Witch Hazel leaf 1oz

Sun/Fire – Protection, Healing, Chastity, carry to help mend a broken heart Also known as Hamamelis virginiana. Hamamelis, Winterbloom, and American Witch Hazel

Witch hazel is a leather-leafed deciduous shrub native to eastern United States. The bottoms of its leaves are dull gray, but the upward facing surfaces of the leaves are shiny green. Witch hazel is easy to recognize in the woods in autumn because as other trees are losing their leaves, witch hazel is covered with threadlike, golden-yellow flowers. Both the bark and the leaves are used in herbal medicine.

Typical Preparations
Teas, tinctures, creams. Witch hazel bark water is made with alcohol, but witch hazel leaf water can be made without alcohol.

Witch hazel leaf is useful for making teas to treat diarrhea in children. It contains tannins that slow the leakage of fluids into the lumen (central opening) of the intestine, but it does not contain the harsher elagitannins that are found in the bark. Witch hazel leaf is more appropriate than witch hazel bark when there is an allergic component to symptoms; witch hazel bark is more appropriate than witch hazel leaf when the problem is vascular weakness (for instance, hemorrhoids) without allergy.

Witch Hazel is used as an astringent with tonic properties for the venous system. Like many strong astringents it is not used for long periods of time. Useful for burns, scalds, and inflammatory skin conditions. Excellent when applied on a cotton ball to insect and mosquito bites. It helps reduce pain and swelling. Externally or as a wash for skin ulcers, mouth sores, sore throat, tonsilitis, laryngitis, wounds, bruises, sprains, swelling, burns, facial blemishes.

This is a 1 oz packet of cut Witch hazel leaf