Properties of Wild Cherry Bark

Wild cherry bark, which is the bark of the wild cherry tree (Prunus serotina) that grows throughout the United States, is used in alternative medicine as a cough suppressant and astringent. It contains several chemical substances which are known to have a medicinal effect, and at one time it was used in traditional medicine for relieving coughs as well. It is also recommended for treatment of some digestive ailments due to its astringent (tissue constricting and discharge limiting) effects.

Physical Properties

• Wild cherry bark is harvested from the Prunus serotina tree, which is a member of the Rosaceae family of flowering plants and trees. The bark is rough and brown, and the tree itself can grow as high as 100 feet, with a diameter of 4 or 5 feet. The bark is harvested in the fall and dried before it is ground into a powder for medicinal use.

Chemical Content

• The chemical substances which occur naturally in wild cherry bark include benzaldehyde, prunasin (a substance that generates small quantities of cyanide) eudesmic acid, tannins (coloring agents found in wood as well as in grapes and tea), coumarins and benzoic acid.

Medical Properties of Wild Cherry Bark

• Wild cherry bark, when ground into a powder and then added to syrup, is used as an expectorant. An expectorant helps to relieve coughing by stimulating the body to expel hard mucous. The expectorant properties of wild cherry bark stem from the release of prussic acid, or hydrocyanic acid, from the prunase enzyme contained in the bark. The prussic acid first stimulates respiration, thereby acting as an expectorant, and then sedates the cough reflex, calming the cough. Wild cherry bark also acts as an astringent, so that it can relieve diarrhea and stomach pain by constricting gastrointestinal tissue.

Hazards of Wild Cherry Bark

• Wild cherry bark releases cyanide-based compounds. While these compounds are beneficial in recommended doses, they can be harmful in large doses or if used over a long period of time. In addition, wild cherry bark preparations may cause drowsiness.

Preparation of Wild Cherry Bark

• A dosage of wild cherry bark can consist of 0.5 to 2 grams of powdered bark, tea made of 1 tsp. of powdered bark, 1 to 2 grams of fluid extract, 2 to 4 milliliters of tincture, or 2.5 to 10 milliliters of syrup. Three doses per day are recommended until cough or other treated symptoms disappear. Powder, extract, tincture and syrup are available from natural medicine dealers and herbalists.