Red Alder - Tree of Resurrection

Alder bark is one of the most under rated, under used and under researched botanicals, in my opinion. Its traditional usage is found in most parts of the northern hemisphere. From England and Russia to Alaska and New Mexico, Alder Bark has a long history of use, for good reason. It has a powerful ability to cleanse the waters of our bodies. Much like how alder trees cleanse the waters along streams and riparian ecosystems, Alder cleanses our lymph and blood from impurities and stagnant toxins. Alder is cooling and mildly drying in action and is very grounding. It contains salicylic acid and can be used as a vulnerary. Many herbalists use Alder for systemic or local microbial infections, both chronic or acute because of its alterative, anti-viral/bacterial and immunostimulant actions. It’s very useful for people with an underactive immune system that is slow to heal or recover from injuries or infections. Its bitter compounds are also helpful for people who suffer from poor digestion of fats and proteins and works very well with Oregon grape for constipation. Overall Alder has many uses that generally go unrecognized.

Alder’s anti-microbial actions are not so much bacterial killers or assassins, they instead support the inner ecology of the immune system and body, so it can function as it is designed to do. When our body isn’t processing and eliminating toxins, they get reabsorbed into our blood stream, making us feel very unwell. Alder gets our blood and lymph moving so it can get rid of these toxins, so our body isn’t overloaded. Which gets me back to Alder’s doctrine of signatures, cleansing water ways and ecologies of the Earth. When we interact with plants in their ecologies, we can learn what their actions are for us. Another signature is its red inner bark, when first cut the bark is white and green, but once it is exposed to oxygen, it turns a deep red, much like our blood, which Alder cleanses.

My partner Gabe once woke up with very swollen and very painful spider bites on his head and face. His lymph nodes were also swollen. He brewed a pot of Red Alder bark tea and recovered by the end of the day. When I first had Alder Bark tea, I felt energy from the top of my head, cooling down all the way to my toes. It was very grounding, and I now take a tincture of it when I feel hot headed and angry, or mentally and creatively stuck.

I prefer to harvest Alder in the winter and early spring. The energy is stored in the bark and twigs, and with our many winter storms, fresh branches and trees drop to the ground, and I can sustainably and ethically harvest without killing or damaging a tree. You can also replant alder very easily by sticking small branches back into the ground. I peel the bark with a knife or with a draw knife for larger branches/trunks, dry for tea or tincture fresh. It also makes a great oil or slave for pain relief.

Further Reading: Kiva Rose has an amazing article with many clinical studies of Alder https://enchantersgreen.com/alder