When I was a child about 3 or 4, my grandmother would put sweetgum bark in a jar and have my dad buy some good whiskey which she poured in the jar and let it sit for several weeks...the alcohol drew out the medicinal properties and she would mix a little of it with lemon juice and a little sugar and give it to me when I had chest colds, which I did each winter...she was part Cherokee and knew so many ways to heal..
@@bonsummers2657 Prove---Viruses are caused by dairy and starches. Links, citing Scientific data please --- instead of a blanket statement! What planet are you from ?
God said, look, I have given you every herb yielding seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed;..... God is good!❤
@@crabbinmoose8583 this is somewhat unrelated, but I always love pulling this quote out when other Christian’s have issues with narcotic plants like marijuana, even opium poppies. If God’s word is absolute, which it is according to the doctrine, then why would any plants be an exception to his word? He didn’t say “I gave you all plants except X, Y, and Z; those are bad”. He said *all* plants bearing seeds.
Ditto on basically every comment!!! I’m 60 and all my life I thought they were a nuisance tree and dreaded cleaning them up. Why are we not taught stuff like this in school as kids. I’ve also learned about Mimosa trees medicinal properties too and now am learning about Mullein and stinging Nettles. I’m hooked on learning these age old uses for our ailments seeing how I’ve lost all faith in the pharmaceutical industry after 2020. Especially after Rockefeller destroyed our earthly natural medicines were scrubbed for dangerous petroleum products to replace them with synthetic drugs that keep us sick.
I can vouch for Stinging Nettle. It dries up a head cold in two whole plant capsules. I gave up on pharma meds also. We are not taught this in school because they want us dumbed down.
Well you are way ahead of me because I just gave up on the medical industry in 2019. Because honestly they tried to kill me when I was in the hospital for the umpteenth time (after a major seizure). I had been going for an issue for 10 years. They couldn't ever find anything prior to that, then told me I was an epileptic put me on dangerous pharmakia and said "it's all in your head" and sent me to a shrink. I thank the Lord for letting me finally see the truth and kick them to the curb!
1. Gumballs placed/piled around the base of hostas discourage slugs from climbing up and eating holes in the plant. 2. Dry, brown gumballs can be used in a campfire or even indoor fireplace..they flame up, then remain for a long time as small coals. 3. As a child, we would spray with paint and sprinkle glitter on gumballs to make pretty little ornaments for our indoor and our outdoor Christmas trees.
@@stacystepp7914 great ! we used a chopstick inserted into the gumball to hold them while spray painting. Brown ones sprayed with clear acrylic make gorgeous wreaths.. have fun 🌷
I've always seen the gum tree as a pain, you have opened up my understanding that it just may relieve the pain of my ills, at 70 you can teach an old dog a new formula for natural health 😊
Same here, I have two of the biggest gum trees I have ever seen in my yard ( i don't think two big grown men could get their arms around the trunk) gladly they are not close toy house. They seem to always have broken limbs falling out the tree and those damn gun balls get stuck in the pulley of my lawnmower and pops the belt off.
@@zzbudzzThose gum balls kill the grass and once the ground gets wet walking across them on a hill is dangerous. I refuse to service a yard with them unless the owner pays for a clean up first.
I have been an Herbalist for over 24 years and when I make my tinctures I always try to put them in on a full moon and take them off on the following full moon. I have always found doing this always produces a stronger tincture. Thank you for this info on the uses of sweetgum!
@@kakea8403 yes thank you… the moon is powerful as is the sun and all of the planets❤ I moved to ETX 7 years ago..had no idea I was moving into a big medicine cabinet….😂😂😂
@barbarawest985 with drugs like thinners and heart meds always consult a professional to make sure it won't interact or further thin your blood. If possible, find a doctor who will work with you, there are a few. Research every herb before combining with your meds. Herbs like Cayenne pepper will increase the strength of other herbs and some meds for instance.
when you cut into any tree, once you are done using it as a resource you can cover its wound with mud to help it stay protected while it heals! I learned this from Dave Canterbury, but as he says there's not much new in the world of bushcraft, so this method has probably been used for a very long time!
