Home > Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine > Black Walnut

Description

Black walnut (Juglans nigra), is a short-trunked forest tree with a spreading crown that can grow to 100 ft (30 m). It is native to Eastern North America, where it is found from New Brunswick south to Georgia and as far west as Kansas and Minnesota. Although chiefly valued for its decorative fine-grained wood, the tree's bark, root, leaves, and nuts all have medicinal properties. These qualities are similar to those of the closely related Juglans regia (better known as English walnut), the tree most commonly used by commercial walnut growers.

General use

The main active ingredients of black walnut are tannins such as galloyglucose and ellagitannins, and juglone (5-hydroxy-alphanapthaquinone). Walnut shells are very rich in vitamin C, and betacarotene, B₁,B₂, and B₆ are found...