Oak Bark Tea – Nature’s Boon
From generation to generation, the majestic oak tree has provided shade on sunny days, timber for furniture-makers and ship-builders, and even food in times of famine. A huge magnificent tree with a massive broad top has long been a symbol of immortality and fertility, and was called a Sacred Tree by the Druids. The whole look of the Oak carries the idea of absolute strength, dignity and might. It has been the talisman to those who wanted a child, the remedy to those who endured despair, a reward to those who pass the war.
The mighty oak figures significantly in Native American and colonial history. Many Native American tribes relied on its acorns for nourishment. Native to England, the White Oak tree has been naturalized to the US, mostly in the East. The acorns of the white oak supplied flour to make breads and puddings, while the wood provided housing and furniture. Not surprisingly, medicinal uses for the oak tree have a long history as well. Historically the Romans used White Oak Bark in the treatment of chronic diarrhea, dysentery, and hemorrhage.
Of the hundreds of Quercus species found in the northern hemisphere, Quercus alba is the most valued in North America for medicinal purposes. Europeans rely more heavily on Quercus robur and Q. petraea. White Oak Bark (Quercus alba) is also known by the names English Oak, White Oak, Red Oak, Black Oak, Green Oak, Royal Protector, Tanner’s Bark and Common Oak. The genus name of the tree is Quercus. Quercus alba in translation from Celtic means a “fine” (“quer”) “tree” (“cuea”), and “alba” refers to the whitish appearance of the bark. White oak is also known as tanner’s bark, Fabaceae, gallotannins, quercetin, and royal protector, among other names.
White oak bark possesses medicinal properties once utilized by brewing the bark pieces. Today, health food stores and specialty websites offer white oak bark supplements. White oak has traditionally been used medicinally by Native American Indians and colonists for various conditions and at one time was even listed in the official United States Pharmacopoeia and the National Formulary. The lumber from these trees is used to make cabinets, tables and other furniture. The acorns were once dried and ground into flour by Native Americans. Even the galls of the tree proved helpful by yielding brown dye.
Plant Description and Chemical Properties
The plant grows as a shrub or small tree, and is diclinous and monoecious. The leaves are alternate, approximately 5 cms long, short-petiolate, elongate, sinuate, and roughly thorny-tipped serrate. Oak Trees grow in moderate climates. White Oak is not usually white; it’s ashen grey, normally 20 to 25 meters tall, quite massive and wide at maturity and bears acorns. The fruit is up to 4 cm long, cylindrical, shiny brown, and is 3 times longer than the cupula, which is covered with narrow scales.
The parts of the tree used medicinally are the bark and the galls. The galls are growths that are produced by the tree’s reactions to fungi and insects. The active constituents in oak bark are tannin (phlobatannin, ellagitannins, gallic acid) and quercetin. The most important healing component in the smooth bark and galls of the oak tree is tannin, which has astringent and mildly antiseptic qualities. White oak bark contains 15 to 20 percent tannins, which is responsible for much of the beneficial effects. Tannin content (galls are even higher in tannins than the bark) plays an important role; it binds with protein of the tissues, strengthens them and makes impermeable to bacterial invasion and infection. The tannin is what makes oak bark so valuable for minor wounds and inflammation, for tightening tissue, and for decreasing oozing. Tannins have antiviral, antimicrobial, anticarcinogenic, and antioxidant properties. It makes it rather useful for stomach and digestive concerns, for skin health. Quercetin is used for strengthening the capillaries and veins.
White Oak also contains manganese, potassium, magnesium, calcium, iron, zinc, B vitamins and vitamin C. The bark also contains a high amount of calcium. Moderate amounts of selenium and sulfur are also present. Smaller amounts of vitamins C, A, and several of the B vitamins are also found in this nutritional supplement, and account for many of the traditional uses of the extract.
Health Benefits
Concoctions of the oak bark were used by Native Americans to treat diarrhea, dysentery, mouth sores and skin disorders. The astringent qualities of oak bark account for Germany’s Commission E’s recommendation of oral preparations for diarrhea and topical formulations for treating itchy patches of eczema, mouth sores, sore throat, and inflamed hemorrhoids. However, no studies are available to confirm benefit for these conditions. Interestingly, a commercial oak bark preparation (Litiax), which is only available in Europe, is used for kidney stones. Oak bark is great for dissolving away kidney stones, bladder stones, and gallbladder stones, and also helps kill the bacteria associated with those stones. It is also used for treating ulcers, diarrhea and disorders of the spleen. It is also used to stop bleeding in the nose, lungs, stomach and rectum. When taken internally, white oak bark acts as a diuretic, flushing excess fluid from the body. Although this was initially only a side effect, traditional herbalists took advantage of this property to help flush out kidney stones and bladder infections by increasing urinary output. It is thought that this mobilization of body fluids can help restore function to the liver and kidneys, as well as clear mucous congestion. The white oak bark doesn’t treat the underlying condition, but can make the symptoms temporarily more tolerable. According to one small 1980 study, the product acts as a diuretic (water pill), reduces pain and inflammation, and is believed to prevent the formation of new stones. However, no recent reports of studies are available to confirm these findings.
