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Herbal Glossary | Medicinal Glossary | Herbal Preparations | Ayervedic Formulas | Chinese Formulas GuaiacContents:Common Names | Parts Usually Used | Plant(s) & Culture | Where Found | Medicinal Properties
Scientific Names
Common Names
Parts Usually UsedResin
Description of Plant(s) and CultureGuaiac is the resin from a tree; the crooked trunk grows 30-40 feet high and provides lignum vitae, the olive-brown, heavy, very hard wood which contains the oily resin.
Where FoundGrows in the West Indies, Mexico, Central America, and northern South America.
Medicinal PropertiesAntiseptic, diaphoretic, diuretic, stimulant
Legends, Myths and StoriesIn Paracelsus’ time, merchants brought home a sort of wood that was said to contain a medicinal resin. This wood was extraordinary because it sank in water, obviously being heavier than water, and this made it different from any other wood known at the time. It was found in the West Indies and South America and, when heated, a resin flowed from it that became a remedy for consumption.
UsesGuaiac used to help gout, fever, catarrh, syphilis, sore throat, consumption, rheumatism, and skin diseases. Take a decoction of the wood and keep warm to induce perspiration and keep cool for diuretic action.
Formulas or DosagesDecoction: boil 1 tsp. granulated wood in 1 cup water. Take 1 tbsp. 3-6 times per day. Resin: take 2-5 grains at a time. WarningAvoid during pregnancy.
Bibliography
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Gualacum
American Folk Medicine
, by Clarence Meyer, Meyerbooks, publisher, PO Box 427, Glenwood, Illinois 60425, 1973
, by John Lust, Bantam Books, 666 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY. copyright 1974.Copyright © 1996-2010 Lynn DeVries, all rights reserved.