I found your site a few weeks ago. I'm a 70 year retired and a field biologist educated at Delta State University. I like your presentation and the information is great. Thanks
Field biologist sounds really interesting. What did you do? I kinda hate my current profession and if entry isn't too onerous, I might just switch over. Very interested in working outdoors.
My brother, I just want to say thank you. Thank you for the work you do, and for this channel! There is nothing more valuable than knowledge; especially so when it comes to our health. I showed my father this video and he couldn’t believe that gum trees were so useful. We just assumed it was a junk tree as well! You can clearly see that you’re only in this business of spreading knowledge for one reason: to proliferate that knowledge of medicinal plants. No needless profiteering of the material, no courses being sold for the in depth info, no hokey-pokey BS, just concise, clear, and consequential learning! The world needs more people like you, so thank you again for all the hard work and dedication to spreading awareness of the majesty and utility of nature.
I am a great grandmother . As a child my father would notch the sweet gum trees I our woods . As the sap oozed and started to firm up he’d cut it off the tree and give it to us ( his children) as a treat.
Thank you so much for educating us on the Sweet Gum Tree. I have spent many years raking up the sweet gum balls from our yard (several wheel barrow loads each winter) and had no idea they are part of God's healing gift to us. We had to cut down two humongous Sweet Gum Trees because they were dropping limbs and we were afraid the trees were going to fall on the house in a hurricane. We still have plenty around the perimeter of our yard and in the forest that surrounds our home. We have so many of the plants and trees that you have talked about in your videos. I truly appreciate you and the work you have put into these videos and your book.
You saved our tree! I was wanting to cut it down but my husband was hesitant and now I don't want to cut it down! I SO appreciate you showing how to use locally grown plants. It is a NEEDED subject. We always think the plants from elsewhere or bought from a well know herb supplier is the best. I learned alot from your free guide, thank you! Will you be doing more classes?
Just wanted you to know I appreciate you. I'm an old country boy born in 65 raised in the Carolina swamps. I'm grateful for the history. Now you grabbed my attention with the ivory billed woodpecker? Please, elaborate in a video your knowledge of this bird. Because, as a boy growing up like where the red fern grows, I believe I saw one. But, that would have been in like 1979.
I live in Georgia in a wooded area and we have several pilleated woodpeckers living in our area. The ivory billed which looked very similar is extinct.You can hear the pilleated more than see them. They make a hammering sound in the woods, very loud. They are very large woodpeckers.
In Australia and New Zealand, gum tree always refers to one of a number of Australian eucalypts. The gum tree you are talking about is called a liquid ambar, fast growing and best kept away from housing because its invasive roots quickly take over drainage systems!
Too late! The roots had to be removed from the outdoor drainage pipes. My husband at the time loved trees and let nearly every "free" plant have a home on 1/4 acre. There were three Sweet Gum trees when we married; two had to be cut, but every year there are many, many sprouts! The oldest in the front yard is nice looking but has some internal disease that weakens or dries the limbs---had two limbs fall during big wind and they were 7" in diameter but so light weight I could move them easily.
When our neighbor had her sweet gum tree removed we got a truck load of the wood chips and used it as mulch and freshen trails through our native plants area. Quite a few seedlings appeared and neighbors told me not to let them grow because of the balls being a nuisance, so I dug up a few and planted them in a local park that was overrun with many invasive plants. I kept one near our mail box and keep it small and as a trellis for a native honeysuckle vine. After seeing this video I’m glad I have a use for the leaves each time I cut it back. Thx.
