White Oak (Quercus alba) Bark, Cut and Sifted, Wild Harvested

USA. White Oak (Quercus alba) Bark, Cut and Sifted, Wild Harvested

Common names: Durmast Oak, Fork Leaf Oak, Stone Oak, Tanner’s Oak, Stave Oak, Eicherinde, Corteza de Roble

Family: Fagaceae

White Oak is a large tree, growing up 80 to 100 feet or more in height. It is native to eastern and central North America, thriving in a variety of habitats from the Great Lakes to northern Florida and East Texas. White Oaks can live for two to three hundred years, with one in New Jersey estimated to be more than 600 years old. The dense wood is valued for making wine barrels and many other uses.

Native Americans employed White Oak bark tea for many purposes: applying it as a liniment for pain, as an antiseptic for bruises and skin infections, as a vaginal douche, gargling with it for sore throats, and drinking it as a tonic, to clear coughs and lung congestion, and to treat diarrhea and women’s ailments.

The tannins in White Oak bark have an astringent action. It also contains anti-inflammatory flavonoids including quercetin, an anti-allergic  and antioxidant compound whose name is derived from Quercus. 

Avoid using cast iron vessels in preparing Oak Bark, as the tannins can interact with iron to form toxins. 

*These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.