Wild Black Cherry cough syrup was probably my first introduction to the medicinal use of a tree, though Wild Black Cherry cough drops may have come first. Black Cherry soda and Black Cherry ice cream bespeak of other notable uses of the excellent flavour present in the Wild Black Cherry tree (Prunus Serotina). Certainly not of the size or sweetness of the cultivated cherries, Wild Black Cherries are the best tasting of all the wild cherries, and certainly worth gathering and nibbling here in the "Middle North" where a cultivated sweet cherry harvest is such a rare event.

The size of the Wild Black Cherry (tree?) has nothing to do with the size of its fruit. It is in fact a forest giant, often growing near sugar maple, though losing out in the competition for light as it is intolerant of shade. It is more likely to be found along forest edges or in open fields, from whence it can grow into a somewhat pure stand.

The outer bark at maturity is dark gray, looking sort of like shingled "platelets".

The inner bark is primarily a chest and throat remedy, due to its sedative and tonic effect on the respiratory nerves. Since 1820 its been listed in the official U.S. pharmacopoeia for its sedative properties and for coughs. A wonderful voice conditioner for singers and speakers, the tea has been recommended for chronic asthma, hoarseness, tuberculosis, whooping cough, damp (NOT dry) coughs, scrofula, bronchitis, pneumonia, children's diarrhea, calming irritation of the mucous membranes, heart and stomach problems, fever, and high blood pressure.

The inner bark has also been used to relieve pain in the early stages of labour, to restore a lost appetite, and as a remedy for cholera, worms, jaundice and hysteria. It will help dissolve "stones", but should be combined with other herbs and used carefully over several months, so as to give them a chance to soften and shrink in size.

A strong poultice of the inner bark has been applied after amputation of frozen members, or on external sores and on swollen scrofula necks (?). LIke all Cherry bark teas, this can also be used as a disinfectant wash, and as an enema fluid for piles.

The inner bark of the south side (of the tree?) is most effective, the younger and thinner bark being preferred. It should be collected every fall, as it deteriorates after being stored for a year. DO NOT BOIL, as boiling destroys its medicinal value. Rather it's best to soak the finely cut bark in cold water, in a ratio of approximately one teaspoon of bark to a cup of water, for 24 hours, and then take a mouthful ever 3 to 4 hours. USE MODERATELY (no more than 2 cups per day). A tincture of the inner bark has been effective as a remedy for jaundice.

The root bark is stronger in herbal qualities than that of the trunk or branches. Large doses are narcotic, reducing the pulse, and are effective (sometimes mixed with Wild Plum root (bark?)) against intestinal worms. A handful soaked in a pint of water was used for cholera. Chewed and kept for a while on the gums it helps heal the effects of scurvy.

The cherries themselves can be happily eaten fresh, or dried for winter use. Both raw and when allowed to ferment for a year in their own juice, they are a remedy for diarrhea. A fine fermentation material for homemade wine, the cherries also make a good jelly and an excellent flavouring for rum and brandy, which is then known as "cherry bounce". Overripe cherries can intoxicate birds and humans.

The naturally exuding cherry gum is chewed for coughs and sore throat.

Cherry LEAVES contain ENOUGH CYANIDE TO POISON cattle and humans, especially when they are wilting.

Songbirds, grouse, prairie chickens, bobwhite, pheasant, raccoon, black bear, red fox, white-tailed deer, cottontail rabbit and gray squirrels all eat the cherries. Squirrels eat the seeds and rabbits occasionally gnaw the bark.

The Choke Cherry (Prunus Virginiana) has many similar properties and uses as the Wild Black Cherry. Rarely taller than 10 meters, it's another case of "more power in a smaller container". The Choke Cherry is much more astringent both in its bark and in its fruit.

This astringency gets well used as a remedy for diarrhea. A handful of fresh bark is scraped off a young branch, is boiled in a pint of water, and is taken a wineglassful as a dose (sweetened for children to offset the bitterness).

The bitter and antispasmodic qualities help the tea to ease stomach and abdominal cramps and improve digestion. This tea is also gargled for sore throat and drunk for fever, colds, measles, lung troubles, to relieve pain in childbirth, as well as being used as a regular tea.

Externally the decoction is used as an eye wash, as a disinfectant wash, as a poultice for wounds and galls on humans and beasts, and as a wash to strengthen hair and make it grow.

Steeped in whiskey, the bark has been used for ague.

Choke Cherries when raw or immature justly earn their name, as they pucker and dry the mouth that nibbles them. They taste better after a frost, or cooked. They're commonly made into wine, preserves and jelly. The juice is a good tonic, a remedy for postpartum hemorrhaging, and as a help for stopping diarrhea, as well as tea made of the dried cherries (?).

While THE PITS CONTAIN A DANGEROUS QUANTITY OF CYANIDE, Native peoples have often used the flesh as a major ingredient along with wild meat and fat in dried "pemmican", a traveling food.

The root bark is used as a sedative for stomach problems and as an enema fluid for curing piles.

The wilted leaves can poison livestock, but not tent caterpillars (whose favourite food is the Choke Cherry leaf).

The same wildlife enjoys Choke Cherry trees as much as Wild Black Cherry, adding only chipmunks, who sometimes eat not only the flesh but also the seed inside the "stone", and evening grosbeaks, who mostly just eat great quantities of the seeds. And rabbits only gnaw the bark if they are desperate!

Prunus Pennsylvanica has many common names that bespeak its attributes. "Pin Cherry" speaks of the size of the fruit, although they are really not that small. "Bird Cherry" reminds us of the more than 23 species of bird that feast on the fruit. And the name "Fine Cherry" comes from its habit of profuse growth where there has recently been a forest fire, as it gives nursing shade for conifer and other hardwood seedlings, and moreover from its shiny red bark.

Pin Cherries are prized as good food. Though they are a bit sour, they're a great improvement on Choke Cherries. Getting some once they're ripe is a race with the birds. Jelly is often made of the fruit, and a decoction can be made of it to ease stomach pains and disorders.

The inner bark is boiled into a tea for coughs and erysipelas. It has also been grated, boiled and applied to umbilical cords when they're cut, especially if they persist in bleeding. It is disinfectant (?).

The root bark is boiled to a tea for stomach troubles. Chips of the wood are boiled as a wash for chafed skin.

Though the tree customarily only grows to a 4 to 6 foot diameter, it is used as grafting stock for other sweeter fruits.

Pin Cherry twigs are nibbled by deer, moose, rabbits, chipmunks, and even beavers when Aspens get scarce.