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Oak Herb - Uses And Side Effects

A slow-growing tree of North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia, oak is prized by European herbalists for its astringent bark, leaves, and acorns. The Druids of prehistoric Britain considered oak trees sacred, as did the ancient Greeks and Romans. Quercus, the Latin name for the oak tree, probably comes from the Celtic quer (fine) and cuez (tree).

Historically, the oak tree has served many purposes. Its bark has been used to tan leather and smoke fish. Native Americans ground the acorns into meal. Some people have used an infusion of oak bark to dye wool and yarn. Others have made a coffee substitute from roasted acorns mixed with cream and sugar, which they used to treat tender, enlarged, Inflamed neck lymph nodes caused by tuberculosis.

Today, herbalists use bark from young branches and twigs of the white oak (Quercus alba), English oak (Q. robur), and durmast oak (Q. petraea)-members of the beech family (Fagaceae). The bark can measure up to 4 millimeters thick. White oak bark makes a yellowish tea with a slightly bitter, astringent taste.

Herbalists gather oak galls as well. Rich in astringent substances called tannins, galls are bumps that grow on oak stems and leaves, usually in response to damage done by insects and worms. Most often, oak galls result from tiny wasps. A female insect pierces a shoot or young bough of an oak tree and lays her egg in the wound. After hatching from the egg, the young insect produces a fluid that changes the starch in nearby oak cells into sugar, which the larva then eats. Plant cells can use this sugar as well, and they grow into a large, protective bump around the developing insect. Once the insect reaches adulthood, it eats its way out of the gall.

Oak trees can live 200 or more years. The largest oak tree of record is the Wye oak in the community of Wye Mills in Talbot County on Maryland's eastern shore in the U.S.A. It is believed to be more than 400 years old, and it measures 9 meters (32 feet) in circumference, it is 31 meters (105 feet) tall with a crown spread of 48.1 meters (158 feet).

Common doses of Oak

Oak comes as capsules, decoctions, extracts, ointments, ooze (a tea of oak bark), tincture, unground or powdered oak bark, and oak galls. Also, certain prepared herbal mixtures include oak bark. Some experts recommend the following doses:

• For diarrhea, 3 grams of powdered oak bark or a similar preparation taken orally daily or 1 cup of tea taken three times daily. To make the tea, add either 1 gram of finely cut or coarsely powdered herb or 1 to 2 teaspoons of chopped bark to 500 milliliters of water. Boil for 15 minutes, strain and cool the tea, then drink undiluted. If diarrhea lasts more than 3 days, call your health care practitioner.
• As a bath,S grams of oak per liter of water, or I to 3 teaspoons of bark extract added to a partial bath.
• As capsules, 2 capsules taken orally with meals three times daily.
• As a tincture, 1 to 2 milliliters taken orally three times daily.
• As a compress, rinse, or gargle, prepare a fresh decoction daily by boiling 20 grams of oak per liter of water for 10 to 15 minutes. Use the strained liquid undiluted. Apply compresses loosely to the affected area so moisture can evaporate freely. Don't use these preparations for more than 3 weeks.

Uses of Oak herb

• Anal fissures
• As an antiseptic
• Bacterial and viral infections
• Bladder or genital inflammation
• Bleeding gums
• Burns (small)
• Diarrhea
• Eye inflammation
• Foot odor
• For antioxidant effects
• Laryngitis
• Mouth or throat inflammation
• To harden the nipples for breast-feeding
• Tonsillitis
• To prevent cancer
• To protect the liver
• To suppress the immune system
• Varicose veine
• Weeping eczema and other skin rashes

Side effects of Oak

Call your health care practitioner if you experience any of these possible side effects of oak:

• constipation
• nausea or vomiting
• stomach upset or abdominal pam.

This herb also can cause:

• death from tannic acid enemas or extended use on the skin
• kidney problems
• liver damage
• respiratory failure.

Interactions

Combining herbs with certain drugs may alter their action or produce unwanted side effects. Don't take oak internally while using:

• atropine
• morphine
• caffeine
• nicotine
• digoxin
• quinine.
• heavy metal salts, such as iron or gold

Important paints to remember

• Don't use oak if you're pregnant or breast-feeding.
• Don't use this herb for full-body baths.
• Avoid contact with the eyes. If oak gets in your eye, flush with tepid water for atleast 15 minutes.
• Don't put oak on your skin if you have widespread skin damage.
• If you get oak on large areas of damaged or normal skin, wash it off with soap and water.
• Don't take oak galls internally.
• Be aware that bariumenemas no longer use tannic acid because of reports of death from liver problems (possibly caused by the tannic acid).

What the research shows

Studies show that short-term, external use of oak decoctions can relieve certain skin problems, such as eczema, inflammation, and minor burns. Although some herbalists also claim oak is useful for diarrhea, clinical studies don't support this claim. At least for now, medical experts caution against taking oak internally until it's shown to be safe and effective.

Other names for Oak

Other names for oak include British oak, brown oak, common oak, cortex quercus, ecorce de chene, eicherinde, eichenlohe, encina, English oak, gravelier, nutgall, oak apples, oak bark, oak galls, stone oak, and tanner's bark.

Products containing oak are sold under such names as Conchae Compound, Eichenrinden-Extrakt, Entero-Sanol, Hamon No. 14, Kernosan Elixir, Menodoron, Peerless Composition Essence, Pektan N, Silvapin, Tisanes de I' Abbe, Tonsilgon-N, and Traxaton.