What is Witch Hazel

Witch Hazel is a small perennial deciduous shrub, growing to fifteen feet with coarsely toothed, broad oval leaves. Distinctive yellow flowers appear in clusters at its joints and then evolve into blackish-brown fruit capsules that, when ripe in winter, audibly eject two oily, edible seeds up to twelve feet away from the tree. Witch hazels perform best when planted in a moist but well-drained, loamy, acidic soil. They do not flourish in heavy, wet, and compacted soils and are subject to drought stress.

Witch Hazel is a natural anti-inflammatory that helps tighten pores and reduce swelling. Witch Hazel has been supposed to owe its utility to an action on the muscular fiber of veins. The distilled extract from the fresh leaves and young twigs forms an excellent remedy for internal or external uses, being beneficial for bleeding from the lungs and nose, as well as from other internal organs.

Witch hazel water contains a trace of essential oil consisting of eugenol, carvacrol, and probably similar compounds. However, as it is a steam distillate, it does not contain tannins.

Witch Hazel can be used to soothe down the pain of sunburn, insect bites, poison ivy blisters, windburn, sprained muscles, etc. Witch hazel has long been used to treat hemorrhoids. Both European and American herbalists use witch hazel both as an internal and topical remedy.

Witch hazel, the famous astringent herb, is full of tannins, gallic acids, and essential oils. While you can take it internally as tea, it is best to make a strong decoction for use as a compress. Witch Hazel provided early pioneers with medicine and cosmetics. Millions of gallons of extract from the plant’s leaves are sold yearly. Witch Hazel has been rubbed on piles, skin disorders, and joints, and has been consumed for sore throat, bronchial discharges, diarrhea, and uterine hemorrhages. It has also been used to “soothe” the nerves and “tone” the system.

Witch-hazel was subsequently used by the early European settlers in similar ways. A tea of the leaves was employed for a variety of medicinal purposes. Witch-Hazel may have a single trunk up to 1′ across, or there may be several ascending branches at its base. The trunk and/or larger branches are grey, relatively smooth, and slightly wrinkled.

I have personally used witch hazel as a cotton eye compress and found it very smoothing and relaxing.