According to proponents of folk medicine, the extract is helpful in treating painful kidney stones and helping to promote efficient function of the kidneys in general. There are also claims that the extract may be taken internally to help ease the severity of diarrhea caused by some sort of gastrointestinal distress.
Extract of white oak bark is used in modern alternative medicine to flush parasites out of the intestinal tract and to decrease bacterial populations. Alternative medicine practitioners contend that an adult’s intestinal tract — particularly the colon — contains years of built-up toxins and undigested waste matter that support intestinal parasite populations. According to colon detoxification proponents, compounds like white oak bark extract can flush out the parasites, improve your digestive system’s ability to absorb nutrients and cause you to lose weight. The tannins in white oak bark can help flush parasites from the body when taken internally. As a parasiticide and anthelmintic, it kills adult worms, and the diuretic property helps draw fluid to flush them out in the stool. The antimicrobial and antiviral properties of oak bark may be helpful in treating E. coli. Recent laboratory studies conducted in Australia of eight herbal preparations, indicate oak bark was the most effective in treating enterohemorrhagic E. coli which is of a dangerous kind. The species used was Quercus infectoria, which is native to the Mediterranean region.
However, it has the same family and generic characteristics as Quercus alba.
A number of commercially produced detoxification dietary supplements include white oak bark for this purpose, although capsules containing powdered white oak bark extract are also available. The white oak bark extract is a major ingredient in medicines for intestinal parasite removal and weight loss.
And new studies show that Oak Bark can also heal stomach ulcers and help repair the lining of the stomach, plus it also works well to prevent dental cavities and diseases of the gums. Proponents of the extract also claim that the product will provide the nutrition needed by the body to overcome inflammation in muscles and tendons owing to overwork of those muscle groups.
The extract is also sometimes applied to hemorrhoids as a way to minimize discomfort, with some practitioners recommending consuming a tea brewed from the white oak bark at the same time.
Along with internal uses of oak extract, there are also claims that the supplement is useful in dealing with gingivitis or easing pain in the gums. Applying a small amount of the extract with the use of a cotton ball is said to begin taking away the pain almost immediately, making it easier to rest at night. It is an excellent gargle for relaxed uvula and sore throat. It is also beneficial to teeth.
One supplement commonly used in intestinal cleansing is oak extract, also known as white oak bark extract. White oak bark extract use is not approved by health professionals as a reliable weight loss method, so speak to your doctor before using the product as a diet aid. Specifically oak bark may help to protect against the effects of metabolic syndrome. Metabolic syndrome is a group of conditions that include excess body Fat around the waist and elevated blood pressure, cholesterol, and sugar levels.
Taken together, these conditions increase a person’s risk of heart disease, stroke, and diabetes.
One source notes German researchers report regular consumption of oak bark may lower cholesterol but does not indicate the type of studies done to reach this conclusion. One animal study indicates oak bark Extract improved the structure and function of the liver and heart, and reduced the signs of metabolic syndrome in rats fed a high-fat, high-carbohydrate diet over a twelve-week period.
Among people who prefer to use home remedies, oak extract is also considered an effective cleanser for skin wounds, insect bites, and other irritations on the surface of the skin. The oak bark extract facilitates wound healing. Two animal studies have evaluated the effectiveness of oak bark in healing various types of wounds. In both studies, the animals received wounds and treatments in accordance with the Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care (AAALAC), a non-profit organization that promotes the humane treatment of animals in science.
In the first study, three animals with a total of 108 wounds had their wounds infected with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bacteria. Wounds were treated twice daily for three days with oak bark ointment, silver sulfadiazine, or nothing (control wounds). Nine wounds were cultured after 24, 48, and 72 hours. The wounds treated with oak bark ointment had the lowest bacterial colonization compared to the untreated control wounds and the wounds treated with silver sulfadiazine.
In the second study, oak bark ointment was applied twice daily to second-degree burns on eight animals. The wounds were assessed daily from day seven through day ten. After each assessment, the proportion of the wounds healed was higher in the treatment group than in the control group. White Oak bark tea is used in enemas and douches, while additional benefits include the treatment of ringworm, chronic mucous discharge, poison-ivy rash, burns, pinworms, hemostatic, hemorrhages in the lungs, stomach, scrofula, and bowels, spitting of blood, vomiting, inflammations, boils, and sores.
Oak Tree Galls are full of great healing antioxidants that keep cardiovascular disease away, strokes, and also cancer. They also contain Vitamins C and A and also useful protein, carbs, and fiber too, plus iron and some calcium. Oak Galls tighten up the uterus and vagina after childbirth and Gallic acid in Oak Galls also helps prevent diabetes and asthma and helps in the prevention of breast cancer. Oak Galls also help cure chronic gastric ulcers. Because Oak Galls are astringent they are good for the eyes, skin, and for oral hygiene. Further, oak Galls seem to slow down the cellular aging process.
