tulip poplar is a very pretty tree from the magnolia family. the bark has slightly different energetics depending on what time of year the bark is harvested. this past spring i found a youngish tulip poplar that had been blown over in a storm. what luck! i had wanted to add this remedy to my collection for several years but i do not cut bark off of live, healthy trees. i stripped the bark while it was fresh and tinctured it in 1/3 grain 2/3 vodka. because it was nice and early in the season, the bark has a bit of sweetness to it. it's acrid and it is a bitter, but is less bitter in spring than it would be in summer or fall.

RECOVERY FROM SERIOUS ILLNESS
the most specific indication that i know for tulip poplar bark is that it helps people get stronger after serious illness has worn them down. it is an excellent digestive tonic. it was once used as a quinine substitute for malaria, which famously causes bad fevers and trembling that wear out the autonomic nervous system. any time there is extended exhaustion and trembling (let alone fever), digestive reflexes tend to become strongly disrupted. this can extend into the cardiovascular system and cause undue stress on the heart and vessels. native americans in particular used tulip poplar bark very extensively and one of their most prominent uses was as a trusted heart tonic.

the energetics of tulip poplar are important.
herbal academy has a nice definition of acrid herbs:
'acrid herbs have an irritating sensation in the mouth and are often analgesic and antispasmodic'

acrid herbs can return appropriate tension to the autonomic nervous system. and while some acrid herbs can definitely cause an 'irritating' sensation in the mouth (lobelia) it's not always so forward (black cohosh). herbal actions begin with tasting the herb. your nervous system begins to respond before you've even swallowed your remedy. acrid remedies are important because they can truly 'correct' settings that have gone awry from the stress and strife of serious illness or trauma. they are both stimulating and deeply relaxing- and as mentioned they do typically have some degree of pain support in them. tulip poplar does contain some salicylates, which is the active ingredient in aspirin. if you have aspirin allergies, tulip poplar would be contraindicated for you.

poplar bark is almost always taken in a larger formula. it was commonly taken with orange peel and other milder digestive tonics + bitters. i'd be glad to make you a custom remedy if you're interested.

this would also be a great companion tincture (as a .5oz) for my balance blend tincture (reishi, holy basil krishna, ashwagandha) which is fine to dose more liberally. add 1-5 drops of tulip poplar for every dropper full of balance blend.

a case study:
tulip poplar bark is not en vogue and has not been for a long while. there aren’t many sources out there talking about tulip poplar bark. i do have a case study that is worth mentioning. there was a situation where a client with a complicated and rare health condition periodically experienced POTS symptoms due to iron infusions. there were significant heart arrhythmias that were distressing, but the doctors considered them nonthreatening. there was fainting and weakness. there was low blood pressure and very weak/nonresponsive digestive reflexes. it would last for a couple weeks after an iron infusion.

they were sensitive, so we started very minimally with some motherwort, as the heart arrhythmias were very agitating and they wanted support but were nervous about making it worse. motherwort helped the heart arrhythmias a little bit, but seemed to only take the edge off. we added stone root, which is *excellent* for astringing lax blood flow in the lower body, which shows up in complex and distressing presentations elsewhere. stone root helped the fainting, weakness and low BP significantly. this is when i started really deep diving into stone root, which has been huge for POTS type presentations. i have not read about anyone else using stone root this way and it is really important. we have more POTS now than ever. it’s mostly a female condition and it’s often very debilitating and demoralizing.

i digress-
they were starting to even out, but there were still some abdominal/digestive discomforts. the heart was much better, but still feeling fluttery. it seemed like we needed to ‘bridge’ the lower body adjustments with the heart center support. i had read in a very old book that tulip poplar bark was once used as a heart tonic, as well as a digestive tonic. i added tulip poplar bark into the blend. it was the perfect synergist to adjust the imbalanced neurovascular tension- plus it’s specific for toning up digestion after prolonged convalescence. it worked really well! we started doing low-moderate doses leading up to the iron infusions. then we did stiff doses several times a day through the worst of it.

i have not had clients who have been formally diagnosed with POTS, but i have had clients that suspected POTS. i think this formula is a very reasonable consideration for supporting root issues in this kind of imbalance. i’m always glad to do deep dives for people in complicated situations.

i consult for free for your safety and benefit! please feel free to reach out any time with questions, an outline of your health situation or inquiries for custom remedies. blessings!

the tincture is wrapped in paper and boxed with a thank you note that includes dosage parameters and a way to contact me if you have questions.

store tinctures out of direct sunlight and at moderate room temperatures. it does not hurt to refrigerate them but is not necessary.

you can put tinctures directly in your mouth. no need to put them under the tongue. follow with a glass of water for good assimilation. many tinctures should be given a good shake before dosing. i would be happy to offer appropriate dosage considering your personal situation. if you message me i can give you more specific dosage guidelines and expectations for what the remedy can do for you and how long it should take to see results. if you chose the remedy on your own without a consultation first, i will be honest as to whether you can expect the results you're looking for or not. sometimes we need a few moving parts to get the job done. i consult for free for your safety and benefit. i have a 'custom remedy' option so you can try tiny sizes of a regimen if you'd like. just because you may need a few moving parts doesn't mean getting what you need will become unaffordable. many of my clients are low income and i will gladly work within any budget.