Native to Eastern and Central North America. Black Walnut (Juglans nigra) is one of the most abundant trees in the Eastern US, that can grow to heights of 100 feet.
Medicinal Parts and compounds: Unripe fruit hulls, as well as bark and leaves. The therapeutic compounds include juglones, tannins, antioxidants including polyphenols and flavonoids.
Black Walnut trees are valued not only for their natural, ornamental beauty, but also as a desirable source of lumber. The nuts, while harder to crack and extract than English Walnuts – are edible and used both by foragers and commercially.
Natural compounds in the plant’s drupes provide a rich, brown-black natural dye that has been used for hair, textiles and handicrafts.
Black walnut hulls can be used in abrasive work, including sandblasting and be used as a filtering agent. They are also used in cosmetic exfoliants.
Did you know?
Fact: The antiparasitic compound juglone is also in the mature tree roots and acts as a respiratory inhibitor for competing vegetation, it can also be excreted from the roots for several years after the tree is cut down. Walnuts in general have been noted throughout history for this effect, with Pliny the Elder stating "The shadow of walnut trees is poison to all plants within its compass."
Main Therapeutic Uses:
The hulls of Black Walnuts hold well-established benefits for eliminating parasites from the intestinal tract by disrupting their metabolic properties and/or making the body an inhospitable environment.
In vitro studies presented Black Walnut extract to exhibit antimicrobial and antifungal effects.
It has traditionally been used internally to treat and eliminate gastrointestinal parasites and yeast overgrowth (candida albicans) as well as topically to treat fungal skin infections like ringworm.
The anti-inflammatory action of some compound in Black Walnut, has also made it a possible treatment from inflammatory skin conditions.
Symbolism
The name “Juglans” means “acorn of Jupiter” a very powerful god in Roman mythology.
The deep taproot of Black Walnut makes it a very sturdy tree, and it has come to symbolize:
- Grounding
- Stability
- Strength
- Resilience
- Protection
- Endurance
- Longevity
- Perseverance
While its potent compounds have created superstitions about the dangers of sitting under a Black Walnut tree, it has also come to be recognized for its symbolic cleansing properties and used to help clear negative energy.
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References:
Black Walnut Benefits, Uses, Dosage & Side Effects
Rietveld WJ. Allelopathic effects of juglone on germination and growth of several herbaceous and woody species. J Chem Ecol. 1983 Feb;9(2):295-308. doi: 10.1007/BF00988047. PMID: 24407348. Retrieved from: Allelopathic effects of juglone on germination and growth of several herbaceous and woody species - PubMed
Abedi, Parvin et. Al., Comparison of the Effects of Juglans nigra Green Husk and Clotrimazole on Candida albicans in Rats. Jundishapur Journal of Microbiology. Vol. 11, issue 2; Nov 29, 2017. Retreived from: Comparison of the Effects of Juglans nigra Green Husk and Clotrimazole on Candida albicans in Rats
Ho KV, Schreiber KL, Vu DC, Rottinghaus SM, Jackson DE, Brown CR, Lei Z, Sumner LW, Coggeshall MV, Lin CH. Black Walnut (Juglans nigra) Extracts Inhibit Proinflammatory Cytokine Production From Lipopolysaccharide-Stimulated Human Promonocytic Cell Line U-937. Front Pharmacol. 2019 Sep 19;10:1059. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2019.01059. PMID: 31607915; PMCID: PMC6761373. Retrieved from: Black Walnut (Juglans nigra) Extracts Inhibit Proinflammatory Cytokine Production From Lipopolysaccharide-Stimulated Human Promonocytic Cell Line U-937 - PMC
