- Region
- North America
- Origin
- Cool forests and ravines of eastern North America, from Nova Scotia to the Appalachians
- Traditions
- Cherokee medicine, Haudenosaunee medicine
North America · Herb · № 931
Tsuga canadensis
Herb · North America
Eastern hemlock
Tsuga canadensis
An evergreen conifer with short, flat needles. The bark is rich in tannins and was once used to tan leather. Medicinal effects have not been studied.
Safety notes
Not to be confused with poison hemlock (Conium maculatum), a very poisonous umbellifer that is also called hemlock in English. Not in pregnancy. The trees are threatened by an adelgid introduced from Asia. 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)
- Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) medicine: Do not confuse with poison hemlock. Not in pregnancy.
Preparation
Young twigs and needles as a tea; breathe in the steam of the decoction.
Use in traditions
For the Haudenosaunee, hemlock and pine are among the most powerful trees, because they stay green through the winter. According to the notes in Herrick, they drank a tea of twigs and bark for colds, because it makes you sweat, and used a decoction as a steam bath for rheumatism. The hemlock also appears in many stories.
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.
Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) medicine
Attributed effects
For colds, to bring on a sweat; as a steam bath for rheumatism.
Preparation and amount
Boil a small bundle of twigs with needles, or the bark; drink the tea or breathe in the steam.
Caution: Do not confuse with poison hemlock. Not in pregnancy.
- Ways to prepare herbs
- Tea (infusion)DecoctionSteam and bath