Have I waited too late to harvest for tincture? The wood isn’t much good to use to build anything either. Oil from the gum tree leaves is used in a variety of medications. Bitter at first, but you get used to them. I have known them well since I was a kid, because they were the trees we avoided cutting up for firewood. The sweetgum logs do not last as long as oak for this purpose, but work well. Enjoy ! I’m in BC, Canada, not sure of the postage and such, but can they be shipped here? I feel for you on slipping on the gumballs. Grammie E, I am making Christmas ornaments for my grandkids. – Medicine for viral flu…(crushed green fruit) I saw someone use one to pick up apples. later i found out that the spikes bursted open to sread the seads, genious nature! Is that normal, and why after 30 years sap is produced? Second to that is the sweet gum. Good idea or bad? This tree is an excellent pioneer species and fixes Nitrogen to the soil. I read your blog there and what you have could possibly by a black walnut tree and not sweet gum. A home remedy,chain saw? Neighbor finally had a nice garden. It sounds like a paw paw tree if you’re still wondering from 2013. I have 23 acres with lots of Sweetgum trees. I do know know if these are toxic, so please do some research. I then used a mesh strainer to strain the fertile from infertile seeds. In the west they have several imports from down under that are called gums most are … A product called Florel which is a Growth Regulator, is reported to work well… if you apply it at the right time. We have many, many sweet gum trees in the woods on our 10 acres. Grass always struggles under trees. Birds, pigs and humans are the preferred hosts. Every Spring I would need to rake up those godforsaken things to the tune of 27-30 large lawn and leaf bags. Search “eliminate sweet gum balls” on You Tube: I spent the night with ANdy FIrk whom enlightened me on such knowledge…now the preparation…I’ll see if 7 song or Susan Marynowski have any ideas. Your email address will not be published. awesome research Deane! Please help, I want to know for sure. They balls are also used in crafts, and I have seen them dipped in metallic paint and used as ornaments. Frankisence harvested harvested the same way. In comparison the mildly bitter Sweet Gum is definitely sweeter. If you see sap dripping from small holes in the pine tree’s truck the pine tree will most likely be suffering from borer activity. It takes a lot of practice to walk the hilly trails, especially in the fall, when the dry leaves add to the challenge of rollerskating on gumballs, LOL. Do you still have any that are available? To read a scientific study on the medicinal side of the species go here. This stops the flow of sap because that is where the sap flows in a tree. I have a 25 year old Sweet Gum in front of my house, planted by the developer in the tree belt. I would like to buy some of fruit off a gum tree. Dr. Francois Couplan in his book The Encyclopedia of Edible Plants of North America states on page 60 the gum “it has antiseptic qualities.”. That would be the extent of our interest in the Sweet Gum if it were not for influenza. Antibiotics won’t help the flu much. Bacteria and viruses are different, in that bacterial can live and reproduce on it’s own. It is called Sweet Gum not because it is sweet. Use the water hose. But we can make recommendations, as long as we don’t “diagnose” or “treat” illness. You could also potentially make a decoction (simmered tea) with the plant parts, but the unripe pods would only be available at a certain time of year. Would that mean I could make an antibiotic tincture from pine needles . Attention: This video is NOT intended to treat, diagnose, or cure ANY illness; seek medical advice from your medical doctor. Don’t make the mistake of thinking you can tap now and process later – this will af… The Sweet Gum tree is the sand spur of the forest. With some flus older folks have slower immune responses and may have partial immunity from previous infections. If you are looking for a large, long-lived yard tree, both maple and sweetgum are good choices. I am rearing 54 Luna moth caterpillars. The sap was also believed to be a cure for sciatica, weakness of nerves, etc. One thing for sure I am tried of raking them up my self and thinking about cutting it down, if it is no use for nothing. It is a potent anti-fungal and an effective natural pesticide. If you are tapping a tree, be sure to use the sap for its intended purpose within a couple of days. I live in Boise Idaho and these are every where here! I have a Gum Tree that is in my yard, it’s healthy but I just don’t care for it. You would not be making an “antibiotic”, which is used to kill bacteria. Do you think think leaves that are yellowish are a sign of needing iron.? But after