Poplar Medicine | From Winter to Spring

In this post I share about harvesting, medicine making, and working with the spirit of Western Balsam Poplar (Populus trichocarpa), aka Black Cottonwood, one of three species of Poplar native to Western Canada.

Western Balsam Poplars are the tallest deciduous trees in our PNW forests. They have one stately central trunk that grows straight up toward the sky, with an open crown of smaller branches that are often sprinkled down the trunk in downward arching patterns. This display of branches so low on the trunk is unique to Poplars, and can be a distinguishing characteristic when the trees are viewed at a distance or in silhouette. 

Around the world, there are about 30 different species of the genus Populus, many of which are used medicinally for their bark, leaves, or dormant leaf buds. Different species of Populus are referred to by the names Cottonwood, Aspen, and Poplar. These trees belong to the Willow Family, and contain many similar pain-relieving constituents that the plant family is famous for. 

Young Western Balsam Poplars in the woods behind my property on Vancouver Island.

The smaller, shrubbier, Northern Balsam Poplar (P. balsamifera) is commonly found all across northern Canada in the boreal forest. Like the buds of the Western species, Northern Balsam Poplar buds are large and can be collected to use in medicine making. Also native to our region and across North America is Trembling Aspen (Populus tremuloides). The twigs and inner bark of Aspen are used medicinally, but its buds are very tiny and not harvested for medicine.

The different Poplar species have a valuable role in the ecosystem as pioneering plants. Individually, they are relatively short-lived trees that are tenacious in covering disturbed areas. They act to build and stabilize soils, altering the ecosystem to make it more habitable to other successive plant species. There is an adaptability and element of self-sacrifice to these trees that is admirable. 

The Scent of Spring

I was first introduced to Poplars as a child living in the Yukon. The pathway that led to our cabin up the Dempster Highway was lined with Balsam Poplars and Trembling Aspens. Both Poplar species have leaves that shimmer in the slightest breeze, their silvery undersides catching the light of the summer sun.

There is something about Poplar that has always reminded me of wildness. Of something untamed, raw, mysterious and free. For us as modern humans, it can sometimes be hard to connect with a sense of wildness, as the more ‘cultivated’ we become, the more we may disconnect from the primal parts our ourselves. For me wildness isn’t something to be feared, instead I view it as synonymous with ‘oneness’. The feeling of belonging to a universal aliveness, something so far beyond what we can measure or control. 

To feel this aliveness is to feel the sun and the moon reflected in the cells of our bodies. To feel the seasons shaping not just our moods, but the manifestations and evolution of our inner worlds; it is to share this journey with each and every living thing in our local ecosystems. It is a journey that all of us, plants, animals, rocks, and water, move through together as we cycle through the seasons along the wheel of time.

I left the Yukon, and a certain sense of wildness behind, when we moved to British Columbia in my early teens, eventually ending up in Victoria once I’d left home. I recall taking a walk one spring at a small wetland just outside the city. As I passed over a small wooden bridge I noticed a sweet resinous scent in the air. It brought me instantly back to spring in the north as a child. I was not aware of the source of the scent that so sweetly lingered on the air, only that it was the one true smell of spring implanted in my heart.

Soon, on the damp earth below my feet, I discovered the small sticky bud sheaths that had fallen from the Western Balsam Poplar branches above, dropping off as each tender new leaf emerged exhaling its sweet scent on the breeze. A love for these trees was kindled in that moment, and in the years ahead I would begin to make my own oils and salves, capturing the magic of Poplar in a bottle, anointing my self with the scent of so many childhood springs. 

A Portal to peace

Plants can teach us many things; each with their own unique personalities and medicines for our spirit. Many plants are quick allies, easy to understand and be with, while others may hold a mystery just slightly out of reach until the time we are ready to receive thier potent medicine. I’ve come to know Poplar as one of the mystery medicines. Poplar is enigmatic and oracular; able to act as a healing guide into the darker places within us.

During the winter it is easy to observe that Poplars are dark and witchy trees with their gnarly jointed twigs, dormant leaf buds pointed and in small clusters on the branch tips reminiscent of little demon creatures claws. Dwelling on the interface between land and water, these trees are magical; shapeshifters. The perfect medicine for winter time shadow work. As guardians of the watery realm of emotion, Poplars can help bring light to the darker parts our of selves.

The large heart-shaped leaves of Western Balsam Poplar slowly turn from green to bright gold on the trees in fall, and then turn orange-rust to black on the ground in winter, slowly returning nutrients to the earth.

Poplars are symbolically associated with fear. Highly sensitive, fluid and responsive, the slightest breeze makes them tremble. The trembling itself doesn’t harm us, rather it releases us from fear. It is a primal impulse to a stressful situation. Animals naturally shake to release tension after a life-threatening event. It dissipates stress and helps the body to return to living in the moment.

