Cottonwood (Populus balsamifera)

When we lived in the western part of the state - close to Seattle - finding downed cottonwood branches after a windstorm was never a problem. The sweet aroma would fill the air and we would head out after the winds helped us with a little pruning. And the smell. I, and everyone I know loves that springy smell. I have found the scent of cottonwood to be somewhat intoxicating. After spending several hours making cottonwood salve in a closed room, four of us were incredibly giddy with laughter. A friend remarked, "If the government knew about this, it would be illegal." So shhhh.

Life is slightly different here in the more deserty region. Cottonwood buds are a very important resource for the deer - they just love them. Every branch within reach along our river was clearly chomped on. In February there will still rose hips to be harvested, but not a cottonwood bud within reach. We were able to harvest a few buds from branches that had fallen from the snow, but nothing like what I was used to in Western Washington.

When harvesting cottonwood buds I really like the terminal buds, they seem to be juicier as well as bigger. However, in interest of the cottonwood tree, I would never harvest terminal buds from a living tree. This is especially why I like to harvest from already downed branches.

I explained this to a friend and she took me to a cottonwood harvesting heaven: Irrigation ditches. Apparently they cut down cottonwoods every year along the ditches because the trees take in so much water. There were so many buds there we could hardly believe it. After giving thanks, my husband and I collected several pounds of this resinousy goodness.


There are both male and female trees. Can you guess which branch is which?







I'll be making an oil with some of the buds in a class I am teaching next month on salves. I use a lot of cottonwood salve each year. Not just on cuts and scrapes - it's my preferred salve for practicing Structural Medicine - a type of hands-on bodywork. I will also be tincturing some as well.

In Karen Sherwood's, Plant and Ethnobotanical Studies Apprenticeship we learned the following about cottonwood:

Edibility:
Catkins are a source of Vitamin C, but are very bitter. The inner cambium of bark can be eaten by drying and pounding into flour.

Medicinal uses:
The cambium or inner bark of the cottonwood can be used as a poultice for itchy sores and for pain relief. It can be used on burn wounds as it has anti-infection properties, is analgesic, and promotes skin regeneration.

You can use a decoction of the buds for the flu, rheumatism, and ghonnorea. A tincture of the bark can be used for UTI's and a tincture of the buds for chest colds (as an expectorant).

Utilitarian uses:
The roots were used for baskets and cordage.
You can make a primitive fire using cottonwood exclusively. The roots can be use for the drill, branches for the fire board, and seeds and inner bark for tinder.
The seeds can be used for insulation and stuffing.
Resins from the buds were used for waterproofing baskets and boxes. A glue can also be used from the resinous buds. A soap substitute can be made from the bark or ashes. (Sometimes you can see soapy suds in a slower moving river that is lined with cottonwood.)

Dugout canoes were made with the cottonwood tree by natives living east of the cascades in Washington State.

If you are interested in knowing more about cottonwood's medicinal values, see Kiva Rose.