betula lenta

action	anthelmintic, antidiarrheal, astringent, blood cleanser, diuretic, parasiticide, stimulant, tonic
body	skin
common name	birch, black birch, cherry birch, mahogany birch, mountain mahogany, spice birch, sweet birch
family	betulaceae
indigenous use	appalachian, cherokee, chippewa, iroquois, mohegan
range	allegheny portage railroad national hist, blue ridge parkway, catoctin mountain park, chesapeake and ohio canal, chickamauga & chattanooga, cumberland gap national historic park, cuyahoga valley national recreation area, fort necessity national battlefield, frederick law olmsted national historic, friendship hill national historic site, gettysburg national military park, great smoky mountains national park, harpers ferry national historic park, hopewell furnace national historic site, johnstone flood national memorial, mammoth cave national park, morristown national historic park, national capital park - central, obed wild & scenic river, roosevelt vanderbilt nat. hist. site, saint-gaudens national historic site, saratoga national historic park, shenandoah national park, us
use	medicine, scald, tea
used to treat	boils, burns, chafing, cold, common cold, depurative, diarrhea, dysentery, gastro-intestinal disturbances, gout, intestinal worms, orthopedic ailments, pulmonary ailments, rheumatism, sciatica, urinary ailments, women's ailments, wounds
comments	Leaf tea is used for urinary ailments and to expel intestinal worms. A tea made from the inner bark makes a good mouthwash, and taken internally is good for diarrhea, rheumatism, and boils. An oil similar to oil of wintergreen can be distilled from the inner bark and twigs.