FRINGE TREE
Chionanthus virginicus
COMMON NAMES: Old man’s beard, snowdrop tree, white fringe, poison ash.
FEATURES: The species is native in the eastern United States from Pennsylvania to the Gulf of Mexico. A
shrub or small tree of the Oleaceae, or olive, family. The plants are 10–30 feet high, possess oval,
smooth, entire leaves, and bear snow-white flowers that hang down like a fringe, hence the common name
and synonyms. Fruit: fleshy, purple, ovoid drupe. They form an attractive feature in garden shrubbery,
growing well on river banks and on elevated places, presenting clusters of snow-white flowers in May
and June. Root about ⅛ inch thick, dull brown with irregular concave scales on outer surface, inside
smooth, yellowish brown. The inner layer shows projecting bundles of stone cells. Very bitter taste.
MEDICINAL PART: Root bark.
SOLVENT: Water.
BODILY INFLUENCE: Alterative, hepatic, diuretic, tonic.
USES: Generally useful in stomach and liver disorders and in poor digestive functions by slightly
influencing all the organs engaged in digestion and blood making. A specific in spleen malfunction, and
for congestion of the liver when failure to excrete the residue from food results in constipation (one of the
reasons for gallstone, jaundice, and stomach inefficiency). In some the involuntary muscles of the heart
will also be impaired by the inactivity of the above mentioned.
In pregnancy, with indications of yellow skin, white of the eyes of a yellow color, bilious colic,
heartburn, etc., 5–10 drops in water before meals is indicated. Useful in malignant tumors of the stomach
or bowels, and in uterine tumors, also in most chronic conditions of the liver and spleen. Combine:
Tincture of goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis), 7–10 drops
Tincture of fringe tree (Chionanthus virginicus), 3–7 drops
DOSE: 10–20 drops in water before meals and at bedtime has proven effective.In bilious colic it is best to first evacuate the stomach by giving an emetic dose of lobelia and then to
administer the above. The powdered root bark is used professionally; however, the cut root bark can be
infused in hot water for ½ hour and taken in small amounts throughout the day. Anemone pulsatilla is also
used in conjunction with fringe tree.
EXTERNALLY: The skin will respond to the application of an infusion of 1 ounce to 1 pint of water, when
other attempts have failed. Also as an injection.
HOMEOPATHIC CLINICAL: Tincture of the bark (which is the part employed and which contains saponin)
for constipation, debility, emaciation with liver disorder, gallstone colic, headache, jaundice, liver
(disease of, hypertrophy of), malaria, neurasthenia, nursing women (complaints of).