- Region
- North America
- Origin
- North America, Europe, Asia, Africa (North)
North America · Herb · № 188
Acer spp.
Herb · North America
Maple
Acer spp.
Maple syrup is the boiled-down sap of the sugar maple. It consists mainly of sugar and some minerals, such as manganese; it is a sweetener, not a medicine.
Safety notes
Traditional use is no proof of effectiveness; if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, taking medication or have a medical condition, consult a doctor or pharmacist.
Cautions by tradition (1)
- Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) medicine: Syrup contains a lot of sugar.
Preparation
Tap the sap in early spring and boil it down into syrup or sugar; the wood is used for furniture and crafts.
Use in traditions
Indigenous peoples of north-eastern North America, such as the Anishinaabe and Haudenosaunee, tapped sap from the sugar maple in early spring and boiled it down into sugar. The 'sugar bush' is for them a time of celebration and thanksgiving. A tea of the inner bark was used for coughs and diarrhoea. The maple leaf is the national symbol of Canada. In herbal magic associated with love, prosperity, life and health, and abundance.
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
The maple is thanked for its sweet water at the Maple Ceremony. The shoots take the human scent off traps.
Preparation and amount
Tap the sap and boil it down to syrup; boil young shoots of red maple with the traps.
Caution: Syrup contains a lot of sugar.
Folklore and herbal magic
Symbolic meanings from folk use and modern herbal magic. These are handed-down associations, not effects.
Love, prosperity, life and health, abundance, sweetness, marriage, money.
Home, kitchen and folk use
Preparation and amount
Wood for furniture and crafts; dye; maple sugar.
- Ways to prepare herbs
- Syrup, honey and oxymel