Eden Apothecary · Herb Profile
Viburnum prunifolium
Pronounced Black Haw: blak HAW. Viburnum prunifolium: vy-BUR-num proo-nih-FOH-lee-um.
Cool, dry, and relaxing: a tannic bark that unwinds a tense, cramping, irritable uterus and smooth muscle while astringing lax, over-heavy bleeding.
Use only under qualified professional supervision. Black haw is the classic historical uterine antispasmodic given IN pregnancy for threatened and habitual miscarriage, morning sickness, and to steady an irritable uterus, and practitioner references (Mills and Bone; Hoffmann; Herbal Reality) retain this supervised use. However, because it is a uterine-active (uterotropic) agent and robust modern human safety data are lacking, general references (Drugs.com; RxList; WebMD) advise that it is possibly unsafe and should not be self-administered in pregnancy. Do not use in pregnancy without the guidance of a qualified herbalist or physician.
Insufficient data; use only under professional supervision. There are no adequate studies of black haw during lactation, and standard references advise it be taken in pregnancy or breastfeeding only under the supervision of a medical herbalist. Prefer a better-documented remedy if one will serve. Sources: Herbal Reality; Drugs.com.
Not established; avoid in young children. There are no formal pediatric safety data and the bark is not traditionally given to children in medicinal doses. If a uterine or antispasmodic action is genuinely needed in an adolescent, use only under professional guidance. Sources: precautionary practice; Drugs.com (no pediatric data).
Contains oxalic acid, so it is cautioned in those with a history of oxalate kidney stones (though the oxalates are largely water-insoluble, which limits absorption). Contains salicin and salicylates, so it may cross-react in aspirin-sensitive individuals. Very large doses have historically been reported to cause dry mouth, headache, and visual disturbance. Because it acts on the uterus, it is not for casual self-use in pregnancy (see pregnancy field).
Known aspirin or salicylate hypersensitivity; history of oxalate (calcium-oxalate) kidney stones; pregnancy and lactation except under qualified supervision (see safety fields). Frank cold-deficiency and dryness states are relative constitutional contraindications.
Not currently listed on the United Plant Savers At-Risk or To-Watch lists. Black haw is a common, widespread native shrub or small tree of eastern North American woods and hedgerows. The chief sustainability concern is the harvest method: stripping root bark kills the plant, so prefer stem and trunk bark taken from pruned or coppiced growth, or cultivated and ethically wildcrafted material, and never girdle a standing shrub. Watch also for substitution pressure on its relative cramp bark (Viburnum opulus).
Not named in canonical Scripture; native to eastern and central North America. Its medicinal use descends from Native American practice (used by peoples including the Catawba and others as a women's and antispasmodic remedy) and was taken up and made famous by the nineteenth-century Eclectic and physio-medical physicians, being documented in King's American Dispensatory and Ellingwood. It is a New World materia medica plant rather than a herb of the ancient Mediterranean or biblical world.
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