Unfortunately as humans, we’ve lost so much of our wild, primal instinctual nature. We’ve been socially programmed out of this natural way to recalibrate our nervous system. In our modern world, we don’t really have a rubric on what to do with our emotions when they arise. Most of us have been encouraged to repress our feelings from a very young age, trapping the stress within the muscles, tissues, and organs of our bodies. 

This holding on to trauma in our bodies results in chronic emotional and physical tension, and mental distress. It is often accompanied by a sensation of being immobilized by our emotions. The unreleased energy makes us more hypertensive to stress, and we can become frozen in a sort of anticipatory stress response. In this state the even most minor stressors can easily upset us and at times trigger a sensation of fear that is largely out of proportion to the stimulus of the moment.

Sitting with Poplar this winter I was begged the question “what is on the other side of the thing that you thought would break you?” I’ve had to meditate on this question for many weeks, returning to Poplar again and again to find an answer. And in the end, I think the simplest answer is “my self”.

“Someone I loved once gave me a box full of darkness. It took me years to understand that this too, was a gift.” – Mary Oliver

On the other side I will know myself that much better, and become that much closer to experiencing a wholeness within myself. By facing my fears, I am holding space for the darker, more uncomfortable parts of my self, and in doing so I can begin to hold space for those parts in others too. Evolving my potential as a healer, and creating a medicine in my character so that I may be of service to others.

What I’ve come to know about fear as I move through my life, is that the courage to face fears is found in desire to live in and embrace the full spectrum of experience life has to offer. Courage and be found in the desire to evolve ourselves to our highest potential and make the most of this one precious life. It also can be found in the desire to heal, for when we meet our fears and hold space for them, our bodies may begin to let go of stored trauma, and feel at ease and present again.

Working with the spirit medicine of Poplar can help transmute deep emotional pain, and bring in adaptability, lightness, and change. It can help us to face our fears by helping us move through the dark sticky spaces that lay within us each of us. And like the shimmering of the leaves in the slightest breeze, and the dropping of branches in the wind storm, it can help us to release those fears, shaking off and leaving behind what no longer serves us.

When I am overwhelmed with a sense of fear, face to face with my own inner animals of prey, I find it helpful to envision myself as a Poplar tree. With my imagination I become the tallest and strongest tree in the forest, its buttress roots my feet sinking into the earth, its trunk my legs and torso, its branches my arms and upper body. I fill the space around my upper body with a sea of shimmering leaves. I let the breeze stir me, shimmering until the movement cleanses me and all is released. 

Even when all the other trees of the forest quiet and still, Poplars aren’t afraid to dance, even if you are watching. This special dance, the optical shimmer and the rusting of leaves like the sound of a moving river, opens portals of peace in the heart of the listener. Guiding us in the movement from dark to light, and from winter to spring.

Harvesting Poplar buds & bark

Where there is water you will likely find Poplar. Balsam Poplars inhabit the riparian zone along seasonal flood areas, wetlands, streams, lakes, and rivers. Often you will find Poplars interspersed with other moisture loving deciduous trees such as our native Red Alder, Big Leaf Maple, and Trembling Aspens. 

The sticky goo inside a dormant Poplar leaf bud, tree resin is full of wonderful medicine.

The leaf buds of Balsam Poplar are harvested during winter when the buds are dormant are still closed tight. The sticky medicinal resins contained in the dormant buds are the plants protective mechanism against predators, infection, and environmental damage. The resins become most concentrated during the cold months of winter. I find any time during the months of January and February to be most favourable, and sometimes with a late spring you can find the buds still closed and harvestable as late as mid-March.

The largest buds are up in the higher branches of the trees. It isn’t all that worthwhile trying to collect the tiny slender buds from the lower branches of the trees (that is, if you can find any lower branches). Instead, wait until after a winter wind storm and you will find twigs laden with the largest plump buds fallen from the crown of the tree. 

Poplar hunting can be a long process. It can take many many walks in the woods to find enough fallen branches to fulfill your medicine making needs. Once you’ve found the branches, the actual bud harvesting is a slow process as well, as each bud is hand gathered one by one off the branch. Something akin to harvesting wild blueberries, it takes many tiny buds to fill a basket.

Bees harvest resin from Poplar buds to make medicine too. They use it to make propolis, a substance that they use to seal their hives and prevent unwanted bacterial and fungal growth. Propolis is collected from bee hives, diluted in alcohol to make a tincture-like extract and sold as a health product known for its anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties. 

The inner bark of Poplar is also used for medicine and can be harvested in early spring, February until the beginning of April is a good harvest window. It’s best not to harvest by peeling bark from the living tree, but rather by pruning off half inch to two inch diameter twigs and peeling them. These can also be the branches that you found during your bud harvest in the winter. Smaller twigs can also be used and simply chopped into small pieces whole. Poplar twigs cut in cross-section reveal a magical star-shaped pith that is fun to observe.

The leaves can also be harvested, are best in early summer, and contain a combination of medicinal properties which includes the healing and antimicrobial resins found in the buds as well as the pain relieving glycosides found in large quantities in the inner bark, but the buds and bark are more commonly used and considered much stronger.

