White Lotus Aromatics Newsletter - Douglas Fir, July 25, 2001
NewsNeNwsNNewsletter Archive ewsl
Douglas Fir
Keep a green tree in your heart and perhaps a singing bird will come. - Chinese proverb
We have nothing to fear and a great deal to learn from trees, that vigorous and pacific tribe which without stint produces strengthening essences for us, soothing balms, and in whose gracious company we spend so many cool, silent and intimate hours. - Marcel Proust, Pleasures and Regrets, 1896
Douglas Fir Tree Description:
Large to very large tree with narrow, pointed crown of slightly drooping branches,
the crown becoming flattened with age in large specimens. There are two distinct
geographic varieties: Coast and Rocky Mountain. Height: 25-60m, Coast variety
to 90 or 100m in perfect conditions Diameter: 0.6-1.5m, Coast variety up to
4.4m in ideal situations Needles: evergreen; spreading mostly in two rows; 2-3cm
long. Flattened, mostly rounded at the tip,flexible; dark yellow-green or blue-green;
very short, twisted leafstalks. Bark: reddish-brown, very thick, deeply furrowed
into broad ridges, often corky. Twigs: orange, turning brown; slender, hairy,
ending in dark red conical, pointed, scaly, hairless bud. Cones: pollen cones
yellow-red. Seed cones 6-10cm long; narrowly egg-shaped, light brown,short-stalked;
with many thin, rounded cone-scales each above a long, protruding, three-pointed
bract; paired seeds 5-6mm long with wings longer than the body. http://www.pennine.demon.co.uk/Arboretum/Psme.htm
Images of Douglas Fir
http://www.orst.edu/instruct/for241/con/spp/dgfspp.html
http://www.botanik.uni-bonn.de/conifers/pi/ps/menziesii.htm
beautiful images of different parts of tree
Ethnobotanical Uses
Although the enthnobotanical section does not shed direct light on the uses of the essential oil, it does give us an insight into the cultural uses of the plant in various parts of the world. It is important to remember that the people who actually used the plants in different dimensions of their lives, often had an inner appreciation and respect for them(the plants) which is difficult to capture in words. Plants were often seen as living entities endowed with s special type of consciousness that humans needed to attune themselves too in order to understand the many aesthetic and practical virtues concealed within them. Indeed the whole world in which the plants lived was seen as a vibrant energy field that needed to be understood so that a true balance in give and take could be maintained. Ethnobotanical observations often only describe the uses of the plants but may not illuminate the inner feelings of the people using them. I think amongst many ancient cultures the divisions between inner and outer worlds were less defined and that it was very natural for such people to love, appreciate and revere all forms of life as expressions of a Perfect Essence which was the source for life of all. That resonating feeling of the kinship with all life forms was in itself one of the most precious parts of the healing process. It may have been that those who had the esteemed position of the community medicine man or woman, healer etc, were those who had the most refined vision of this relationship and could clearly receive the messages sent to them from the plants as to how they were to be used. Such people also may have had a unique type of vision which allowed them to understand the real underlying cause of the "dis-ease" afflicting those coming to them for healing. Sitting in that place of understanding of the natural world and compassion for the humans dwelling therein, they were able to see how one could be taken from one to help the other and visa versa. So when looking at ethnobotanical information, certainly a valuable contribution from the modern world, it would be valuable to connect ourselves to the people themselves and realize that their is an inner perspective which gives an added dimension of beauty to utilitarian uses.)
Edible Uses
Young shoot tips - used as a flavouring in cooked foods[15, 177]. A subtle woodsy
flavour[183]. A refreshing tea is made from the young leaves and twigs[14, 46,
177, 257]. Rich in vitamin C[183]. It is used as a coffee substitute according
to some reports[92, 95, 161, 257]. The fresh leaves have a pleasant balsamic
odour and are used as a coffee substitute[213]. Inner bark - dried, ground into
a meal and mixed with cereals for making bread etc[161, 213]. A famine food
used when all elsefails[177]. A sweet manna-like substance is exuded from the
bark[177, 183]. This report possibly refers to the resin that is obtained from
the trunk[K], and is used as a chewing gum by various native North American
Indian tribes[226]. Alternatively, the report could be referring to the sap
which is used as a sugar-like food[257].