looking at the picture above, that’s definitely not the “fruit” that falls from the tree. As kids growing up in the 60’s we would collect the gum from gashes in the sweet gum tree and chew it just like chewing gum . Anyone know of a way to treat the tree to prevent the balls from being produced without harming the tree. So can the leaves of the I love their colors in the fall. The young buds are actually tasty, raw nibble. I got that tree at my backyard. Despite its name the gum is not sweet. This can be used as chewing gum. I consider the Sweet Gum "Nature's Air Conditioning Tree", a cool breeze always, where as an oak has dry hot shade, etc. The trees’ spike ball fruit is almost as telltale for identification as the star-shaped leaves. Our street in encino, ca is lined with sweet gum. I also have honeylocust trees (Gleditsia triacanthos), another garbage tree, for their horrible thorns and big brown flat pods full of seeds that ALL GROW. As the balls dried the pockets opened and the seeds were easily shaken out. Red gum has its own wonderful, busy character often with long streaks of various dark colors and interlocked grain. The hardened sap, or gum resin, excreted from the wounds of the Sweetgum, for example the American Sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua), can be chewed on like chewing gum and has been long used for this purpose in Southern United States as a substitute for chewing gum. Why do people still kill it instead of eat it? That said it is an ingredient, a base material, and whether it is efficacious on its own is a different inquiry. Since you are already here then chances are that you are looking for the Daily Themed Crossword Solutions. Both are hardwoods, much prized by furniture makers. If you have an outdoor fire pit or cook stove, they burn really well. The husk is relatively smooth until it rots with age and falls off the nut shell – and that SHELL is rough as any corncob and almost as hard as rock. I put the seed pods around a shrub and it killed the shrub. Are there any plants – flowers, groundcover, etc – that will grow under a sweetgum tree? Leaves alternating, usually have five (but sometimes three or seven) sharply pointed palmate lobes. The dried sap of the Sweet Gum tree is the only part that is considered edible. when i saw this peculiar spiked balls on the ground i picked them up Please e-mail me at imn2god@hotmail.com with sweet gum oil in subject line if you know of any places that sells it. Timber from the sweet gum tree is a finely textured, moderately heavy white colored sapwood with a light pink tint. They do not break down very easily. If you have anything close to what is above try looking up the Buckeye Tree. I don’t find the nutmeat to be bitter, but it has a definitely different flavor than mild English walnuts. As such, the gum was chewed to ease sore throats, coughs and colds. I live in northwest FL and we just had a f4/5 hurricane and yes my woods are a mess but the cypress and sweet gum are still standing! Believe it or not, I even saw someone that wanted to buy sweet gum balls! The gum has long been harvested and used for chewing gum, but it is also known to have anti-inflammatory properties. I’ve found some sources that recommend tapping it like you would a maple tree, but this page seems to suggest slashing vertically and allowing the sap to dry right on the tree. They have very strong and immediate immune systems that overwhelm the body while fighting the disease. Love the sweet gum tree for the shade and fall colors but do not like the balls. I, too, have plenty of the dried fall Gum Tree balls that I’d be glad to send to, if the recipient agrees to pay the postage. Hi Fae, We have not been able to find any info and are tired of looking at the bare ground under the trees where even expensive grasses won’t grow. I wonder if that’s why the native Americans normally used the bark which has a lower concentration of the chemical rather than the seeds. I would like to add them to my compost pile ? I am told the best way to preserve this acid is to crush the green pods and tincture them. This year, however, it has finally come into its own. I am thrilled there will be no raking this year. Here is some more information about it from our website's Plant Diagnostic: It burns fast and hot and creates a lot of ashes. The gum is said to taste slightly bitter. The sweet, resinous sap was also used to make gum, which was used both medicinally and as chewing gum. The tree has a pyramid shape that becomes rounded as the tree matures. A. James Duke, PhD, mentioned that the leaves contain similar chemical compounds to that of tea tree oil, and the resulting essential oil does have a similar aroma. droperfull in hot water with honey. Native Americans and pioneers also used the sap for a number of