Botanical and Common Names
- Family Oleaceae
- Fraxinus excelsior (Ash, Bird's Tongue, European Ash, Common Ash, Weeping Ash)
- F. americana (American White Ash, Evergreen Ash, Fresno [Spanish])
- F. chinensis (Chinese Ash)
- F. ornus (Manna Ash, Manna, Flowering Ash, Sweet Manna, Flake Manna)
Cautions
- None listed
Description
The Ash is a common, impressive, deciduous tree reaching heights of 130 feet and found in most parts of Europe except the northern, southern, and eastern edges. Thriving in lowlands and moorlands, the ash has pale gray bark, black conical leaf buds, and bright green leaves with seven to thirteen oval leaflets. The leaves are gathered in summer, while the bark is harvested in the spring.
The Manna species are indigenous to southern Europe, extending to the southern borders of the Alps and as far as European Turkey. They are cultivated in Italy for their high yield of sap. Manna is the sap generated from the slit bark of trunk and branches, and then dried.
History
The ash figured prominently in Norse mythology.
Until the last century in the Scottish Highlands, it was customary to give each newborn child a spoonful of ash sap, although the reason is not known.
Key Actions
- astringent
- antipyretic
- antiparasitic
- diuretic
- laxative
- nutritive
- tonic
Key Components
(a) Leaves and Bark
- coumarins
- flavonoids
- sugars
- tannins
- volatile oil
(b) Leaves
- flavonoids
- iridoide monoterpenes
- mannitol (16-28%)
- mucilages (10-20%)
- phytosterols
- triterpenes
(c) Bark
- hydroxycoumarins
- iridoide monoterpenes
Medicinal Parts
- Leaves, bark, bark juice (Manna spp.)
- The medicinal part of the Manna species is the juice extracted from the bark starting from the eighth to the tenth year.
Traditional Uses
The leaves of the ash are used for arthritis, gout, bladder complaints, a laxative, a diuretic and for worm infestations.
Externally, the leaves are used for lower leg ulcers and wounds.
The bark is a tonic occasionally taken for fever.
The bark of the American White ash has been used as a bitter tonic and astringent.
A wax deposited by an insect on the Chinese ash is used to coat pills.
Several ash species exude a nutritious sap called "manna," which is used as a laxative for children and pregnant women. It is also used for ailments where an easier elimination and softer stool is desirable, for example, anal fissures, hemorrhoids, and post-rectal or anal surgery.
It is rich in carbohydrates and other nutrients and may be added to Slippery Elm, Agar-Agar, and other nutritious foodstuffs as a sweetener.