Thank you for such an informative video ! I’m so grateful to have had family teach me about living off the land as a little girl. My grandfather, a Jack of all trades, harvested pine sap into clay cups to sell for turpentine production. Fortunately, I have saved and use many of those beautiful old cups to line a garden path. My mother, a Great Depression survivor, said she and her friends substituted sweet gum sap for chewing gum when they could afford none. I don’t think they knew about the medicinal uses however. And we must not overlook the ruby red beauty of this tree in the fall, good for the soul!
The color must have to do with the soil, as the ones in town are incredible, but ours only had green and yellow leaves in the fall. Only one time did it have orange and red. You are lucky to be able to see such a beautiful Red in Autumn.
Wonderful video. You have become my favorite to watch when it comes to herbalist type content. One because we live in the same state but also because your not like all the others that want to charge you an arm and a leg to teach you about the ways to break things down into tinctures and teas. Yes it's ok to teach paid for classes that get really in depth but it's great just to be able to learn the basics for free. Thank you so much for letting me learn something new on a daily.
Learn Your Land is Adam Haridan's channel in Pennsylvania. He's really informative also on the identification of the forest trees, plants and mushrooms.
We have 4 of these on our property that are all 30-100 years of age. Tons of these gumballs in the yard. We have been making a tincture for flu prevention, using them in garden areas for slug repellents, etc.
I made my first sweet gum tincture from my own tree a few months ago. I've twice taken it when I've felt the onset of a cold, and both times symptoms were gone within 24 hrs. I've also put sweet gum tincture in my first batch of elderberry syrup this season. I'm super excited!
Like several other comments, I have grumbled my way thru fall and the annoying gumballs in my back yard. Never had a clue as to why anyone would plant them in a suburban neighborhood! I will look with more favor on this gift of nature, and thank you for a very educational video.
As a kid, we used to call it a gumball or sycamore tree. Every year we would rake the dried balls and use it as a filler in our parking space on the property. Never knew it was medicinal. I think my grandmother would have appreciated it even more than she did.
That could have been sycamore, which looks a bit similar and also medicinal. The bark on sycamore falls off on it's own and is helpful for poison ivy itching.
Thankyou for your videos. I remember as a little girl my Grand Daddy using the gumballs and leaves for medicine. Also he would sell the gumballs to Florist along with his beautiful glads
My granddaddy, born in 1911 in South Alabama, told me that when he was young the old folks used sweet gum twigs both to clean teeth & to roll in a tin of snuff, then keep that in their mouths. His grandma had lost most of her teeth & he used to chew a twig for her to dip in snuff.
Grandmother used willow twigs to brush her snuff. She used red seal. When she sent me to the store, she would tell me to look for the red dove on the lid. She had all her teeth when she died.
My family lives an hour southwest of Augusta, GA, and we have many large sweet gum trees on our property, one of which has had a wood pecker feeding from it for the entire twenty years that we've lived on the property; I'm not sure of the species, but it's fairly large, looks black and white from ground level when it's in flight, and it also feeds from a large black gum tupelo tree that's also on our property.
I am from deep southern Louisiana and have a ton of these on my place - in the dryer areas and near the swamp too - I found a injured tree yesterday with beautiful healthy delicious smelling sap flowing out . Just from the smell I knew it must be something edible or medicinal. Thank you so much for your style of videos - extremely good for ID , education , history AND uses. When I am done my regular school classes I’m gonna take yours in your website to really help my homestead skills.
Lol, don’t go barefoot. I used to have one in my backyard. It was a twin tree and my kids love to play with them, but they are sharp little stickers. I can remember helping my grandma collect the sap, but she never injured a tree to collect it. She just collected whatever naturally leaked out and she started a little can in her medicine box.
My mom had several of these in a corner of her backyard. A twin one broke off at the base in a storm and fell completely thru the middle of her house. Took an extremely long time to repair and the house was only a couple of years old.