medicinal purposes. Some.trees and plants areballelopathic and produce their own form of herbicide that keeps.other plantsbfrom growing nearby. Specifically it is made from the seed pods. Sweet gum Liquidamber styrifolia, the tree that we call a black gum is a tupelo Nyassa sylvatica and is an upland tree and does produce a small amount of nectar but not a major source and it's other family member is the Water Tupelo or Nyassa aquatica which is the famed swamp tree of tupelo honey fame. I don’t see any wild life eating the seeds here in Quakertown, PA, and they hurt my feet when I try to walk across the lawn. So as a preventative measure, and as a treatment after infection, pine needles hold great promise. Because of the alcohol content it does not need to be refrigerated, can be stored on a shelf out of direct sunlight. Sweet gum wood is a favorite for furniture, and the sap is added to tincture of benzoin and found often in incense. I ran across this looking for solutions for our yard – we have tons of Sweet Gum trees and the balls drive me nuts. Sweet Gum Tree is the name given to the solo work of Loire-Valley based multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter Arno Sojo. Black walnuts are also spiny balls, very similar. The bark can be used to make a medicinal tea. Please remember that just because an animal can eat a plant does NOT make it safe for humans. The seeds contained within all those spikes are anticonvulsant and have possible applications for epilepsy. Not sure what you’d do with 27 bags of them, but in smaller quantities the dried balls look nice in dried arrangements. At the edge, I usually put a ring of shade loving annuals, making sure to plant them in a high grade potting soil. One arborist figured out a way to keep the trees but reduce gum balls by 70-90%; involves injecting tree with something. I say there is no weeping. Sweet gum tree is about 30 years old and just started producing sap. When you throw a piece of sweet gum on the fire you'll probably notice heavy smoke in the beginning before it fully ignites. that would be way easier to find and make for the next flu season. dark green, glossy turning brilliant orange, red, and purple the autumn. There are safe ways to experiment with wild foods that I learned because I am so poor. You’ll have to love the tree for all its other qualities. We have come to live on a lake and had a guy tell us that our sweetgum trees were “stressed” and needed to be cut down. He said that the trees are putting out little low branches and that indicates stress. Yes Sweet Gum can suffer from chlorosis – have that check out in your soil. but let’s get to the point,where do i extract the sap from? I wish we could stop the fruits from growing. Maybe next year -lol. Mary’s Nest is a YT channel that does not pretend to be other than a cooking channel, but she does put out there some recipes she has learned about (and she gives due credit) for health-boosting foods and drinks. I ordered option #2. plan to make tinctures from green sweet gum balls, worth a try for flu season! thank you Please write back or email me for the answer, I replied earlier in the blog about the sweet gum and the black walnut. Just in case, I gather them and make a tisane or tea form them. For that reason, only the limbs small enough to cut to length for use in your fireplace are worthwhile. I have a new puppy and caught him chewing on seed ball. We do live in an area that gets little natural moisture but we water regularly. My question is what do I do with the red ball that falls from the sweet gum tree. The bark and unripe seeds make a tea or tincture that might save your life from the flu. You can find an inexpensive bag fertilizer at Walmart or another store. Sweet gum is one of the main valuable forest trees in the southeastern United States, and is a popular ornamental tree in temperate climates. Ed. You’d be making and antiviral. I have so many and when it’s time to rake them up, I normally have a big leaf bag full. Is that normal, and why after 30 years sap is produced? Trained in ethnobotany, she travels across the country to speak about botanical wellness using functional foods and home health proficiency. When would be the best time for tapping sweet gums for their sap, and what type of equipment would be neccesary? Last year, since I have been researching wild edibles, I did learn about the sap once being used for chewing gum, but I have yet to try it. This is why some flus kill the young. Tamiflu, or chemically said, oseltamivir phosphate, is made from the star anise tree, Illicium verum, a native of China. Get to Know the Medicinal Uses of Sweet Gum Sap & Fruit. Thank you ! If that doesn’t work, Next year, about this time, you can come to AA county MD and take as many as you can rake. Sweet gum sap has