Eastern Cottonwood (Populus deltoides)
Cottonwood is a source of abundant medicine. In Southeastern Michigan our native Cottonwood is the Eastern Cottonwood (Populus deltoides), found across the Eastern US from Quebec to northern Florida. It is fairly widespread in my area and easy to find. Other species of Cottonwood are found across the United States, and it is my understanding that they are used interchangeably for medicine.
Last year I was blessed with an abundance of Eastern Cottonwood from two different trees I found, one in the spring and another in the fall. The spring tree, growing at the very edge of a small lake, had tipped over in an early thaw. I was able to salvage quite a lot of the top of the tree, and was pleasantly surprised later in the summer to find that the tree had re-rooted itself and is growing just fine. My fall Cottonwood harvest came from a neighborhood tree. A large branch (about a foot in diameter where it connected to the main trunk) was pruned because it was growing too close to a building. I was very fortunate to find it shortly after it was cut, and carried home two trunkloads full. I spent most of the fall season working on debarking branches, drying and storing bark, and tincturing both dry bark and fresh buds, separately. A lot of work for one person, but I love it.
Last year I was blessed with an abundance of Eastern Cottonwood from two different trees I found, one in the spring and another in the fall. The spring tree, growing at the very edge of a small lake, had tipped over in an early thaw. I was able to salvage quite a lot of the top of the tree, and was pleasantly surprised later in the summer to find that the tree had re-rooted itself and is growing just fine. My fall Cottonwood harvest came from a neighborhood tree. A large branch (about a foot in diameter where it connected to the main trunk) was pruned because it was growing too close to a building. I was very fortunate to find it shortly after it was cut, and carried home two trunkloads full. I spent most of the fall season working on debarking branches, drying and storing bark, and tincturing both dry bark and fresh buds, separately. A lot of work for one person, but I love it.
Growth Pattern and Botanical Identification
Large, deciduous, native trees, Cottonwoods are fast-growing but relatively short-lived. Mature height range is between 30-190 feet. Life expectancy for this tree is 60-200 years. Cottonwood prefers moist, well-drained soil and is often found near water (streams, rivers, small lakes). Shade intolerant, prefers to grow in full sun. Reproduces by seed, suckers, and broken/shed limbs.
Cottonwood leaves are large, deltoid, and blunt-toothed, with a flat petiole. Their leaves flutter in the wind similar to Aspen. Cottonwood flowers in the spring and fruits in the form of pendulous catkins in early to mid-summer. When mature, the seeds are attached to cottony tufts that allow them to blow and spread in the wind, creating the effect of Cottonwood “snow.” Cottonwood bark is light to medium gray, furrowing deeply with age. Twigs are stout and knobby, with prominent bud scale scars and many large, resinous buds. Twigs are easily broken at the bud scale scars, which are noticeable, often swollen-looking rings encircling the twig or branch. Cottonwood pith has a star-shape in cross-section (see picture below). Fresh twigs and bark are aromatic, with a distinctive scent that smells (to me) like sweet apples with a touch of vanilla.
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Herbal Use
Cottonwood contains the glucosides populin and salicin, found in other members of the genus Populus (Quaking Aspen, Poplar, etc) and can be used similarly to these other Populus species, though not always interchangeably. I use Cottonwood bark tincture as a digestive aid, the infused bark and buds as a pain-relieving oil, salve or liniment, and the bud resin as a very effective herbal Band-Aid.
Energetics & Taste:
Dry, bitter, slightly sweet, aromatic
Actions:
Antimicrobial, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, diaphoretic, expectorant, astringent, diuretic, bitter, stomachic, tonic
Preparations:
Tea (leaf), Decoction (bark, buds), Tincture (leaf, bark, buds), Infused oil/salve (leaf, bark, buds), Liniment (leaf, bark, buds), Vinegar (bark), Powder (bark)
When might you use Cottonwood?
-As part of a digestive tonic formula (bark tincture)
-In a bitters blend (bark, leaf tincture)
-As a pain-relieving salve, infused oil, or liniment (buds, bark)
-Like an herbal band-aid, to disinfect and help seal a cut or scrape (sticky resin, infused oil/salve of buds)
-On a sunburn (infused vinegar, liniment)
-To help thin and clear stagnant, damp phlegm (decoction or tincture of buds)
Herbal Use
Cottonwood contains the glucosides populin and salicin, found in other members of the genus Populus (Quaking Aspen, Poplar, etc) and can be used similarly to these other Populus species, though not always interchangeably. I use Cottonwood bark tincture as a digestive aid, the infused bark and buds as a pain-relieving oil, salve or liniment, and the bud resin as a very effective herbal Band-Aid.
Energetics & Taste:
Dry, bitter, slightly sweet, aromatic
Actions:
Antimicrobial, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, diaphoretic, expectorant, astringent, diuretic, bitter, stomachic, tonic
Preparations:
Tea (leaf), Decoction (bark, buds), Tincture (leaf, bark, buds), Infused oil/salve (leaf, bark, buds), Liniment (leaf, bark, buds), Vinegar (bark), Powder (bark)
When might you use Cottonwood?
-As part of a digestive tonic formula (bark tincture)
-In a bitters blend (bark, leaf tincture)
-As a pain-relieving salve, infused oil, or liniment (buds, bark)
-Like an herbal band-aid, to disinfect and help seal a cut or scrape (sticky resin, infused oil/salve of buds)
-On a sunburn (infused vinegar, liniment)
-To help thin and clear stagnant, damp phlegm (decoction or tincture of buds)
Wildcrafting & processing tips:
1. Many Cottonwoods are very tall, the branches much too high to reach. The easiest way I have found to wildcraft Cottonwood is to keep an eye on the weather. Cottonwood twigs break easily. After a strong wind, you can usually find plenty of windblown twigs and branches (often with nice resinous buds) strewn on the ground around the tree. Bring a couple of big bags with you, as each good-sized tree can shed a LOT. Go scout your Cottonwood locations now, so you know where to go after the next storm!
2. Drying your harvested buds can be labor-intensive and often results in spoilage, but freezing them seems to work really well.
3. Tinctures made with the dried bark tend to have a mellower flavor.
1. Many Cottonwoods are very tall, the branches much too high to reach. The easiest way I have found to wildcraft Cottonwood is to keep an eye on the weather. Cottonwood twigs break easily. After a strong wind, you can usually find plenty of windblown twigs and branches (often with nice resinous buds) strewn on the ground around the tree. Bring a couple of big bags with you, as each good-sized tree can shed a LOT. Go scout your Cottonwood locations now, so you know where to go after the next storm!
2. Drying your harvested buds can be labor-intensive and often results in spoilage, but freezing them seems to work really well.
3. Tinctures made with the dried bark tend to have a mellower flavor.