gum seed pods, though, are a different story. But one easy way to distinguish the two is the spike-covered seed pods that the sweetgum drops all summer long. Great! Another distinctive feature of the tree is the peculiar appearance of its small branches and twigs. They are typically about 11.5 inches (2538 mm) in diameter and are covered with rusty hairs. If a sweet gum is flowering when the chemical induces ethylene production, it responds by aborting the flowers. The seller might still be able to personalize your item. Creativity, Father/Daughter Relationships, Personal Power, Tarot. There was a problem subscribing you to this newsletter. It takes the sweet gum tree 20 to 30 years to mature enough to produce its fruit. I remember when I was in grade school there was a very large and magnificent Sweet Gum Tree on our playground. Storax, also referred to as styrax, is produced by damaging the outer bark of sweetgum trees. They are considered a powerful protection amulet and are used for protection on altars, in witch bottles and in spirit bags. In fact, I had never seen, felt, or heard of sweet gums until well into my thirties when we bought our current property here in southeast Virginia. I used to chuck them at mine, jokes one viewer in the comments. Available from. Fill out the requested information. Embark may be foliar also. 10,000-7000 BC). Twigs are reddish . styraciflua translates as flowing with styrax (sweet gum hence the common name). Receiveweekly shop updates, special offers, new articles, and exclusive content. Sweet gum is popular for landscaping, prized for its beautiful fall color. Storax produced from L. orientalis, or Turkish sweetgum, is referred to as Asian storax while storax derived from L. styraciflua is called American storax. Darryl Patton at The Southern Herbalist suggests boiling the green balls and drinking the decoction for its anti viral properties. Disclaimer. Cleaning up gumballs can be a problem in residential areas. official website and that any information you provide is encrypted 20. With all that wildlife enjoying the sweetgum trees I can easily get over the annoying aspect of the sweetgum seed balls. gardngrim@gmail.com The bark attaches itself to these in plates edgewise instead of laterally, and a piece of the leafless branch with the aid of a little imagination readily takes on a reptilian form; indeed, the tree is sometimes called alligatorwood. Please. Bark I'm planning on digging out the topsoil in the low spot (and use it for gardening elsewhere on my property), and I'll rake my plethora of sweet gum balls to fill the hole. FOIA The Cherokee and other tribes used the resin to calm nervousness. Sure, sweet gum trees aren't as majestic as oaks, or as pretty as birch, or as tasty as maple (syrup anyone? edward w. berry, the geological history of the sweet gum and witch hazel, the plant world, vol. An amazingly iconic and dominate specimen of Australian flora is the Eucalyptus tree or more commonly known as the Gum tree. From it they pried off, then popped into . (Do not try to give these people a holiday wreath made out of glitter-covered sweet gum balls.). Native Americans also used storax for medicinal purposes, including controlling coughs and dysentery and treating sores and wounds. The leaves are 5- to 7- lobed, 4 to 8 long and wide and margins are serrate. If that isn't enough, the spiny fruits have been known to cause people to slip and turn an ankle. Historically, the hardened sap was chewed like gum for pleasure as well as for medicinal purposes. I might change my mind about which tree I love the best in fall. You've already signed up for some newsletters, but you haven't confirmed your address. Available from: Gilman EF, Watson DG. It is not . The prickly fruits are called gumballs, goblin balls, monkey balls and a number of other colorful names. Witch's Balls, Sweetgum Balls for Crafts or Magick 5 out of 5 stars (310) $ 0.45. Please note, comments must be approved before they are published. It was a beautiful place where shoes were optional in the summer and most of the tree seed pods that fell in our yard were fun things you could turn into helicopters or pull apart and stick to your nose. Its also home to a whole host of one-of-a-kind items made with love and extraordinary care. A popular urban tree. Get started on your magical practice today! But here are some ideas in case you happen upon a few of these hang in bundles by the doors, windows and mirrors of your home or magickal work space. place on your altar for protection during rituals grind to a powder to add to protection powders and oils (but I recommend using both the powder/oil as well as at least one whole ball in any spell or working you do with powder/oil) pro tip: and no matter what you do with them, if youre using them for a spiritual/ magickal purpose, make sure to cleanse/bless them first and make an offering to the spirit of the sweet gum tree when its all said and done. available for orders over $1.00. Applying the balsam to the skin might help with chigger and other insect bites. Sweet Gum Trees are cold hardy to zone 5. The American Sweet Gum female flowers give way to the infamous gum balls, hard, spherical, bristly fruiting clusters to 