Guelder Rose(Viburnum Opulus)

April 7th, 2008

Botanical Name : Viburnum opulus (LINN.)
Family: N.O. Caprifoliaceae

Genus: Viburnum
Species: opulus

Synonyms: Cramp Bark. Snowball Tree. King’s Crown. High Cranberry. Red Elder. Rose Elder. Water Elder. May Rose. Whitsun Rose. Dog Rowan Tree. Silver Bells. Whitsun Bosses. Gaitre Berries. Black Haw.
Part Used: Bark.
Habitat: The ‘Gaitre-Beries’ of which Chaucer makes mention among the plants that ’shal be for your hele’ to ‘picke hem right as they grow and ete hem in,’ are the deep red clusters of berries of the Wild Guelder Rose (Viburnum Opulus, Linn.), a shrub growing 5 to 10 feet high, belonging to the same family as the Elder, found in copses and hedgerows throughout England, though rare in Scotland, and also indigenous to North America, where it is to be found in low grounds in the eastern United States.

Description:It is a deciduous shrub growing to 4-5 m tall. The leaves are opposite, three-lobed, 5-10 cm long and broad, with a rounded base and coarsely serrated margins; they are superficially similar to the leaves of some maples, most easily distinguished by their somewhat wrinkled surface with impressed leaf venation. The leaf buds are green, with are valvate bud scales.

Click to enlarge:->…

The hermaphrodite flowers are white, produced in corymbs 4-11 cm diameter at the top of the stems; each corymb comprises a ring of outer sterile flowers 1.5-2 cm diameter with conspicuous petals, surrounding a center of small (5 mm), fertile flowers; the flowers are produced in early summer, and pollinated by insects. The fruit is a globose bright red drupe 7-10 mm diameter, containing a single seed. The seeds are dispersed when birds eat the fruit, then deposit the seeds in another location in their droppings.

It resembles the Common Elder in habits of growth, hence in some districts we find it called Red Elder or Rose Elder. The conspicuous, large, nearly flattopped heads of snow-white flowers are 3 to 5 inches across, the inner ones very small, but with an outer ring of large, showy, sterile blossoms, containing undeveloped stamens with no pollen and an ovary without ovules. Only the inner, complete flowers provide the nectar for the attraction of insects who are to fertilize them. The resulting fruits, which ripen very quickly, form a drooping cluster of bright red berries, shining and translucent, perhaps the most ornamental of our wild fruits, the tree presenting a very beautiful appearance in August, when they are ripe, especially as the leaves assume a rich purple hue before falling. But although edible, the berries, in spite of Chaucer’s recommendation, are too bitter to be palatable eaten fresh off the trees, and when crushed, smell somewhat disagreeable, though birds appreciate them and in Siberia the berries used to be, and probably still are, fermented with flour and a spirit distilled from them. They have been used in Norway and Sweden to flavour a paste of honey and flour.
In Canada, they are employed to a considerable extent as a substitute for Cranberries and are much used for making. a piquant jelly, their sourness gaining for them there the name of High Bush Cranberry, though the tree is, of course, quite unrelated to the true Cranberry.

The name Guelder comes from Gueldersland, a Dutch province, where the tree was first cultivated. It was introduced into England under the name of ‘Gueldres Rose.’ The garden variety, Viburnum sterile, with snowball flowers, does not produce the showy fruit of the wild species.

The berries have anti-scorbutic properties. They turn black in drying and have been used for making ink.

The wood, like that of the Spindle Tree and Dogwood, is used for making skewers.

Cultivation and uses:
It is commonly grown as an ornamental plant for its flowers and berries, growing best on moist, moderately alkaline soils, though tolerating most soil types well. Several cultivars have been selected, including ‘Snowball’ (”Snowball Tree”), in which all the flowers are only of the larger sterile type, making it more conspicuous, but it does not produce any fruit.

Snowball bush is a name often given to Viburnum opulus for its white clusters of flowers that appear in spring. There is some confusion, as there are a few other bushes, including other members of the Viburnum genus, also referred to as “snowball bush”. It is naturalised in North America, where it has been misleadingly re-named as “European Cranberrybush” (it is not a cranberry).

The fruit is edible in small quantities, with a very acidic taste; it can be used to make jelly. It is however very mildly toxic, and may cause vomiting or diarrhea if eaten in large amounts .

Constituents: The active principle of Cramp Bark is the bitter glucoside Viburnine; it also contains tannin, resin and valerianic acid.

Medicinal Action and Uses: The bark, known as Cramp Bark, is employed in herbal medicine. It used formerly to be included in the United States Pharmacopoeia, but is now omitted though it has been introduced into the National Formulary in the form of a Fluid Extract, Compound Tincture and Compound Elixir, for use as a nerve sedative and anti-spasmodic in asthma and hysteria.

The dried bark from pruned branches has been used medicinally.
Its actions are anti-spasmodic, sedative and astringent.
Crampbark is a very useful neuromuscular relaxant which relieves both voluntary and involuntary muscle tensions. The herb has been used for the following conditions:
Cramps, Muscle spasms.
Ovarian and Uterine pains, including painful periods with heavy discharge.
To relax the Uterus, including preventing miscarriages.
Colicky conditions of the gut, galbladder and urinairy system, nervous bowel problems, etc.
Some cases of migraine and other conditions of vaso-spasm.
High blood pressure.
In the past it has also been used for convulsive states, fits and lockjaw.
As its name indicates, cramp bark is most used to relieve cramps, including menstrual cramps, muscle cramps, and stomach cramps. Although cramp bark contains small amounts of several different types of compounds, a chemical known as viopudial is believed to provide cramp bark with its cramp-relieving effects. Viopudial is thought to relax muscles by partially blocking an enzyme involved with causing muscle spasms. It may also have direct effects on muscle tissue–particularly the muscles in the uterus. However, very little human research has been conducted to prove or disprove cramp bark’s apparent effects.

This herb is mainly used for treating feminine problems like menstrual cramps, postpartum discomfort, preventing miscarriages and internal hemorrhages and is used as a uterine sedative also.

In herbal practice in this country, its administration in decoction and infusion, as well as the fluid extract and compound tincture is recommended. It has been employed with benefit in all nervous complaints and debility and used with success in cramps and spasms of all kinds, in convulsions, fits and lockjaw, and also in palpitation, heart disease and rheumatism.

The decoction (1/2 oz. to a pint of water) is given in tablespoon doses.

The bark is collected chiefly in northern Europe and appears in commerce in thin strips, sometimes in quills, 1/20 to 1/12 inch thick, greyish-brown externally, with scattered brownish warts, faintly cracked longitudinally. It has a strong, characteristic odour and its taste is mildly astringent and decidedly bitter.

Preparations and Dosages: Fluid extract, 1/2 to 2 drachms. Viburnin, 1 to 3 grains.

Its constituents are identical with the species of Viburnum that is more widely used and is an official drug in the United States, viz. Viburnum Prunifolium or Black Haw, though Cramp Bark contains 1/3 the resin contained in Black Haw and its similar properties are considered much weaker.

Fluid Extract of Cramp Bark has a reddishbrown colour and the slight odour and somewhat astringent taste of the bark.

Disclaimer:
The information presented herein is intended for educational purposes only. Individual results may vary, and before using any supplements, it is always advisable to consult with your own health care provider

Resources:
http://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/g/gueros44.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viburnum_opulus
http://www.drugdigest.org/DD/DVH/HerbsWho/0,3923,552733%7CGuelder%2BRose,00.html
http://www.the-tree.org.uk/BritishTrees/TreeGallery/guelderrosec.htm