In conditions where there is bleeding, discharge or other secretions, the astringent will cause the vessels that carry the fluid to contract to the point that the fluid can no longer pass. Although this stops the leakage, it does not treat the underlying disorder, so is seen as a temporary treatment of symptoms instead of a cure of the disorder. White oak bark has been used in this manner to treat diarrhea, nosebleeds, heavy menstrual flow and vomiting.
The tannins also have strong antiseptic properties that help make it difficult for bacteria to permeate tissues, preventing infection from occurring or advancing. This property combines with the diuretic property to make white oak bark a traditionally effective treatment for bladder infections. The same white oak bark decoction that is used internally can also be used topically as a wash and wound protectant.
It helps stop bleeding, and forms a protective antiseptic layer to allow healing to occur safely without risk of infection. Topical application extends to douches and hemmorhoid washes, both of which also take advantage of the antiseptic properties. Pastes made from white oak bark, water and flour can help draw out bee stingers and splinters due to the astringent nature.
Preparation and Dosage
White Oak Bark is taken from the inner bark of the Quercus alba tree. The bark is dried or roasted with gentle dry heat. This concentrates the volatile oils in the bark. The bark also comes in dried or powdered form. It is also made into a tincture, or alcohol extract. Tea and capsules are also available.
There are no official dosing recommendations for white oak bark. However, white oak bark is made into a decoction of 1 oz. of bark in 1 quart of water, then boiled down to 1 pint and taken in divided glassful doses for up to 3 or 4 days. This decoction is also gargled for treating a sore throat
A tea for diarrhea or other internal problems can be prepared by simmering approximately 1 teaspoon of the finely chopped bark in 1 cup (8 ounces) of water for a few minutes, then straining. Drink three cups a day. If the taste is not to your liking, try mixing 1 teaspoon of a liquid extract in 1/4 cup (2 ounces) of water. Drink this mixture three times a day.
Oak extract is a dietary supplement that is made using the bark of the white oak tree. In addition to preparation as an extract, the bark is sometimes powdered and sold as oak capsules. There are several ways to make oak extract, with some calling for pulverizing the bark and steeping the powder in hot water.
Other recipes call for soaking small pieces of the bark in an alcohol base, allowing the nutrients to seep into the liquid.
Commercial bath formulations containing oak bark are available; follow the package instructions. As a home remedy, make a compress for local therapy by soaking a cloth in a tea prepared by mixing 20 grams of bark in 1 liter of water. Apply the compress to the affected area three times a day. This mixture may also be used for gargling and rinsing. For more generalized skin irritations, prepare an oak bark bath by mixing 5 grams of oak bark with 1 liter of water and add to bath water.
Side effects and precautions
Oak bark preparations have been safely used for decades. However, it is important not to take an oak bark bath or place large amounts of the preparation on skin that is severely burned or wounded, or on weeping eczema, because this could further irritate the area. Topically, oak bark should not be used longer than three weeks. There is insufficient evidence regarding safety of oak bark in pregnancy and lactation; therefore, it should be avoided. Oak bark is considered generally safe when taken orally for 3-4 days and when applied topically for 2-3 weeks.
Oak bark contains 8-20% tannins. Plants with more than 10% tannins can cause kidney damage and necrosis (cell death) of the liver. Therefore, oak bark should not be taken orally by anyone with kidney or liver dysfunction. Germany’s Commission E recommends avoiding full Oak bark baths by those with cardiac conditions, infectious diseases, large areas of skin damage from eczema, and hypertonia, a condition in which muscles have increased tension and reduced ability to stretch. The relatively large concentration of tannin (8 to 20%) in oak bark can cause gastrointestinal disturbances in sensitive individuals.
There are no known drug interactions with oak bark. However, using oak extract along with prescription medication is not generally recommended, except under the care of a physician. Even then, care should be taken not to consume or use the extract until three to four hours after a prescription medication has been taken. As with most herbs, there is some potential for negative interaction with different medicines. The extract may also inhibit the proper function of prescription alkaline medications. Should any type of side effects appear, use of the extract should be discontinued, and the side effects reported to the attending physician immediately.
According to the Rx List site, oak bark extract may cause some side effects such as stomach pain and upset, intestinal problems like diarrhea and kidney or liver damage. Women who are pregnant or nursing should avoid using oak bark products, as should anyone suffering from a heart condition, liver or kidney problems and who are ill with a disease or infection that causes a fever. Scientific evidence does not support the claims made by detoxification diet proponents. Detox diets, such as the ones utilizing white oak bark extract, may cause nausea, dehydration, extreme fatigue and dizziness.
White oak bark’s ability to rid the body of parasites or stimulate weight loss is not supported by clinical evidence. As such, you should not try a detoxification program containing oak extract without first speaking to your doctor.
Category: HERBS