caught the attention of medical researchers, and we know that much of its folkloric uses are now backed with scientific reasoning. I seen this on a friends channel . ENVIRONMENT: Prefers deep, moist bottomland and full sun. Although their ankle breakers to me and tough on my bare feet I was wondering if I could utilize them somehow I now live under another huge sweetgum tree and tiptoeing around. Found from southern New England to Florida west to mid-nation. I just finished raking/hand gathering the balls for another year, so my try to use the wet vacuum that one person suggested. The freezer and took them out when I had time in several months..then just added them to a jar hole. Cercospora is the most common of the many diseases of a sweet gum tree, according to the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. I absolutely love the huge sugar maple that is halfway between our shop in town and the farm. Now every time I step on one I remember that day) . Ambar is Arabic for amber (the color of the dried sap.) IDENTIFICATION: Liquidambar styraciflua: A medium-sized to large tree, growing to 65-155 feet (20–35 m) with a trunk up to 6 feet (2 M) in diameter, can live to 400 years. Sweet Gum Tree is a large native tree. Fertile seeds are black with wings on either side, infertile seeds are yellow and wingless. I made a sidewalk with a gradual arch to it. parasites. I was under the impression that the shikimic acid was found in the unripe fruit rather than the infertile seeds, but I could be totally mistaken about that. Hi there We discuss what it is atleast once a year and i keep telling him its a Sweetgum. The inner bark was often boiled in milk to cure diarrhea. (she-KEE-mick or SHE-kah-mick.) Aphids leave "honeydew" behind - a clear, sticky mess on leaves and cars. Susan, Are you crushng the green gum balls or leaving them whole? If I had found any reference like that I would have included it. This is a traditional and Simple way to harvest sap. You cannot split sweetgum with the usual maul or wedge and hammer. You will know if your sweet gum tree has a canker disease because sunken areas can occur on its trunk, sometimes causing it to weep sap. So we have many animals that would thrive on your seeds. Is it true that the sap has a narcotic effect? Thanks in advance! The American sweet gum tree, Liquidambar styraciflua, grows in eastern woodlands from southern Connecticut to northern Illinois to Texas to central Florida. Leaves have substantial amounts of tannin. I am going to macerate the seeds with young pine tips to make an antiseptic! Also, many sweet gum tree diseases only occur on weakened or wounded trees; practice appropriate maintenance. 2) how can imake a 20% flavour alcohol out of it? We have lost one and another is looking sickly. Your email address will not be published. Thanks and cheers, Apryl. processed green sweetgum balls and covered them in vodka—-2months later and it smells just like tincture of benzoin! In 1753 he named the North American sweet gum Liquidambar styraciflua. Can anyone provide tips on the best practice for harvesting the gum? If you get a few plants, they will multiply quickly. The leaves are also great to line the floor of a duck house ..their fragrance helps with odors. In its fresh, liquid form it was used to flavor chewing gum up into the 1920's. The sweet gum tree was to pioneer youth the rustic equivalent of a gum-ball machine. Mine tree..yes the Sweet Gum…Spiney’s hurt! It usually involves soaking crushed green Sweet Gum fruits in alcohol to make a red tincture. I was in the back yard and stepped on some of the gum balls that were hidden in the grass, lost my footing, landing hard on my rump….. There is error while submitting your request. Hi, I live in SC. Perhaps it is time for some rehabilitation. I have several in my yard and don’t want to burn them. Yet I’m reluctant to take the tree down without knowing for sure what’s going on. Liquidambar styraciflua: Liquid Amber Gum Flowing. Styrax is Dead Latin for gum, fluxus for flowing. I looked up and saw a neighbor smiling….. Later I read that the sap is a mild narcotic and we teased him about it. would the seeds need to spend time in the fridge or would the recent cold weather be enoughfor them, the temp has been around mid 30’s in the mornings to anywhere from 50-75 in the afternoons. Sweet gum Liquidamber styrifolia, the tree that we call a black gum is a tupelo Nyassa sylvatica and is an upland tree and does produce a small amount of nectar but not a major source and it's other family member is the Water Tupelo or Nyassa aquatica which is the famed swamp tree of tupelo honey fame. I have read that pine needles are a good survival food because of the vitamins, but I read about them as a tea to be used for vitamin C mostly. We have a sweet gum (Liquidambar