There’s a very long historical tradition of using European ash as a medicine. Its uses as a medicinal herb were already known by the Greek physician Hippocrates (460-377 B.C.).
St. Hildegard of Bingen (1098 – 1179), a German writer, composer and philosopher, writes of using ash as a treatment for gout and rheumatism.
European ash contains many substances known for their medicinal benefits. The leaves, bark and young twigs contain coumarins (fraxin, esculin, and related substances) that inhibit the growth of bacteria and fungi.
These properties could make the ash beneficial as a treatment for healing wounds and sores and to reduce swelling.
The ash bark is used as a fever-reducing agent and as a substitute for quinine, which is derived from the quinine tree (Cinchona pubescens).
The bark and leaves have been used traditionally as an herbal remedy for diarrhea.
The substance fraxin found in the bark and the leaves have diuretic properties and may increase the excretion of uric acid.
Due to these properties the bark could help treat gout in the elderly and may also be beneficial for other rheumatic disorders, such as osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.
Ailments associated with the bladder and kidneys are also treated with the bark. Additionally, it is used to remove stones in the urinary tract.
The bark and the leaves of the ash tree may act as a mild laxative due to the presence of mannitol and can, therefore, be used as an herbal remedy for constipation and to eliminate intestinal parasites. However, compared with other laxative herbs, the effect is rather weak.
The Vikings considered the ash a sacred tree. In Norse mythology, the ash Yggdrasil was an immense tree that was the center of the world and spread its crown over the whole earth. It was said it was the world tree around which the nine worlds existed.
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