Medicinal Uses
Douglas fir was often employed medicinally by various native North American
Indian tribes who used it to treat a variety of complaints[257]. It is little,
if at all, used in modern herbalism. An antiseptic resin is obtained from the
trunk. It is used as a poultice to treat cuts, burns, wounds and other skin
ailments[226,257]. The poultice is also used to treat injured or dislocated
bones[257]. The resin is used in the treatment of coughs and can be chewed as
a treatment for sore throats[257]. An infusion of the green bark has been used
in the treatment of excessive menstruation, bleeding bowels and stomach problems[257].
An infusion of the leaves has been used as a wash and a sweat bath for rheumatic
and paralyzed joints[257]. An infusion of the young sprouts has been used in
the treatment of colds[257]. An infusion of the twigs or shoots has been used
in the treatment of kidney and bladder problems[257]. A decoction of the buds
has been used in the treatment of venereal disease[257]. Young shoots have been
placed in the tips of shoes to keep the feet from perspiring and to prevent
athletes foot[257]. A mouthwash is made by soaking the shoots in cold water[15].
Other Uses
Basketry; Cork; Dye; Fertilizer; Fuel; Insecticide; Resin; Shelterbelt; Tannin;
Wood.
A light brown dye is obtained from the bark[118, 257]. The bark is a source
of tannins[46, 82]. The bark can be used as a cork substitute[171] and is also
used to make fertilizer[226]. The bark contains pitch, it burns with a lot of
heat and almost no smoke, so it is prized as a fuel[226, 257]. The small roots
have been used to make baskets[257]. The plant has insecticidal properties[171].
A resin is obtained from the trunk, similar to Abies balsamea[61, 64] which
is used in the manufacture of glues, candles, as a cement for microscopes and
slides and also as a fixative in soaps and perfumery[171]. The resin can also
be used as a caulking material on boats[257]. A fast growing and fairly wind-resistant
tree, it is often used in shelterbelt plantings[185]. Wood - heavy, strong,
fine grained, durable, though it can be of variable quality. It dries quickly,
does not warp and is easily worked, it is used for heavy construction, telegraph
poles, furniture etc[21, 46, 61, 82, 99, 171, 200, 226]. It is also used as
a good quality fuel[46, 99, 257].
http://www.ibiblio.org/pfaf/cgi-bin/arr_html?Pseudotsuga+menziesii http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/eesc/environmental/programs/culres/ethbot/m-p/Pseudotsuga.htm
more ethnobotanical information
Douglas Fir/Pseudotsuga menziesii Essential(EcoCert Organic) France
physical description: clear to pale yellow liquid olfactory description:
soft, rich sweet resinous/balsamic/woody note which melds into a cool green
resinous bouquet heart note. Fresh terpenic/herbaceous notes manifest their
presence with the resinous bouquet. A quiet fruity balsamic bouquet appears
in the base note phase and is on the blotter for many
hours sample-
Simple GC of Organic Douglas Fir Essential Oil
alpha pinene 10.40%
Odor Description : Fresh Sweet Pine Earthy Woody
camphene 0.60%
Odor Description : Fresh Herbal Woody Camphor Mint
beta pinene 27.85% Odor Description : Sweet Fresh Pine Woody Hay Green
sabinene 12.85%
warm peppery,mild woody odor.
delta-3-darene 12.85
limonene 3.45%
Odor Description : Lemon Citrus Citral Fresh Sweet
gamma terpinene 3.50%
Odor Description : Oily Woody Terpy Lemon/lime Tropical Herbal
terpinolene 11.50%
Odor Description : Fresh Woody Sweet Pine Citrus
citronnellol 1.00%
Odor Description : Sweet Rose Leather Musty Floral
terpinene-4-ol 4.85%
Odor Description : Pepper Woody Earth Musty Sweet
borneol 0.10%
Odor Description : Pine Woody Camphor
citronellyl acetate 3.00%
Odor Description : Floral Green Sweet Fruity Citrus With Woody Tropical Fruit
Nuances
geranyl acetate 1.15%
Odor Description : Sweet Fruit Rose Lavender Fresh Green Fatty Terpene
beta caryophyllene 0.17%
Odor Description : Sweet Woody Spice Clove Dry
germacrene D 0.40%
The following selection from the writings of John Muir contains an incredible
depiction of his experience of "riding" a Douglas Fir(He names it as Douglas
Spruce but it refers to the same plant) during a storm. It is rather long but
a complete delight to read. This excerpt also contains in the last paragraph
a beautiful description of fragrance in the forest.
