How did dowsers use witch hazel?
By Chelsie Vandaveer
March 8, 2004
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The witch hazel (Hamamelis virginiana Linnaeus) is a small autumn blooming tree native to damp woodlands in eastern North America. The herbal lore of the witch hazel dates back to the Native Americans. Charles F. Millspaugh (American Medicinal Plants, 1892) wrote "The many varied uses of a watery infusion of Witch-hazel bark were fully know to the aborigines, whose knowledge of our medicinal flora has been strangely correct as since proven."
Witch hazel was taken as a mild tea for its astringent action. According to William Cook, MD (The Physiomedical Dispensatory, 1869) the weak extracts were useful to treat intestinal and bladder hemorrhage and one of the major killers of the day, dysentery. "It soothes the bowels rather than excites them, as many other astringents do...." For women whose labor had not gone well, "it is particularly effective in arresting uterine hemorrhage."
Witch hazel was most often used topically to treat inflammations like rashes and as a soothing liniment for the skin. Various witch hazel products for the skin have been available commercially since the 1800s. In a study by B.J. Hughes-Formella, K. Bohnsack, F. Rippke, G. Benner, M. Rudolph, I. Tausch, and J. Gassmueller, an after sun exposure lotion with 10 percent Hamamelis extract had a marked effect decreasing the erythema associated with sunburn. ("Anti-inflammatory effect of Hamamelis lotion in a UVB erythema test", Dermatology, 196(3), 1998)
Witch hazel had a peculiar reputation and a special use among early settlers. The tree was considered a magical plant by those who practiced dowsing. A green forked branch, a Y, was removed from the tree and stripped of leaves and sometimes the bark. The arms of the Y were held with the palms upward and the base of the Y straight up. The dowser walked crisscrossing over fields. Legends state the dowser's branch would twist until it pointed to wherever water, ores, or valuable treasures were hidden under the soil.
The Forestry Department, College of Natural Resources with Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University has several great photographs of the leaves, bark, flowers, and buds of witch hazel. To view their photographs, click on the link:
http://www.cnr.vt.edu/dendro/dendrology/syllabus/hvirginiana.htm
Series: | 1 | | 2 |
killerPlants Tendrils: ~~1~~2~~3~~4~~5~~
Suggested Reading:
Of witches, werewolves, and UFOs Herbal Folklore - October 29, 2001
What are witches' brooms? Weird Plants - October 31, 2002
Where do the little people live? Herbal Folklore - October 28, 2002
What is sorcerer's garlic? Herbal Folklore - March 4, 2002
How did foxes use these gloves? What's in a Name? - November 1, 2002
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