White Lotus Aromatics Newsletter - Grand Fir, July 9, 2001
NewsNeNwsNNewsletter Archive ewsl
Grand Fir
The sun goes down the early afternoon,
And soon will set.
A rim of steaming haze
Above the horizon, deeper in its dye
Than the light orange of the general west,
Receives his reddened orb.
As through their glades
Westward you go, a sifted dust of gold
Fills all the fir-wood tops; ruddy below
Their rough-barked stems; and aye the wings of birds
Twink with illumination, as they flit
From tree to tree across your startled eye.
Thomas Aird, 1802-1876: A WINTER DAY.
Description of Abies grandis
Leaf: About 3/4 to 2 inches long, linear, and flat; dark yellow green
above with 2 white bands below; apex rounded or notched; spirally arranged but
flattened into 2 ranks especially lower in the crown; vary in length with lengths
alternating on the twig; grow
parallel to one another but perpendicular to the
twig.
Flower: Monoecious; male cones yellowish and borne beneath the leaves;
female cones yellowish green to green and borne upright near the top of the
crown.
Fruit: Cones are 2 to 4 inches long, barrel-shaped, and borne upright
on the twig; cone scales are deciduous, falling from the cone as seeds ripen;
green to purplish green when mature.
Twig: Stiff, olive to reddish brown, and covered with round, flat leaf
scars when needles fall. Buds are large, rounded, and covered with pitch; terminal
buds usually occur in clusters of three or more.
Bark: When young grayish green and covered with resin blisters. With
age becoming 2 to 3 inches thick, grayish-brown and mottled, often furrowed
with flattened ridges; inner bark is purple-red. Form: A large evergreen, commonly
150 to 200 feet tall and 3 to 4 feet in diameter. It develops a long narrow
crown of dense foliage, often rounded or flat-topped at maturity.
http://www.fw.vt.edu/dendro/dendrology/syllabus/Agrandis.htm
Etymology of Fir
Etymology: Middle English, from Old English fyrh; akin to Old High German
forha fir, Latin quercus oak Date: before 12th century
http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?book=Dictionary&va=fir
Images:
http://www.nearctica.com/trees/conifer/abies/Agrand.htm
great images
http://www.cfr.washington.edu/Classes.esc.200/abies_grandis.htm
good images of all parts of tree, takes some time to load
Ethnobotany
Edible:
Inner bark - cooked. It is usually dried, ground into a powder and then used
as a thickening in soups etc or mixed with cereals when making bread. It is
best used in the spring when it is rich and juicy. An emergency food, it is
only used when all else fails. The gum from the trunk is hardened and used as
a chewing gum. It can also be made into a drink. Young shoot tips are used as
a tea substitute.
Medicine:
A gum that exudes from the bark is used externally as an ointment. It has also
been used as a wash for sore and infected eyes and as a gargle for sore throats.
A decoction is laxative and tonic, it is used to treat stomach problems. Externally,
the gum is applied as a poultice to cuts and sores. A decoction of the root
bark or stem is used in the treatment of stomach problems and tuberculosis.
A poultice is applied to joints to ease rheumatism or to the chest to treat
lung hemorrhages. A decoction of the leaves is used as a tonic and in the treatment
of colds.
Native Use:
Northwest tribes have made good use of Grand Fir foliage and branches. Kwakwaka'wakw
elders wove its branches into headdresses and costumes and used the branches
for scrubbing individuals in purification rites. The Hesquiat tribes used its branches as incense and decorative clothing for wolf dancers.It was
occasionally used as a fuel. Some interior tribes such as the Okanogan,
also made canoes from its bark. Pitch was applied to bows for a secure grip
and rubbed on paddles and scorched for a good finish. A brown dye from its bark
was used in making baskets by the Straits Salish tribe, along with a
pink dye made by mixing the brown dye with red ochre. Knots were shaped, steamed
and carved into halibut hooks by several coastal tribes. Grand Fir bark,
sometimes mixed with stinging nettles, was boiled and the concoction used for
bathing and as a general tonic. The Lushoot tribe boiled needles
to make
a medicinal tea for colds. The Ditidaht sometimes brought boughs inside
as a air freshener and burned them as an incense and to make a purifying smoke
to ward off illnesses. They also crushed and mixed the bark of Grand Fir, Red
Alder and Western Hemlock and made an infusion that was rank for internal injuries. The Hesquiat mixedthe pitch of young trees with oil and rubbed it on the
scalp as a deodorant and to prevent balding. Other Uses: The aromatic leaves
are used as a moth repellent. The boughs have been used in the home as an incense.
