Wild Cherry Bark Medicine for Respiratory & Influenza

The locally common tree species Prunus serotina, wild black cherry, creates powerful medicine in its bark. A traditional medicine that was popular not too long ago.

As with most of the local plant medicines, wild black cherry treats many illnesses besides respiratory related. I recently took some for digestion and then to relax nerves after wiping out on the bicycle.

It's simple to process, add some bark & water together and let it set for half-a-day.

Here's another video that goes into more detailed, step-by-step, processing.

Brush up on wild black cherry identification here.

They are easiest to find in the spring when they are blooming. Their large white flower stalks saturate the air with a lovely perfume. The large flower stalks can easily be seen from a distance as they generally cover the entire canopy. Bees, flies, and beetles pollinate cherry tree flowers.

Wild black cherry is found on field edges, road and trail-sides, and in old fields that have grown up into cedar thickets. If you've seen the common webbed nests of the eastern tent caterpillar it was likely in a cherry tree, a preferred host. Cherry is rare in mature woodlands. Most of the cherry that I see are under 10" diameter. They compete well when young, growing tall quickly, and usually dying of maturity around 80-100 years old.

The Forest Management Plans I develop report where cherry is located on a property. If you've had a plan developed take a look in the plan to find where to go.

In the forests to the east like southern Indiana, Pennsylvannia, & Virginia, the cherry are more competitive in mature forests. The forests further east have a history of rain falling during the entire growing season. Cherry trees are more common and grow massive there. In Missouri there is a history of growing season droughts in the July-August period that limits the health, size, and range of the wild black cherry.

There isn't much of a market for selling cherry logs in Missouri. The market for cherry at sawmills is further east where cherry is more common and larger. It's uncommon to see a wild black cherry tree in Missouri that has a sawlog. Maybe 1 out of every 200 cherry trees I see while doing survey have a small sawlog. I never see large sawlogs in cherry. I never see cherry logs while passing by the roadside sawmill logyards scattered around the state. A few loggers told me they ship any cherry logs they get to eastern markets where they get a better price.

I like to see wild black cherry in old-fields. It has shallow roots that work to restore soil health. They support alot of insects including the tent caterpillars. Deer and rabbit enjoy foraging on the stems & leaves, many different birds eat the seed, and small mammals eat various parts.

The fruits are quickly foraged by wildlife. Humans too have a long history of benefiting from the fruits as well.

Here's a reel-short video showing the fruits and discusses wildlife uses. Maybe cherry helps their cough too?

Taking the cherry medicine also gives us many phytonutrients that make us stronger throughout our bodies. While our respiratory is getting treated, our nerves are getting relaxed, digestion getting calmer, and likely many unnoticeable upgrades to our quality of life. Many of our local plants are like multi-vitamins, giving us an all-around strength to battle seasonal woes. I noticed cherry helps me push it on the bicycle or in physical activity because my breathing is stronger.

Some people have bad reactions, so start with a mini-dose and wait a few days before taking another. Increase the second dose a little bit but not full power.

When we are healing ourselves with local wild plants it becomes more difficult to see where the ecosystem and the person are separate. Our numbed senses awaken. Cellular and DNA processes long dormant start to re-imagine a future. Not only is piece of the ecosystem in us now but it is making us stronger! Almost like we were made for each other. Once we start seeing ourselves as the ecosystem we find our home and act more responsibly. Ecology is an inheritance.

Cheers to wild black cherry medicine!