Prickly Ash ~ Zanthoxylum americanum

Prickly Ash

Latin name: Zanthoxylum americanum

Family: Rutaceae

Part used: bark, berries

Habitat: Canada, USA

Main constituents: alkaloids, coumarins, amides, resin, tannin, volatile oil

Energetics: drying, warming

Main herbal actions: alterative, diaphoretic, immunomodulator, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory

Minor herbal actions: carminative, antipyretic

Main medicinal uses: convalescence, chronic rheumatic conditions, gastric irritation with gas and burping, adrenal insufficiency (Khalsa)

Minor medicinal uses: toothache, circulatory insufficiency

Preparations: 1:3.5 tincture: 5-15 gtt qd-tid, capsules: 5 grams qd (Khalsa)

Contraindications: pregnancy

Toxicity: unknown

Sources: Sharol Tilgner, N.D.: Herbal Medicine from the Heart of the Earth; Wren, R.C. Potter’s New Encyclopedia of Botanical Drugs and Preparations