My grandmother called those trees Mohawk, and my neighbor who was born in the 1800's called them Apollo Trees. I heard a 4th name for them but I cant remember it. My neighbors had a fantastic 1930s International Style house and all the interior walls were gum wood, they glowed like honey held up in the sun. I sure wish the Ivory Bill was still around but if you see the videos of them they were very friendly to humans, too friendly. So I dont know why they would suddenly be evasive for 80 years.
Had this tree In our yard as a kid. Dad gave us a quarter per bucket of the Sweetgum balls. I also made small Christmas trees by putting toothpicks in the holes of the balls, stacking like a tree and spray painting. Good table decoration.
When I was a kid my dad taught me to gather up sweet gum balls in a pile and burn them and create really hot coals then we would catch fish pack them in gumbo mud and place them in the hot coals when the gumbo turned almost white we would take it out of the fire and score along the edge of the gumbo cracking open the inside of the gumbo and the fish would be steamed cooked and usually the scales or the skin would protect the meat from the dirt and you could pull the bones right out add salt and pepper and eat it. It was great for survival and another tool to throw in your survival bag
I have those woodpeckers here in my yard they always hang out on my Gumtree!! Honestly, I hate the gumball trees because I love walking around barefoot, now, I think I fell in love with my Gumball tree!! Thanks Hunter!!
Its Used in TCM- BAI JIAO XIANG its used as a a Blood moving herb aka emmenagogue, though it is used for things you listed ( expect colds flu aka wind evils) STYRAX or SU HE XIANG is also used in TCM. My Teacher Taught that STYRAX is made with a different Resin. The fruit or LU LU TONG is used as well. It's a POWERFUL Blood and QI mover and disperses wind cold damp- all these contribute to PAIN in TCM. It can induce TACHYCARDIA or palpitations in some ( Chinese Genus) Love what your doing here! Great to see local herbs that can be used in a TCM model.
They supposedly have been spotted here in Louisiana, I don’t know if it’s the Ivory Bill they have seen or if it’s the Pileated Woodpecker. We have several patches of old growth trees which they prefer. Thank you for this great information!
Thanks for an informative lesson, Matthew. My undergraduate degree is in Botany, so I do enjoy your video posts. I particularly like that you explain the meaning and origins of the binomial nomenclature. As to the medicinal uses of the sweet gum, I had no idea. I should have gone to graduate school. Previous to this information, the only thing that came to mind with mention of this tree is that it is a bear to split for firewood. For those that don't know, the grain of the wood is not straight, which makes it extremely difficult to split with an axe. You are going to want a hydraulic log splitter.
I live in west central Alabama literally in the middle of nowhere way back in the woods... I've lived here all my life and I can promise you that the ivory-billed woodpecker is most definitely absolutely not extinct lol they're literally everywhere at least in west central Alabama. and no I'm not a dummy I'm not confusing the pileated woodpecker for the ivory-billed. I'm seriously like the literal definition of a country girl lol I grew up in these woods playing, hunting & fishing since I was old enough to walk.
All my neighbors have cut down their sweet gums bc they find them annoying. My yard didn't have any but I will be keeping an eye out for one to transplant. I prefer trees and birds over a pristine mowed yard. 😊 Love that I can educate them on it's medicinal powers now. Thank you..I subscribed immediately.
Thanks Matthew, it is great that you site the importance of this tree for wildlife, strangely enough so many other trees that are considered "trash trees" are very important for migrating flocks. Like the Cherry Laurel.
Thanks for sharing all this knowledge! I’ve made the tincture from tulip tree bark for my arthritis. Praise the Lord, it works!!!! Next I’ll make the sweet gum medicine next. God bless you sir!