1.5" diameter. MeSH They are considered a powerful protection amulet. She is the author of, The Importance Of Livestock Newborn Umbilical Care, Raise & Market Specialty Poultry For Meat & Profit, Start Collecting & Using The Water On Your Farm, Successful Strategies For Profitable U-Pick Farms, Get to Know the Medicinal Uses of Sweet Gum Sap & Fruit. Hung above your doors or in the kitchen. Sidebar Navigation. According to a North Carolina State University study of sweetgums growing in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States, foliage is damaged from phytotoxic levels of troposheric ozone. How To Use Sweetgum Balls for medicinal purposes. Indeed, the Sweet Gum tree's seedpods are used in magick, and spiritual work for protection, but also more than just for that! The Magic of Trees: A Guide to Their Sacred Wisdom & Metaphysical Properties. Sweetgums, while quite abundant in North and South America and Asia, died out on the European continent during the Ice Age. It is chewed in the treatment of sore throats, coughs, asthma, cystitis, dysentery etc. Sweet gum wood is a favorite for furniture, and the sap is added to tincture of benzoin and found often in incense. The witching hour. The branches carry layers of cork. The magical association with protection seems to have a basis in science. I have never treated sweet gums so I cant help with more details. Dont see this option? HubPages is a registered trademark of The Arena Platform, Inc. Other product and company names shown may be trademarks of their respective owners. I actually only recently learned that the sweet gum balls had magickal attributes to them, and I feel I shouldn't be surprised since just about every single plant has it's medical and/or magickal properties. The latter is the storax tree, the Balm of Gilead, a medicinal perfume and salve important in the Middle East and mentioned in the Bible. Good news! There was no mention however as to how well it thrives there. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4441155/ 10 drilled and glittered Sweet Gum Balls , sweet gum balls for fall garland, DIY sweet gum garland, DIY fall garland DIY woodland wedding 5 out of 5 stars (1.3k) Sweet Gum Balls can be used for protection a variety of ways such as: In oils. 19. The ancient Aztecs collected the boiled down, grayish-brown, sticky, opaque liquid and used it as a treatment for skin infections and other ailments. Recent references from organic websites have noted that the inner bark of sweetgum, boiled with milk, can relieve diarrhea, and oils from the leaves of sweetgum trees have antimicrobial properties against both bacteria and viruses. National Library of Medicine The tree has been busy growing for so many years that it hasnt really shown us much in the fall. Native Americans used an infusion of the bark medicinally for diarrhea and dysentery and also in poultices for cuts, sores, and bruises. Hung as ornaments on the yule tree. Does shopping on Etsy help support small businesses? Lovely article :) Very sorry. In addition to storax, the sap of the sweetgum tree was burnt as incense or mixed with tobacco leaves as a sedative, as well as used in the making of soaps, cosmetics, fixatives in perfumes, adhesives, and lacquers. When the seeds mature they turn black, but while they are still yellow they contain shikimic acid, the same ingredient in Tamiflu that was originally harvested only from star anise. Dawn Combs lives in Ohio with her family and is the co-owner of the herbal health farm Mockingbird Meadows, chief soda jerk at her familys unique storefront apothecary called Soda Pharm and the master formulator of their herb- and honey-based products. The sweet gum got its name for the resinous sap that results when you score its bark. The former species is an uncommon ornamental in the U.S. (15% off), Sale Price $3.99 The clusters of bristly tree balls persist on the tree until mid-winter or early spring. Eastern Remedies for Western-type diet induced atherosclerosis. In addition to the potential medicinal uses of sweetgum extracts, the extracts of the sap possess antifungal activity against various phytopathogenic fungi and have been effective treatments for reducing nematodes and the yellow mosquito, Aedes aegypti, populations thus highlighting the potential of these extracts as environment-friendly pesticides and antifungal agents. It can be an excellent shade tree in the right location, away . The resulting . Shipping policies vary, but many of our sellers offer free shipping when you purchase from them. Youll have to love the tree for all its other qualities. There is even piles of salt in windowsills. ~from Herbal Medicine Past and Present, Volume 2. South Carolina Civil War surgeon and botanist writes that sweetgum incense was used in Mexico as an excitant of the mucous system and antimicrobial for infections of lungs, intestines and urinary tract. Have I mentioned I think they are pure evil? Find an instructional recipe here :http://christianhomekeeper.org/sweet-gum-tincture/. I am a former Nurse of 20 years and am considered by my friends to be what some call a Solitary Green or Hedge Witch. Hardwoods; Agriculture Handbook 654. The chemical breaks down into ethylene, a naturally occurring