- Region
- North America
- Origin
- River banks and floodplains in eastern North America, from Ontario to Florida and Texas, and in northeastern Mexico
- Traditions
- Cherokee medicine
North America · Herb · № 1001
Platanus occidentalis
Herb · North America
American sycamore
Platanus occidentalis
One of the largest broadleaf trees of eastern America, with a trunk that peels in patches of white, green and brown. The bark contains tannins and betulinic acid. It is a parent of the London plane of European streets.
Safety notes
The hairs of young leaves and fruits irritate eyes and airways. The root is emetic and purgative: do not take it, and certainly not in pregnancy. Traditional use is no proof of effect; consult a doctor or pharmacist if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, take medication or have a medical condition.
Cautions by tradition (1)
- Cherokee (Tsalagi) medicine: Do not take the root; not in pregnancy.
Preparation
Do not prepare it yourself.
Use in traditions
In the Cherokee story of the first fire the Thunder Beings set a hollow sycamore on an island alight with their lightning; after many animals had failed, Water Spider fetched a glowing coal in a little basket on her back. According to Hamel and Chiltoskey the Cherokee drank an infusion of the inner bark for dysentery, cough, measles and difficult urination, and washed infected sores with the bark juice; babies with a rash were given an infusion. Women took a decoction of the root as an emetic and purgative during menstruation, and the bark went into remedies to bring away the afterbirth.
Applications
Use by tradition
How different herbal traditions describe this herb. Amounts are traditional guidelines checked for obvious errors; they are not medical advice. For poisonous plants no dosage is given on purpose.
Cherokee (Tsalagi) medicine
Attributed effects
The inner bark for dysentery, cough, measles and difficult urination, the bark juice on infected sores, an infusion for babies with a rash; the root as an emetic and purgative. In the story of the first fire Water Spider fetches the fire from a sycamore.
Preparation and amount
Do not prepare it yourself.
Caution: Do not take the root; not in pregnancy.