Thank you for this info! I never understood why my neighbors hated sweet gum trees so much. I sensed something was special about them and I was fascinated with the star shape of their seed pods. I'm so happy to now know what I must have been sensing...they are profound healers and my two in the front yard are almost 100 years old!
this tree has the look of a maple tree. i have one in my front yard, and i'll have to go and ID it correctly today. it wasn,t until you mentioned the woodpecker, this tree had numerous woodpecker holes in it , so the woodpecker has ID'd my sweetgum tree LOL
So glad I found your channel and hearing you talk about Tommie Bass and Daryl Patton. I have heard Daryl speak many times and always learn something. His book is invaluable. Looking forward to seeing your other videos.
I wanted to comment the day this aired but you know...life . My Mamaw also called this the toothbrush tree because as a girl they used the sweet gum tree for teeth cleaning. She showed me how. And she would chew the "gum" just for fun😊. I'm enjoying your videos
Phenomenal video, thank you. We moved to SC and have several Sweetgum trees. Also, I've seen the Pilated woodpeckers, not sure if that is the Ivory Billed??? They have a very loud call, sounds like a call a Native Indian may have used years ago. You have an incredible wealth of knowledge and would love to meet up with you if you're anywhere around my neck of the woods. We're way out in the country NW of Walterboro in a small town. Originally, my husband and I lived up North, however, we decided to make our home out here since April of 2022, where the climate is more suitable to our liking. Unfortunately, one year after we moved here my husband became very sick with a rare leukemia and sadly he is now on home hospice....I've been diligently, and lovingly, caring for him during his final stages, so needless to say have very little time to put into myself and my great love for nature and all it's goodness. I had previously started a couple of large gardens and managed to make one tincture but had to let everything go.....Sadly, he as nearing the final stage and my focus is caring for him, it is all consuming now but eventually I will have time to invest in my life. I've always been fascinated with GOD'S nature and all the incredible uses for plants, trees, flowers, herbs, and even weeds. I will be searching for like minded friends that share the same interests as I, GOD willing!
I have two sweetgum trees in my yard. I curse the mess they make but now I'm motivated to try to make use of them. Will give your recipes a try. Thanks!
I have a giant specimen in my front yard. It is about 4 feet in diameter at the base of the trunk and probable 65 to 70 feet tall. It is putting on gumballs right now and I think that I'll have to collect some tomorrow. I knew that I bought the bottle of everclear for something.
The bark and trunks of Sweet Gum and Maple trees are very different. It is just as easy to identify a tree by its trunk and canopy as from the leaves. I was taught as a young girl how to do so by my father.
Thank you , wonderful video . I don 't remember if you mentioned that the reason most people ( at least East Texas ) keep the tree is it is a wonderful fast growing shade tree . I always liked it's scent.
Unless there’s another red-headed woodpecker that looks like the endangered one… we have two of them that hang around our yard on a near-daily basis here in central AR. And they come back year after year. If you can’t find them where you are, you’re welcome to come see ours. ✌🏼
The key way to identify your birds is their ivory bill. The much more common Pileated Woodpecker has a darker, almost black bill. The other thing is size, but that is relative. I sure hope you have the Ivory-Billed in your yard. Many people would love to share "a peek."
@@5x535 Thanks! They rarely get so close I can see the bill, but I’ll keep an eye out. The ones that come around here are maybe 20% larger than a pigeon.
I live in Southeastern Mississippi. We actually have about three pairs of these woodpeckers on our property. we call them Indian Hens I don't know where that otiginated. We hear them often, see them rarely. We see them most when the popcorn tree is blooming. They love them!! I really enjoy your videos. Educational and you are easy to listen to.
Went fishing the other day and there is a big old pile of Osage orange laying in the road and I go oh my goodness those are valuable while I was driving I saw sweet gum balls and I wondered what they're good for well, 1:14 here you go
Interesting! We have a gigantic gumball tree in our backyard. I love the tree because the birds love it and I saw a couple of squirrel nest up there, I never had much love for the gumballs all over the yard and the trampoline...until today. I would never cut into the bark and hurt that beautiful tree, but I will pull some of the immature gumballs from the low hanging branches to try the tinkture.