compound that sweet gum produces when under stress. Although sweetgums are prolific and long-lived, they are sensitive to urban sprawl and drought. Many people prize sweet gum as a landscaping tree because of its beautiful fall color. Just look at the one in my photo above. Flowers Removing the tree permanently by cutting it down is the most effective solution for removing the sweetgum ball problem from your lawn, then following up by replacing it with a . Use them in the bottom of planters as the drainage filler instead of stones. Wood is a type of tissue made of cellulose and lignin that many plants develop as they mature whether they are woody or not. Other folks dislike the tree because it doesn't make good firewood, since it is difficult to split and rots quickly. I have 4 HEALTHY sweet gum trees in my yard, and I get some good exercise (walking) using it, saving my back, shoulders, hands, and time by NOT using a rake. In fall, sweet gum leaves turn a variety of colors, contributing greatly to fall color in communities. Would you like email updates of new search results? Use left/right arrows to navigate the slideshow or swipe left/right if using a mobile device. Mercker D. Short Rotation Woody Crops for Biofuels, University of Tennessee Biofuels Initiative, University of Tennessee Extension Publication (SP702-C) [Last accessed on 2014 Mar 4]. The Aztecs combined the resin of the Sweet Gum with tobacco and used it for smoking in the court of the Emperor. Sweet gum is a large tree with a long, cylindrical trunk, pyramidal crown, and corky wings on branches and twigs. In addition to the sap, the leaves, bark, and seeds of sweetgum also possess beneficial compounds such as shikimic acid, a precursor to the production of oseltamivir phosphate, the active ingredient in Tamiflu-an antiviral drug effective against several influenza viruses. As an ornamental tree, the species has a drawbackthe branches may have ridges or wings that cause more surface area, increasing weight of snow and ice accumulation on the tree. Ever since I was a little girl, living here in the Southern States, I have been surrounded by Sweet Gum Trees. This site needs JavaScript to work properly. In the same family as witch hazel, the sweet gum tree is uniquely american. sweet-gum, American sweet-gum, sweet gum, sweetgum All pictures (5) Share; All pictures. Clipboard, Search History, and several other advanced features are temporarily unavailable. The mildly astringent inner bark is used in the treatment of diarrhea and childhood cholera. Two more tidbits: The sap is still used to add flavor to smoking tobacco and is also available at the pharmacy as an ingredient in the compound tincture of benzoin. I love gardens, herbs, plants and all things nature and so I have decided to focus my writing on it, since so many of my friends and family on social media have expressed an interest. Sweet Gum Balls. I was very distressed a few years later when I learned that they had cut the massive tree down to build a parking lot in its place. The star-shaped leaves of sweet gum become even more striking in the autumn, when they turn various shades of gold, red, pink, and purple, often on the same tree. Consistently earned 5-star reviews, shipped orders on time, and replied quickly to messages, Looks like you already have an account! They are native to Eastern United States, from Southwestern Connecticut to Florida and are also found in the Mountains of Mexico and Guatemala. And you dont even have to count on the magic spells to take advantage of the burrs. Sellers looking to grow their business and reach more interested buyers can use Etsys advertising platform to promote their items. It tolerates a moderate amount of flooding or saturated soil. Use them as mulch (you can't have too much mulch!) For injection you may be looking at 150 to 250.00 for large trees. Have you ever noticed that sweet gum leaves gradually change shape over the summer? Green Witch Living is an official reforestation partner with OneTreePlanted.org. Send me exclusive offers, unique gift ideas, and personalized tips for shopping and selling on Etsy. Spring Flowers of the Sweet Gum Tree - Liquidambar . Liquidambar, Sweet Gum. They also work to ward off annoying baby brothers. For magic, people use stuff like black cat bones, graveyard dust, fingernail clippings. Twigs are reddish- or yellowish-brown becoming gray, aromatic, often with corky wings on second-years growth; pores raised, dark. I checked it out and was amazed to find that people actually pay money for sweet gum balls! The perfect piece of witchcraft art for any Kitchen Witch 's, sacred space.. the kitchen ! Now, I don't know much of anything about how well gum balls might work for 'spiritual protection', but just looking at the sweet gum balls, it's easy to see how people might think they have magical repellant powers after all, put some around and they'll sure keep me away! The list of value-added products derived from sweetgum trees can be increased by continued research of this abundantly occurring tree. Its antiseptic and antibacterial properties are useful in both contexts. I never thought picking up those darn gum balls would be so much FUN!. Gum Tree. Original Price $8.50