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Prickly Ash Bark is a beautiful, deciduous tree that is a native of North America, growing anywhere from four to about twenty-five feet in height and may be found in woodlands and on riverbanks, thriving in damp, fertile, well-drained soil in sun or shade. True to its name, the Prickly Ash's branchlets are loaded with thorns and also produce alternately-growing, pinnate leaves, and the bruised foliage exudes a delicious, resinous citrus-orange-like fragrance. The tree (or shrub) also bears small, yellowish-green flowers that grow in clusters from April through June, before the leaves appear, and they are followed by small, red, edible berries.

Prickly Ash Bark was widely used by numerous Native American tribes as a treatment for toothache, rheumatism, gonorrhea, sore throat and as a wash for itchy skin. In the case of toothache, a piece of the bark was apparently inserted into the tooth cavity to ease the ache, but it was never clear whether the relief was due to the actual effect on the pain or distraction of attention caused by irritation produced by the bark (although it is interesting to note that rubbing the berries on the skin is said to produce a numbing effect). Native Americans shared their knowledge of the herb with settlers, and Prickly Ash soon became a popular remedy for rheumatism and toothache (giving the tree several of its common names, Toothache Tree, etc.). The herb was included in Dr. Jacob Bigelow's monumental, three-volume American Medical Botany of 1817-1820, and he noted: "Many physicians place great reliance on its powers in rheumatic complaints."

Prickly Ash Bark became official in the United States Pharmacopoeia from 1820 to 1926 as a treatment for chronic rheumatism, flatulence and diarrhea. Although it was a widely used traditional American remedy for toothache and rheumatism, John Nash introduced the herb into mainstream medicine in the nineteenth century, when he used it to treat typhus and cholera epidemics.

Today, herbalists still specify Prickly Ash Bark as a remedy for rheumatism and also recommend it for improved circulation. Prickly Ash Bark is a spicy, warming, stimulant herb, and it is said to act in the same manner as Cayenne, but with a somewhat slower action. The bark and fruits are used in herbal medicines, and the essential oils are used in perfumery. Some of the constituents contained in Prickly Ash Bark include alkaloids (chelerythrine, magnoflorine, laurifoline, nitidine, tambetarine, candicine and gamma- and beta-fagarine), coumarins (xanthyletin, zanthoxyletin and alloxanthyletin), an aromatic bitter oil (xanthoxylin), tannin, volatile oils and resin.

Prickly Ash Bark is considered an "alterative" or herb that helps to gradually and favorably alter the course of an ailment or condition. It enhances the process of nutrition and excretion and restores normal bodily function and also acts to cleanse and stimulate the efficient removal of waste products from the system.

As a circulatory stimulant, Prickly Ash Bark improves circulation throughout the body and is beneficial to a wide variety of conditions. It helps to warm "cold" conditions in the body, including abdominal chills, peripheral circulation to the hands and feet, as well as the "dead" or white fingers associated with Raynaud's syndrome. The herb is said to produce arterial/capillary excitement to provide relief for leg cramping, chilblains, varicose veins, varicose ulcers and lymphatic circulation.

Since Prickly Ash Bark promotes general blood circulation, it is also said to be beneficial where poor circulation causes soreness or pain to the bones or joints. The herb is said to be especially helpful in cases of muscle spasms, aches and pains caused by chronic rheumatism and arthritic complaints.

Prickly Ash Bark is believed to stimulate the digestive system and assists in the relief of dyspepsia, colic, indigestion and general stomach problems. It is said to relieve flatulence (the presence of gas in the stomach and intestines) and reduce eruction (belching and burping). It is also believed to be a useful tonic in debilitated conditions of the stomach and digestive organs, including the liver.

As a "nervine," Prickly Ash Bark acts as a tonic to strengthen the function of the nervous system, and in this case, it stimulates and exerts a gentle strengthening effect on the entire body. It is said to restore tone and normal functional activity in the nervous system and also help to strengthen feeble conditions, fatigue, convalescents and the elderly.