"Toward midday, after a long, tingling scramble through copses of hazel and
ceanothus, I gained the summit of the highest ridge in the neighborhood; and
then it occurred to me that it would be a fine thing to climb one of the trees
to obtain a wider outlook and get my ear close to the ®olian music of its topmost
needles. But under the circumstances the choice of a tree was a serious matter.
One whose instep was not very strong seemed in danger of being blown down, or
of being struck by others in case they should fall; another was branchless to
a considerable height above the ground, and at the same time too large to be
grasped with arms and legs in climbing; while others were not favorably situated
for clear views. After cautiously casting about, I made choice of the tallest
of a group of Douglas Spruces that were growing close together like a tuft of
grass, no one of which seemed likely to fall unless all the rest fell with it.
Though comparatively young, they were about 100 feet high, and their lithe,
brushy tops were rocking and swirling in wild ecstasy. Being accustomed to climb
trees in making botanical studies, I experienced no difficulty in reaching the
top of this one, and never before did I enjoy so noble an exhilaration of motion.
The slender tops fairly flapped and swished in the passionate torrent, bending
and swirling backward and forward, round and round, tracing indescribable combinations
of vertical and horizontal curves, while I clung with muscles firm braced, like
abobo-link on a reed.
In its widest sweeps my tree-top described an arc of from twenty to thirty degrees, but I felt sure of its elastic temper, having seen others of the same species still more severely tried--bent almost to the ground indeed, in heavy snows--without breaking a fiber. I was therefore safe, and free to take the wind into my pulses and enjoy the excited forest from my superb outlook. The view from here must be extremely beautiful in any weather. Now my eye roved over the piny hills and dales as over fields of waving grain, and felt the light running in ripples and broad swelling undulations across the valleys from ridge to ridge, as the shining foliage was stirred by corresponding waves of air. Oftentimes these waves of reflected light would break up suddenly into a kind of beaten foam, and again, after chasing one another in regular order, they would seem to bend forward in concentric curves, and disappear on some hillside, like sea-waves on a shelving shore. The quantity of light reflected from the bent needles was so great as to make whole groves appear as if covered with snow, while the black shadows beneath the trees greatly enhanced the effect of the silvery splendor.
Excepting only the shadows there was nothing somber in all this wild sea of pines. On the contrary, notwithstanding this was the winter season, the colors were remarkably beautiful. The shafts of the pine and libocedrus were brown and purple, and most of the foliage was well tinged with yellow; the laurel groves, with the pale undersides of their leaves turned upward, made masses of gray; and then there was many a dash of chocolate color from clumps of manzanita, and jet of vivid crimson from the bark of the madro–os, while the ground on the hillsides, appearing here and there through openings between the groves, displayed masses of pale purple and brown.
The sounds of the storm corresponded gloriously with this wild exuberance of light and motion. The profound bass of the naked branches and boles booming like waterfalls; the quick, tense vibrations of the pine-needles, now rising to a shrill, whistling hiss, now falling to a silky murmur; the rustling of laurel groves in the dells, and the keen metallic click of leaf on leaf--all this was heard in easy analysis when the attention was calmly bent.
The varied gestures of the multitude were seen to fine advantage, so that one could recognize the different species at a distance of several miles by this means alone, as well as by their forms and colors, and the way they reflected the light. All seemed strong and comfortable, as if really enjoying the storm, while responding to its most enthusiastic greetings. We hear much nowadays concerning the universal struggle for existence, but no struggle in the common meaning of the word was manifest here; no recognition of danger by any tree; no deprecation; but rather an invincible gladness as remote from exultation as from fear.
I kept my lofty perch for hours, frequently closing my eyes to enjoy the music
by itself, or to feast quietly on the delicious fragrance that was streaming
past. The fragrance of the woods was less marked than that produced during warm
rain, when so many balsamic buds and leaves are steeped like tea; but, from
the chafing of resiny branches against each other, and the incessant attrition
of myriads of needles, the gale was spiced to a very tonic degree. And besides
the fragrance from these local sources there were traces of scents brought from
afar. For this wind came first from the sea, rubbing against its fresh, briny
waves, then distilled through the redwoods, threading rich ferny gulches, and
spreading itself in broad undulating currents overmany a flower-enameled ridge
of the coast mountains, then across the golden plains, up the purple foot-hills,
and into these piny woods with the varied incense gathered by the way."-John
Muir
http://www.jps.net/prichins/w-storm.htm http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/news/lifestyles/html98/pfir_20000319.html
great article on Douglas Fir