- Region
- Europe
- Origin
- From the Balkans via Persia to the Himalayas and China; grown in Europe since Roman times. Juglans regia
- Other names
- Walnoot en grijze walnoot
Europe · Food · № 80
Juglans regia
Food · Europe
Walnut
Juglans regia
The nuts are a nutritious source of unsaturated fats. Leaf and green husk are astringent and were traditionally used for skin conditions and diarrhoea; clinical evidence is lacking.
Safety notes
Nut allergy can be severe. The husk stains the skin and may irritate it.
Cautions by tradition (1)
- Chinese materia medica: Not with yin deficiency with heat or cough with hot phlegm.
Preparation
Nuts eaten; leaf and husk as a decoction for external use. No dosage is given here.
Use in traditions
The Romans called the nut 'Jupiter's acorn'. The husk provided brown dye for hair and wool. Walnut is also one of Edward Bach's flower remedies, which is not scientifically supported.
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.
Herbal medicine worldwide
Attributed effects
Walnut astringent, anthelmintic, antispasmodic, anti-inflammatory (husk); butternut laxative, astringent, promotes bile flow, cleansing in skin diseases.
Preparation and amount
Walnut leaf tea for skin problems, eye inflammation and poor appetite; wash for eczema; eye bath for conjunctivitis; husk tea for chronic diarrhoea and anaemia, as a hair rinse for hair loss; 2 tsp walnut oil a day for menstrual complaints and dry eczema; butternut bark as a decoction or tincture (up to 5 ml 3 times a day) as a laxative.
Chinese materia medica
- Nature and taste
- sweet, warm
- Meridians
- lung, kidney, large intestine
Attributed effects
Hu tao ren strengthens the kidney yang in a weak lower back, weak knees and frequent urination, helps the kidneys hold the lung energy in chronic cough and asthma, and moistens the bowel in constipation from dryness, especially in the elderly.
Preparation and amount
Traditional dosage: 9–30 g a day, usually in a decoction.
Combinations
- With psoralea for frequent urination
- With ginseng for cough from lung deficiency
Caution: Not with yin deficiency with heat or cough with hot phlegm.
Folklore and herbal magic
Symbolic meanings from folk use and modern herbal magic. These are handed-down associations, not effects.
Healing, mental powers.
- Ways to prepare herbs
- Tea (infusion)DecoctionTincture
- Formulas
- Qing e wan