Thanks for a very informative and thorough video. I love that you mentioned Tommie Bass and Darryl Patton. I have wayyyy too many sweetgum trees so I will be trying these methods as well. ❤
Where may I buy the sweet gum sap? I was able to find the green sweet gum balls. Also, one of the better, complete and more informative videos I've seen!!
I was gathering sweet gum yesterday to make a tincture. I love that there a couple other uses from this tree. Thanks for sharing your knowledge. I enjoy all your videos.
This is awesome!! I have been looking for herbal information for plants in southeastern Texas and yes, this grows here. I am so happy to have found you, because I know my northern European herbs but not much here in Texas. I am subscribing to your channel!!❤❤
When cov -19 came to visit, so did the sweet gum trees medicinal values, it was a very eye opening/spiritual experience. Also when the small side branches are chewed lightly at the end creating a bristle/brush it makes a great toothbrush. Thank you for great work
I'm from S.E. Michigan, Zone 5, and when I Googled sweetgum, it said that they are not native to my area but can be grown here. Thanks so much for this great video!
I have 3 large sweetgum trees in my backyard. Have decided to have them cut down. The sweetgum balls are hard to get up even on riding mower. Maybe I need to rethink my decision. Oh, I've seen and heard many red-headed woodpeckers tap tap tapping in the trees. Thank you for giving information on the medical uses of the trees.
I use gumballs to mulch my flower garden to keep the critters out, while serving as a weed barrier of sorts. Now, I'll be checking out the others uses posted here. Thanks for sharing your knowledge. We can never know too much.
After I’ve collected what I need, I like to brush the area I cut off with liquid paraffin to seal it off until it heals. Thanks for another awesome video!!
Hi Matthew, I love to watch your videos. Very professional and informative. You mentioned the ivory billed woodpecker. I live in northeast Mississippi and just this week saw this woodpecker in my front yard checking out a dead pine tree. We hear their calls just about every day. Here we call them Indian Hens. They are fairly large and beautiful birds.
They always have beautiful fall foliage, at least around here, ranging from yellow through orange and red, so an almost black. I think people consider them trash trees becauee they're messy and the seed balls can be a hazard. Coming to a stop in winter on a street littered with those things is dangerous.
Awesome video! I’ve grown up around the sweet gum , but never knew about its medicinal properties. Scraping the bark to harvest, the sap will definitely not hurt the tree. I’ve seen some sweet gums that have been cut down to the stump and still keep growing. It is A very resilient tree
Im on a large parcel of woods in eastern sc and i have had a heart for reasons trees, plants,flowers are needed. And with this video here , i thank you for the exceptional information on the sweet gum. Now i know what i am to do. Thank you and will be patiently waiting for more wonderful information you have to teach to us. Your very blessed.
Saw a pair of ivory billed , definitely not the pleated which I still see from time to time, maybe 15 to 20 years ago back when a lot of us still had flip phones which I don't think they had a built in camera. Watched them from my truck for a long time, they were going crazy after grubs in a dead hollowed out standing tree they were so strikingly beautiful. This was in Conroe Texas believe it or not right when you come through a bunch of woods into Lowe's and Sam's parking lot. Wish I would have had my camera phone then that I have today.
If you knew the real history of the "extinction" of the ivory billed wood peckers and the search for remaining populations then you wouldnt cauually claim seeing one. And unless youve got some deep old growth cypress property with the right volume of dead trees then you wouldnt have any. Youve got a better chance of being visited by two flying saucers from another solsr system rather than seeing ivory billed wood peckers.
We have three of these on our property. I've always disliked having the balls rolling around under my feet. Nice to know they are good for something! I will use your tincture recipe. And yes, I have had those big woodpeckers in my trees though I haven't seen one in quite a while. Thank you!
That's how I used to feel about mimosa trees. Dadgum things are so invasive, but when I found out you can use the little puff balls as a mild sedative, it completely changed my attitude.
