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Holodiscus discolor
Cream Bush; Ocean Spray;
Ezekiel 47:12 "And by the river upon the bank thereof, on this side and on that side, shall grow all trees for meat, whose leaf shall not fade, neither shall the fruit thereof be consumed: it shall bring forth new fruit according to his months, because their waters they issued out of the sanctuary: and the fruit thereof shall be for meat, and the leaf thereof for medicine."
Nicknames: Cream Bush;[1] Ocean Spray;[1] Ironwood;[1] Arrowwood;[5]
Classification: Perennial;
Plant Family: Rosaceae;[1] Genus: Holodiscus;[1] Species: H. discolor[1] Synonyms: Holodiscus dumosus (Pursh);[4]
Ethnobotany: All of the medicinal claims that the Native Americans made about this plant, are thoroughly investigated by me on this blog. I cite academic sources to confirm that the beliefs about the healing properties of plants like Cream Bush(Holodiscus discolor) are in fact true. Cream bush(Holodiscus discolor) has been used by the Native Americans for many medicinal purposes.[1] The Lummi tribe utilized the flowers for their anti-diarrheal properties, and the leaves were used as poultice.[1] A poultice is: "A poultice, also known as a cataplasm, is a moist mass applied to the skin to treat pain, inflammation, or other issues."[?] Other traditional cultures would steep the berries in boiling water and use it to treat diarrhea, smallpox, chickenpox, and as a blood tonic.[1] A tonic is a medicine that's consumed in order to give a feeling of vigor or well-being.[?]
Natural Habitat: North American;[1]
OG Observations: There doesn't seem to be a whole lot of people that are discussing Native American Ethnobotanicals on the internet. I'm making it my mission to bring back the pharmacopeia of the Natives. It's very important that the knowledge of medicinal plants continues to be passed down to future generations, and that the genetics of these sacred specimens is protected. It's important to note when you're making herbal medicine preparations out of this plant (Cream Bush), or any other.. that you consider the fact that certain phytochemicals are not soluble in water, while others are. This is why herbal practitioners make tinctures, or even spagyrics. A tincture can capture more constitunets than a tea can. A tea can be spiked with a tincture to make it even stronger. Ancient alchemist could collect the plant salts from the dried ashes of plant material, resulting in pure crystals(pure isolate).[11] I have to warn against the occult aspects of this practice, but am very much interested in the chemistry parts of it, minus all the hocus pocus. They could capture isolates without using any chemicals, with nothing but ashes, alcohol, and water. Here is a reddit threat on the subject.
What is Phytochemistry? What are Phytochemicals? Phytochemistry or "phytomedicine" is a branch of chemistry that studies herbal remedies in the lab. Phytochemist isolate pharmacological chemicals out of plants, known as phytochemicals. These phytochemicals are then studied for their pharmacological actions. Across most of the planet, these miraculous medicines are oppressed, or the facts surrounding them down-played. In Germany however, they embrace these miraculous God-made medicines, and the ethnobotanicals that produce them. "In Germany, new plant drug preparations (also known as phytopharmaceuticals), and even new plant constituents are continually being introduced into the market by a relatively large number of manufacturers"[9] A pure phytochemical that's been separated away from the entire rest of the plant material and its other components, is also known as an isolate, much like pure CBD and other cannabinoids on the market today. These are great examples of isolates, or pure phytochemicals.
Phytochemicals: Phytochemist have isolated and studied the active chemical components of this medicinal species. "Three flavonoid glycosides of flavonol type were isolated from the methanolic extract: kaempferol-3-O-rhamnoside, quercetin-3-O-glucoside (isoquercitrin) and quercetin-3-O-rhamnoside (quercitrin)[3] (E)-Resveratrol-3-0-β-smallcap˜D-xylopyranoside(Resveratrol for short) was isolated from its stem bark.[8] Resveratrol is a type of natural phenol or polyphenol, and a phytoalexin that's produced by several plants in response to injury, or when the plant is under attack by pathogens, such as bacteria or fungi.[6][7]
Pharmacological / Medicinal Properties: One academic source puts it as follows: "Many of these plant extracts possess significant antimicrobial activity, which in many cases is due primarily to a particular constituent: polyphenols, flavonoids, alkaloids."[2] It's the complex pharmacological phytochemical constituents that give this and other remedies their medicinal qualities. Let's talk about Isoquercitrin for a second... "Isoquercitrin has higher bioavailability than quercetin and displays a number of chemoprotective effects both in vitro and in vivo, against oxidative stress, cancer, cardiovascular disorders, diabetes and allergic reactions."[10]
Related Ethnobotanicals: Ashwaghanda(Withania somnifera), Mullein verbascum, Spikenard(Aralia racemosa), Monarda fistulosa
Buy Cream Bush Here!
Academic citations:
[2] DOMOKOS, Erzsébet-Timea, et al. "World wide used traditional medicinal plants against Staphylococcus aureus strains. A review." Scientific Papers. Series D. Animal Science 62.1 (2019).
[3] Haladová, M., et al. "Flavonoids--main constituents of the leaves of Holodiscus discolor (Pursh) Maxim." Ceska a Slovenska Farmacie: Casopis Ceske Farmaceuticke Spolecnosti a Slovenske Farmaceuticke Spolecnosti 55.5 (2006): 242-244.
[4] fs.usda.gov https://www.fs.usda.gov/database/feis/plants/shrub/holdis/all.html
[5] Oregon State University https://landscapeplants.oregonstate.edu/plants/holodiscus-discolor
[6] "Resveratrol". Micronutrient Information Center, Linus Pauling Institute, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR. 11 June 2015. Retrieved 26 August 2019.
[7] Fremont, Lucie (January 2000). "Biological Effects of Resveratrol". Life Sciences. 66 (8): 663–673. doi:10.1016/S0024-3205(99)00410-5. PMID 10680575.
[8] Gonzalez-Laredo, R., Judith Chaidez-Gonzalez, and Ahmed A. Ahmed. "A stilbene xyloside from Holodiscus discolor bark." (1997): 175-176.
[10] Valentová, Kateřina, et al. "Isoquercitrin: Pharmacology, toxicology, and metabolism." Food and Chemical Toxicology 68 (2014): 267-282.
[11] Junius, Manfred M. Spagyrics: The Alchemical Preparation of Medicinal Essences, Tinctures, and Elixirs. Inner Traditions/Bear & Co, 2007.
[9] Robbers, James E, et al. Pharmacognosy and Pharmacobiotechnology. Baltimore, Williams & Wilkins, 1996.
Encyclopedia Sources:
[1] Wikipedia contributors. (2024, December 7). Holodiscus discolor. In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 18:47, December 10, 2024, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holodiscus_discolor
Other resources:
M.A.P.S. Ethnobotanical Studies By Scholars
PubChem - pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov