Roots Hung above your doors or in the kitchen. The seed burrs are typically 1 to 1.5 spiny balls; they change from green to brown and look like a a vicious mid evil weapon and in fact if you ever get hit in the head by one or step on one in your bare feet, you might come to think of them as Devil Spurs. sweet gum ball | 83.5K views. If you are interested in working with Sweet Gum but do not have this tree available to you and wish to purchase some, send me a message and I will try to help you out with that. Witches Burrs, also known as sweet gum balls, are used in magick and witchcraft as a folk curio for protection, to remove negativity, and to banish evil or unwanted spirits. Sweet Gum. Send me exclusive offers, unique gift ideas, and personalized tips for shopping and selling on Etsy. Sweetgum Balls - Etsy Before Promotions, new products and sales. The star-shaped leaves of sweet gum become even more striking in the autumn, when they turn various shades of gold, red, pink, and purple, often on the same tree. Best Way To Remove Sweet Gum Balls - shoppierguide.com According to Chineseherbshealing.com 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. And you dont even have to count on the magic spells to take advantage of the burrs. Learn about the many ways to use these spikey balls. Other possible uses would be in a fertility charm or spell, to protect the mother and child, or to be strung on a garland and placed on a mantle or altar. In parts of the deep South it is called alligator wood, gum tree, or incense tree. Is it going out of business? I am told the best way to preserve this acid is to crush the green pods and tincture them. A popular urban tree. Taken internally, liquid-amber has stimulant and expectorant effects. I might change my mind about which tree I love the best in fall. It is a potent anti-fungal and an effective natural pesticide. Hot glue sticks. After all, the sweet gum is born from earth. We often played beneath it and I always wondered how old it was and what it must have looked like there years before the neighborhood even existed. Theyre amazing for protection workings, warnings, and getting rid of negativity, she claims. Though they can be murder on bare feet if they fall before softening, these brown spiky balls are popular in arts in crafts and also, apparently, in magic. Growing Azaleas & Missing our Northern Virginia Yard a Bit . Help me fight spammers! Economic Botany & Cultural History: Sweetgum. That tradition really comes from West Africa. Liquidambar styraciflua, more commonly known as sweetgum, hazel pine, redgum, satin walnut or alligator wood is a hardwood tree native to North America, parts of Central America and Mexico. I have no problem with the trees themselves. Sweet gum balls. We do not recommend consumption of herbs and we are not responsible for any use of herbs . Keywords: Magickal Properties + Correspondences Plentiful Earth Made into wreaths. Its power and energy lost forever. Another use they find in magick, is that they are believed to focus and augment spiritual power of the spells and rituals. Itsleaves haverounded lobes. Trees are woody plants over 13 feet tall with a single trunk. Only time will tell. Love those things :)Reply, Never miss an update! Twigs are reddish- or yellowish-brown becoming gray, aromatic, often with corky wings on second-years growth; pores raised, dark. When cut, it exudes a sticky, resinous gum or balsam. The branches carry layers of cork. They are also believed to hold power to break hexes, or deflect them back to the source, much like a mirror would, when appropriately used. Celebrating the Sweetgum Tree: Liquidambar styraciflua I'll let you know how the "sweet gum ball hugelkultur" works out. Youll see ad results based on factors like relevancy, and the amount sellers pay per click. As an ornamental tree, the species has a drawbackthe branches may have ridges or wings that cause more surface area, increasing weight of snow and ice accumulation on the tree. The clusters of bristly tree balls persist on the tree until mid-winter or early spring. According to the USDA plant database (plants.usda.gov), In fact, I had never seen, felt, or heard of sweet gums until well into my thirties when we bought our current property here in southeast Virginia. The Impact of Selected Essential Oils Applied to Non-Woven Viscose on Bacteria That Cause Lower Urinary Tract Infections-Preliminary Studies. Found something you love but want to make it even more uniquely you? The lumber has been used for cabinetry, furniture, flooring, and interior finish. At Davey, our arborists pinpoint the best application time each year using Nature Clock, a patent . Disclaimer. Posts: 94. Can be made into a witches ball. This shallow root system can sometimes be a problem with older trees that grow in areas of the country that experience high winds or flooding problems and I have seen these trees ripped from the ground during tornado season and during storms that contain straight line winds. I was gifted these three balls the other day and I know what Im going to do with them. Sweet gum balls or witches burrs or witches balls are the sharp, thorny protective casings that house hide the seeds of the sweet gum tree. available for orders over $1.00. The sweet gum got its name for the resinous sap that results when you score its bark. PMC Storax produced from L. orientalis, or Turkish sweetgum, is referred to as Asian storax while storax derived from L. styraciflua is called American storax. 345-354 But one easy way to distinguish the two is the spike-covered seed pods that the sweetgum drops all summer long. A new bigger version of my popular Kitchen witchery sign. We protect and manage the fish, forest, and wildlife of the state. In the video, a TikTok witch explains how to use sweetgum balls, which are also known as witches burrs due to their supposed spiritual properties. The "gum balls," as described above, develop from female flower when they dry up and fall to the ground. Hoodoo practices include folk remedies and magic spells that make use of physical objects believed to have spiritual or supernatural powers. About the only good thing is that they grow fast and make nice shade, but you can't even lay on the lawn under them to enjoy the shade because of all the spike balls. In the same family as witch hazel, the sweet gum tree is uniquely american. Make the investment in . sweet gum balls, also known as Lu Lu Tong, turn out to be also one of amazing Chinese herbs, which is typically used for the treatment of nettle rash, anaphylactic rhinitis, rheumatic arthritis, bruises, missed menstrual periods, and so on. It is chewed in the treatment of sore throats, coughs, asthma, cystitis, dysentery etc. Etsy is powered by 100% renewable electricity. It is a kind of native balsam, or resin, resembling turpentine. 10 Coolest Magical Foods In Harry Potter - CBR 4. In Kentucky, the tree is found throughout the state, but is scarce in the Bluegrass and on alkaline soils generally. From April 2005 to October 2006, gynecology and obstetrics, in the 92th Hospital of Peoples Liberation Army, used sweet gum ball to treat 44 cases of postpartum breast distension and the curative effect was quite satisfactory. Directly to your inbox. The branchlets are pithy, many-angled, winged, and at first covered with rusty hairs, finally becoming red brown, gray or dark brown. Ashes, hickories, oaks, and walnuts, for example, have all of the entire next season's leaves and shoots pre-formed the year before. Sweet Gum trees typically grow to be 60 to 80 tall and 40 to 60 wide and some can easily exceed 100 tall depending on their habitat environment. Share Tweet. Sweet gum balls ("Witches Burrs" or "Witches Balls") are apparently a traditional American Hoodoo magical item. Many of the medicinal properties of sweetgum come from storax as well as essential oils extracted from the leaves. I was very distressed a few years later when I learned that they had cut the massive tree down to build a parking lot in its place. Then, the flowers drop, preventing the balls from ever forming. If youd like to grow your own sweet gum, first understand that its a commitment to a tree that many describe as a nuisance. It is a large deciduous tree that has a beautiful leaf pattern. A close relative of this species that occurs in Turkey and Greece, Oriental sweet gum, provides a sap and oil that has been highly valued as an incense, fragrance, and medicine since ancient times. Meanwhile, many other kinds of trees exhibit determinate (or fixed) growth: they only produce a set number of leaves per growing season. There was no mention however as to how well it thrives there. All About Sweet Gum Balls in Magic! - YouTube Bark is brown to gray, very rough with deep grooves and narrow, slightly scaly ridges. Get Your Gods and Goddesses apparel today! Two more tidbits: The sap is still used to add flavor to smoking tobacco and is also available at the pharmacy as an ingredient in the compound tincture of benzoin. Applying the balsam to the skin might help with chigger and other insect bites. $18.90, $21.00 There are no sharp dividing lines between trees, shrubs, and woody vines, or even between woody and nonwoody plants. Thanks for sharing Your experiences! Like Noah suggested, you can always throw them in your compost for some much needed brown material. Trained in ethnobotany, she travels across the country to speak about botanical wellness using functional foods and home health proficiency. Also known as American storax, hazel pine, bilsted, redgum, satin-walnut, star-leaved gum, alligatorwood, or simply sweetgum. Cleaning up gumballs can be a problem in residential areas. In sachets. Sweet Gum Healing. I hope you enjoy my blog, feel free to email me with any questions, ideas or things you would like to see and Blessed Be. Binder-Free Modification of a Glassy Carbon Electrode by Using Porous Carbon for Voltammetric Determination of Nitro Isomers. A quick search and there are days upon days of DIY craft projects listed online that include sweet gum balls. Sweet Gum | Missouri Department of Conservation The reason? Ann Transl Med. Original Price $8.50 Many of the medicinal properties of sweetgum are derived from the resinous sap that exudes when the outer bark of the tree has been damaged. Original Price $21.00 2019 May 23;4(5):8907-8918. doi: 10.1021/acsomega.9b00622. As a type of sympathetic magic, the burrs are thought to be especially good at protection because of their spike nature. Green or unripe seed pods are high in a substance called shikimic acid, which is used as an antiviral both in herbal medicine and in commercial drugs like Tamiflu. Sweet gum wood is a favorite for furniture, and the sap is added to tincture of benzoin and found often in incense. Liquidambar styraciflua Sweetgum. The sap, known as storax, has been used for centuries to treat common ailments such as skin problems, coughs, and ulcers. Darryl Patton at The Southern Herbalist suggests boiling the green balls and drinking the decoction for its anti viral properties. Hoodoo practices include folk remedies and magic spells that make use of physical objects believed to have spiritual or supernatural powers. We have loads of color, and Ive been enjoying some of my favorite trees as I drive around the community. The gum has long been harvested and used for chewing gum, but it is also known to have anti-inflammatory properties. Twigs are reddish . Sweet gum wood is commercially used for electronic . American Sweet Gum - Trees4Ohio It can be an excellent shade tree in the right location, away . $31.96, $39.95 Sweet gum resin infused in whiskey "eased consumption". This name was derived from the tree's innate property of secreting a resin-like substance. Sweet gum wood is valued for its attractive, interlocked grain. Sweet gum is popular for landscaping, prized for its beautiful fall color. Sweet gum seeds are eaten by many species of birds, including goldfinch, purple finch, sparrows, mourning doves, wild turkey, northern bobwhite, and wood duck, as well as by squirrels and chipmunks. Your email address will not be published. Press the space key then arrow keys to make a selection. The seedpods from Your childhood probably some of the Acer ( Maple ) species, right? Etsys 100% renewable electricity commitment includes the electricity used by the data centers that host Etsy.com, the Sell on Etsy app, and the Etsy app, as well as the electricity that powers Etsys global offices and employees working remotely from home in the US. (20% off), Sale Price $18.90 Thank you for allowing us to be a part of your green witch journey. Making A SweetGum Ball Wreath!#baganut #nutdynastyNut Dynasty is a series of educational videos on the growing and harvesting of nut trees. Use left/right arrows to navigate the slideshow or swipe left/right if using a mobile device. The resin is produced by stripping, boiling, and pressing the trees bark. From it they pried off, then popped into . Tree Removal. Shes practicing magic without even knowing it! While many of the items on Etsy are handmade, youll also find craft supplies, digital items, and more. The American sweetgum is often planted as a street tree in suburban areas, but it also can tend to form thickets within forests. Add to Favorites Sweetgum Tree Balls 5 out of 5 stars (2) $ 3.99. Native Americans also used storax for medicinal purposes, including controlling coughs and dysentery and treating sores and wounds. My mother bought it for me as a birthday presentI cant remember which birthday, and that probably means it was quite some time ago. The earliest leaves in spring have very shallow lobes and tend to be rather small, while leaves that develop in midsummer have deeper lobes and are much larger, while late-season leaves are small again but have the deepest lobes of all. The seed balls become noticeable in the late summer and fall as they turn from a shade of green to brown. Accessibility It is deeply fissured with scaly ridges. Our global marketplace is a vibrant community of real people connecting over special goods. Habitat Overview More Information Care Knowledge Cultivars Sweet-gum is known for its unique star-shaped leaves with outstanding yellow, red, and purple fall color. The roots of a sweetgum tree have also been known to lift sidewalks if planted too closely. Gum Tree Spiritual Meaning - Sentient Metaphysics All Rights Reserved. where is all the lysol? Sweetgum salves have a minor antiseptic value, but work well as an anti-inflammatory. Many Blessings, Feather. First, I snipped off the stems of the gum tree balls with craft scissors. 22, no. Clipboard, Search History, and several other advanced features are temporarily unavailable. Weve had just enough rain and moderately warm days that the leaves are easing slowly into the final drop. The compounds found in the extracts derived from sweetgum sap suppress hypertension in mice. We also created 2.6 million jobs in the U.S.enough to employ the entire city of Houston, TX! The perfect piece of witchcraft art for any Kitchen Witch 's, sacred space.. the kitchen ! The list of value-added products derived from sweetgum trees can be increased by continued research of this abundantly occurring tree. Flowers form in spring followed by spiky, woody, ball-like fruits which hang from the branches. From handmade pieces to vintage treasures ready to be loved again, Etsy is the global marketplace for unique and creative goods. Sweet Gum bark and leaves have some but the highest concentration is in the infertile seeds. Liquidambar styraciflua. Sweetgums are notably absent from magical and herbal tree lore, which derives largely from Europe. Liquidambar, Sweet Gum. Sweet Gum | Wood Storax, also referred to as styrax, is produced by damaging the outer bark of sweetgum trees. I believe Mastiff and Snipper are injection. The star-shaped leaves of sweet gum become even more striking in the autumn, when they turn various shades of gold, red, pink, and purple, often on the same tree. The leaves can be used as a poultice to treat stings and insect bites. The five lobed star-shaped leaves often confuse people who think it may be a maple . $7.22, $8.50 p.s. In fall, sweet gum leaves turn a variety of colors, contributing greatly to fall color in communities. Enter here! Resin For injection you may be looking at 150 to 250.00 for large trees. The tree grows best in deep, moist soil (it can only tolerate very moderate drought), with a pH no higher than 7. The bark attaches itself to these in plates edgewise instead of laterally, and a piece of the leafless branch with the aid of a little imagination readily takes on a reptilian form; indeed, the tree is sometimes called alligatorwood. Some of the technologies we use are necessary for critical functions like security and site integrity, account authentication, security and privacy preferences, internal site usage and maintenance data, and to make the site work correctly for browsing and transactions. They are very high on the list of detested trees. If you look at it long enough, you can start to see it's evil eyes, it's crooked nose, and it's open mouth and fangs. Sweet gum balls or witches burrs or witches balls are the sharp, thorny protective casings that house hide the seeds of the sweet gum tree. You can make all kinds of things like crafts, tea, and Tamiflu! Foraging Texas: Sweet Gum. The sticky or gummy sap of sweet gums serves a purpose for the tree. Turning off the personalized advertising setting wont stop you from seeing Etsy ads or impact Etsy's own personalization technologies, but it may make the ads you see less relevant or more repetitive. The ancient Aztecs collected the boiled down, grayish-brown, sticky, opaque liquid and used it as a treatment for skin infections and other ailments. Many kinds of trees share this growth pattern, and they are typically fast-growing trees that often "invade" open areas (elms and willows, for example). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4441155/ If a sweet gum is flowering when the chemical induces ethylene production, it responds by aborting the flowers. Leaves are alternate, simple, star-shaped, with 5 (sometimes 7) lobes, 36 inches wide, deeply lobed; margin toothed, tips long-pointed; leaves slightly aromatic when bruised. remembering account, browser, and regional preferences, remembering privacy and security settings, personalized search, content, and recommendations, helping sellers understand their audience, showing relevant, targeted ads on and off Etsy. Louisiana man drop dead moments after calling woman a Voodoo n*gga b*tch! But, apparently in some circles, there is a demand for sweet gum balls. But even more fascinating than the fact that crafters are willing to actually pay money for "gum balls" is their apparent use in Hoodoo. Finally, I had all my components for creating chive blossoms from the sweet gum tree balls! Careers. It can eventually grow to over 100 feet and live for up to 400 years. DO NOT CUT DOWN YOUR SWEET GUM BALL TREE! 2001. Here's a quick reference guide to the healing, magical, and metaphysical properties of more than 100 trees. The sweetgum tree balls grow between 1" and 3" (2.5 - 7.5 cm) in diameter. sharing sensitive information, make sure youre on a federal Molecules. There are several different popular cultivars of the sweetgum, including Burgundy which is better adapted to the American South, festival with peach-colored foliage, Moraine which is best adapted to cold, and Rotundiloba, which has no fruit production. Receiveweekly shop updates, special offers, new articles, and exclusive content. Altingiaceae (sweet gums) (formerly Hamamelidaceae). Enter your email address below to receive AGrowingGarden.com posts by email:Delivered by FeedBurner, The Incredible Beauty of Crepe Myrtle Bark. I checked it out and was amazed to find that people actually pay money for sweet gum balls! In addition to the sap, the leaves, bark, and seeds of sweet gum also possess beneficial compounds such as shikimic acid, a precursor to the production of oseltamivir phosphate, the active ingredient in Tamifluan antiviral drug effective against several influenza viruses. Another distinctive feature of the tree is the peculiar appearance of its small branches and twigs. Eastern Remedies for Western-type diet induced atherosclerosis. They are native to Eastern United States, from Southwestern Connecticut to Florida and are also found in the Mountains of Mexico and Guatemala. (10% off), Sale Price $9.35 Liquidambar translates as liquid amber, referring to the sweet resin that can be obtained from the tree. The list of value-added products derived from sweetgum trees can be increased by continued research of this abundantly occurring tree. The inner bark produces a fragrant resin, called American styrax or storax, which is used in cosmetics, soaps, perfumes, and tobacco, and as a fixative in lacquers and adhesives. According to Wikipedia, Hoodoo is a traditional African-American folk spirituality that developed from a number of West African, Native American and European spiritual traditions. It thrives well in both acidic soil and alkaline soil, and ponds and streams are its predominant areas. It has many names, including liquid amber or copalm balsam. (Do not try to give these people a holiday wreath made out of glitter-covered sweet gum balls.). $9.35, $11.00 Sweet Gum Balls. I now envy what I once had and took for - Medium Absolutely! The Arena Media Brands, LLC and respective content providers to this website may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. The PubMed wordmark and PubMed logo are registered trademarks of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). 2019 Dec 24;25(1):66. doi: 10.3390/molecules25010066. My mother told me that "crafters" just love sweet gum balls and buy them to use in all kinds of craft projects. Harvest the seed capsules at the end of October or November, dry in a warm place and extract the seed by shaking the capsule. Chewing gum - Wikipedia Sweetgum trees are important resources for medicinal and other beneficial compounds.