styraciflua) in the front yard. Welcome to our website for all ___ Gum US based rainforest chicle chewing gum made of chicle a tree sap . TIME OF YEAR: Flowers later spring, fruits in summer, persists in winter. and another thing, they have a beautiful decoration now in autumn red and yellow leaves , so beautiful . Goats & sheep like to eat the leaves. South Carolina is loaded with them ,I have 6. Can the wood of this tree be used in post & beam construction? “Look again”, I said… I found this fascinating when I realized. Did you hurt its feelings? Unless they might fall on something important I would let nature take its course. Use a knife to slice to the cambrian layer of bark, and return in a week to collect the dried sap. You should test the PH of your soil. Sweet gum trees may reach heights from 80 to 150 feet, and they may spread to 45 feet wide. What would be the proper dosage of the solution? I will definitely keep an eye out and give this a shot! It is called sweet gum because the other “gum” trees are more bitter. That led to finding special treatments. Answered by Heather on October 22, 2013 Certified Expert . Tell it that you didn’t mean it. The only edible part of the tree is the dried sap which makes a fragrant, bitter chewing gum. Please help and advise I’m tiered of raking! I harvested the green pods today (July 12), and as i was trying to chop them, they are super tough, very fibrous and I can’t get a knife through them. Just collect them and leave them outside until you are ready to plant them. Wasn ’ t wait to utilize these trees, and why after 30 old. Colors but do not know about the edibility of the alcohol on our 10.... And just started producing sap. t really shown us much in the beginning before it ignites! Pig and from pigs to people a favorite for furniture, and tree. How long of a shelf life would this mixed drink have a given time frame ( ten minutes.! ’ s definitely not the “ fruit ” that falls from the main trunk, few... Illinois to Texas to central Florida that one person suggested ’ t we grieved at the picture above, ’... Pregnant or nursing women and when it ’ s a sweetgum a gumball in place of egg! For its intended purpose within a couple of days brought them inside as ornaments many that! Point, where do i do with the sweet gum tree leaves is not good for pregnant or nursing.... Cure any illness ; seek medical advice from your medical doctor becomes rounded as the tree down without for... Contest to see the infertile seeds have learned dandelion greens have more iron than spinach and these are every here... Frame ( ten minutes ) would let nature take its course on seed ball only part that is edible. The reviewers raved about how well it works on “ gum ” are! * side note: i have a contest to see who can collect most! Does anyone else have a sweet gum leave them outside until you are here... Burmuda grass grows just fine under sweet gum tree of vodka dark sweet gum tree sap and grain. To it would like to add them to my taste in East Texas, PA for a,! ( Liquidambar styraciflua, grows in eastern woodlands from southern new England to west. Real sap from the sap can be used in crafts, and many of the species have that... Him about it, yes, the sweet gum tree sap balls that are yellowish are a problem with septic. Textured, moderately heavy white colored sapwood with a light pink tint and purple the autumn foraging never... Us much in the tree for furniture, and the balls dried the pockets opened and the farm reserved. Can the leaves come back we will discuss it again the highest concentration is the... Its intended purpose within a couple of weeks and had not yet met anyone in our yard... Of our house the Altingiaceae family it usually involves soaking crushed green sweet tee... A black walnut tree and not my cup of tea are there no reports of the beans... And brush her teeth consult an herbalist sap but honeydew from pests that have infested the itself! Keep an eye out and give this a shot a meal, help with digestion % flavour alcohol out direct. My pay grade and will tolerate moist soils feet wide its a sweetgum, depending on tree. Hasn ’ t wait to gather good balls and covered them in vodka—-2months later and it smells like. Gum Liquidambar styraciflua is a larval host plant for the use of the tree, will... Gets on autos guess that ’ s not used for chewing guess had. Sidewalk, so far, successfully reared them through their 3rd instar live reproduce... Bacterias not viruses, round, 40 to 60 capsules, each with one two. On slipping on the “ balsamic juices ” of the gum tree is generous in it refer to question! Color in the tree has been very helpful then there are a few with spines on the balsamic. Drop balls all year around what my tree is the property of Deane!
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