A pink dye can be obtained from the bark. The dried and hardened pitch can be
chewed as a tooth cleanser. A powder made from the dried and crushed leaves
was used as a baby powder by North American Indians. The bark can be used as
a waterproof covering material for buildings and canoes. Wood - light, soft,
coarse grained, not strong, not very durable. Used for interior work.Of little
value as a lumber, it is used mainly for pulp and fuel. http://www.geocities.com/littleflowers_medicinal_plants/grand_fir.html
http://www.umd.umich.edu/cgi-bin/herb
Superb Native Indian Ethnobotanical Database. Type in Abies grandis in the field
and it will bring up specific tribal uses of this wonderous plant
http://dent.edmonds.wednet.edu/imd/nativeamerican.html
a really wonderful resource for folks interested in Native Indian Culture in
all its dimensions
Essential oil of Abies Grandis/Grand Fir-EcoCert Organic-distilled in France
Physical description: mobile, clear to light yellow oil
Olfactory description: Fresh, delicate, sweet green resinous topnote
with a soft fruity pinaceous base. The delightful topnote remains present deep
into the dryout. This has many shared qualities with a well distilled Abies
alba while presenting its own distinctive bouquet. Both are quiet, refined,
delicate oils which are a joy to explore at all stages from top to base note
Phytochemicals of EcoCert Organic Giant Fir/Abies grandis Essential Oil (I
have included the odor description of each isolate so that one can see how many
beautiful interactions there are in each essential oil)
a-pinene 7.10%
Odor Description : Fresh Sweet Pine Earthy Woody
camphene 13.36%
Odor Description : Fresh Herbal Woody Camphor Mint
b-pinene 25.72%
Odor Description : Sweet Fresh Pine Woody Hay Green
myrcene 0.96%
Odor Description : Fresh Peppery Terpy Spicy Balsam Plastic
limonene 5.27%
Odor Description : Lemon Citrus Citral Fresh Sweet
1,8 cineole 11.12%
Odor Description : Eucalyptus Mint Herbal Rosemary
bornyl acetate 16.44%
Odor Description : Pine Woody Fresh Pine Needles
citronellol 3.26%
Odor Description : Sweet Rose Leather Musty Floral
If you wish to explore the odor characteristics of each phytochemical please
visit the splendid Good Scents Company database.
http://www.execpc.com/~goodscnt/
scroll down the information index on the left hand side of the page until you
come to the Perfume Raw Materials Section.
There you will be able to locate many phytochemicals and their odiferous qualities
Therapeutic Value of Individual Phytochemicals of Grand Fir-
Many of you are familiar with James Duke's database where you can search individual
phytochemicals and see what their therapeutic appliations are based on past
scientific research. One only need go to his site:
http://www.ars-grin.gov/duke/chem-activities.html
Then one types in the field citronellol, bornyl acetate, etc. If that chemical
has any therapeutic activity associated with it, it will list it with reference
to research on each specific activity
For instance:
Biological Activities of LIMONENE
AChE-Inhibitor; 453; Allelochemic; JAF45:3276; Allergenic; (1/20th carene);
M&R521; Antiacetylcholinesterase; IC22-26=1.2 mM; JAF45:677; Antialzheimeran?;
453; Antibacterial; RIE12:5; Anticancer; AEM401:131; Antifeedant; JAF45:3276;
Antiflu; EMP5:195; Antilithic; M29:1064; Antimutagenic; EMP6:235; Antiseptic;
JAF44:2802; Antispasmodic; ED50=0.197 mg/ml; FT59:465; Antitumor; AEM401:131
JAF43:2144; Antitumor (Breast); AEM401:131; Antitumor (Pancreas); AEM401:131;
Antitumor (Prostate); AEM401:131; Antiviral; EMP5:195 LAF; Cancer-Preventive;
525; Candidistat; JAF40:2330; Chemopreventive; AEM401:131; Enterocontractant;
JAR4:22; Expectorant; JBH HH2; FLavor; PJB1(3):242; Fungiphilic; JAF43:2283;
Fungistat; JAF40:2330; Herbicide; IC50=45 uM; TOX; Insecticide; 453; Insectifuge;
382; Irritant; M11 RIN; Nematicide; IC=100 ug/ml; NIG; Ornithine-Decarboxylase-Inhibitor;
750 mg/kg (diet); BO2; Pesticide; Photosensitizer; RIN; Sedative; ED=1-32 mg/kg;
W&W;
The first listed name of course is the activity, the second is the research
source. If you go to the database you can click on the second name/number and
it will take you to the exact citation.
I think it is important to realize though that each oil is a synergy of many
components all interacting in some unique fine balance created by nature. And
it is equally important to realize that only the essential oils major components
are listed above. This is always valuable to bear in mind because the minor
and trace components not only play an important part in the olfactory nature
of any essential oil but also have their role in its therapeutic value This
is a vast and deep subject, truly beyond my comprehension. I have limited myself
to enjoying the benefits of the oil through appreciating the form, color, and
beauty of the plant as it appears in nature, the environments in which they
grow, the traditional uses to which the plant has been put, the lore and legends
that have grown up around them, etc. But the way of the therapists is of great
value and so the above information may help serve that cause.
http://www.na.fs.fed.us/spfo/pubs/silvics_manual/Volume_1/abies/grandis.htm
great information including habitat, life history, associated forest cover,
etc good distribution map