Making Medicine with Poplar

There is a wonderful warm, resinous and sweet scent emitted from snipping the young twigs into workable pieces. The Poplar inner bark and twigs can be made fresh or dried into a pain-relieving tincture, or made into a tea by decocting a few pieces of the twigs or bark in water. Simmering on the stove the decoction smells like a yummy cross between maple syrup and caramelized brown sugar. To keep the tea palatable, don’t make it too strong; simmered past a few minutes the tea begins to turn dark and incredibly bitter.

Poplar bud infused oil has a distinctly warming energy. When applied tropically to sore muscles, sprains and strains, or arthritic joints, it has a soothing and pain relieving effect. It is also expectorant and wonderful as a chest rub for damp coughs.

The oil is superior at healing burns, as it is antiseptic and encourages skin cell proliferation. I recall one of the first times I used Poplar for a burn with starting results. I came home from the farm with a surprise spring sunburn on my back, applied a nice layer of Poplar bud oil to the sore reddened skin, and proceeded to take a nap. When I awoke, the oil had very remarkably brought down the pain and inflammation, transforming the burn to a golden tan. 

I created a formulation, Burn Remedy Salve, specifically to use on minor burns that might come about from activities around the house, such as cooking or using the wood stove, or from time outdoors in the sun. Burn Remedy has Poplar bud oil with the addition of St. John’s Wort and Wild Bergamot, a trio of herbs I’ve found helpful for healing burns. We also have pure Poplar Bud Salve available as well.

One of my favourite uses for Poplar bud oil is as a daily skin beautifying oil. Extracts of Poplar bud have been well studied for their anti-aging properties, which are said to be attributed to in part to their high antioxidant content. Poplar definitely seems to impart a healthful glow to the skin, and is especially healing to blemishes and acne. High in antimicrobial compounds, the oil can be also applied to wounds, or used to help heal fungal infections on the skin such as Candida and Tinea.

Poplar bud extracts have a very long shelf life and can be used to preserve other more perishable herbal infused oils and salves. Poplar bud infused oil can be used in place of Vitamin E as a preservative. Add 1-3 tablespoons to a quart of another infused oil to help extend shelf life.

We have fresh batches of Poplar Bud Infused Oil available for sale in the shop. You can also learn to make your own out of fresh wildcrafted buds by following the recipe at the bottom of the page.

Poplar bud also makes a good tincture for pain and inflammation, it can be used for gut healing and reducing candida infections, healing lung infections and reducing coughs, and as a bitter and carminative digestive aid for after heavy meals. The tincture can be diluted in water (watch it magically transform the water to make it milky with resins!) to make a sore throat gargle, or a healing mouth rinse to help heal infections, reduce pain, and encourage healthy gums. I have prepared a small batch of Poplar Bud Tincture which is now available in the shop for purchase. 

And lastly, one of my most favourite things to do with freshly harvested Poplar buds is to infuse them into honey! Our Poplar Bud Honey is loaded with all the medicinal properties, and delightful by the spoonful, in tea, on toast, or drizzled on anything you fancy. The honey is my favourite preparation to use for sore throats.

Fresh Poplar buds infusing in extra virgin olive oil.

Poplar Bud Oil Recipe 

1 part fresh Poplar buds
3 parts extra virgin olive oil

1) Rinse your freshly harvested Poplar buds in a few changes of cold water to remove any dirt or debris. Strain the buds and place them on a screen for a day to let the residual water evaporate off completely.

2) Place buds in a wide-mouth mason jar. If using weight-to-volume method, weight out 1 part buds (in grams), and pour in 3 parts oil (in mls). If using folk-method, simply fill the jar 3/4 full with buds and fill to top with oil. Make sure to leave enough room in the jar to allow for stirring.

*note that what ever tools you use to make your oil with will be covered in sticky resin that is really difficult to remove. These will become your permanent ‘poplar tools’.

3) Place the jar with buds and oil, uncovered, in a hot water bath. A crock pot on the very lowest setting works well for this. Make sure to place something in the bottom of the pot to lift the jar off the bottom, a veggie steamer or a couple canning jar lids work ok.

4) Gently heat the oil in the hot water bath on low heat for approximately 2-3 days or 48-72 hours. If you are doing this on the stove, just turn it on when you are home, off and on for a few days. Make sure to keep an eye on the water level so that it doesn’t run dry and overheat your oil.

5) Stir many times through out the day to help the resins dissolve, and encourage any water in the fresh buds to rise to the top and evaporate. Make sure to check the oil occasionally to make sure it isn’t getting too hot, you don’t want to deep fry your buds! The oil should still be aromatic and sweet smelling like the fresh buds, if not, you may have overheated it or heated it for too long.

6) As soon as the carrier oil turns from transparent to opaque, you’ll know that the resins have incorporated into the oil and your oil is ready to strain. Strain out the buds through a wire sieve, and pour the finished infused oil into a clean glass jar. Store in a cool dark place. Fresh Poplar bud oil has a shelf life of 2-3 years.