What is spicebush used for?
In fact, Spicebush has been used to flavor tea, pastries, jams, main courses, and even perfumes. American settlers used the dried bark in place of cinnamon. Native Americans used various parts of the plant for medicinal purposes. Indigenous American people utilized spicebush for various medicinal purposes and brewed its twigs and leaves into teas. The shrub’s bright red berries, maturing in late summer, are a food source for over 20 species of birds, including wood thrushes.The entire Spicebush plant smells great and can be used in cooking and more. It’s aromatic and peppery and smells very similar to allspice, but the best part are the berries. If you pick them in the early summer they are green and have a flavor a little closer to black pepper.Use the fresh leaves in a cold water infusion or sun tea by crushing and soaking for 2–6 hours. Strain the leaves and sweeten with honey, if desired. Grind spicebush berries from female plants in autumn and use to flavor sweet and savory dishes. They work well in marinades, rubs, and dipping sauces.Drop them into a simmering stew, or place them in a jar of sugar; they will imbue both with their citrusy aroma. A fermented cordial of late-winter spicebush twigs and apples is a treat. Early spring’s little yellow flowers are a delightful raw ingredient, tasting mildly of the fruit to come.
Is spicebush tea safe to drink?
Native garden enthusiasts refer to spicebush as our native forsythia. Historically, spicebush was made into medicinal tea for treating a variety of ailments, and some people still drink spicebush tea just to enjoy it. To make spicebush tea, chop up some of the early flowers, twig tips, leaves, or bark. Spicebush berries have one of my favorite flavors of the wild because their complex flavor really holds its own when used in baked goods. This brilliant red berry adds the unmistakable zing of fresh orange peel, along with notes of cinnamon, allspice, and even a hint of nutmeg!If you’ve never tried Spicebush before, at first you’ll think it’s medicinal — soapy almost — but it does have a kind of spicy, citrusy flavor, which is really unique, I think. Actually […] if you save the berry and dry it, they used that in the place of allspice in the Colonial times.Spicebushes are great for borders, for color in shade or part-shade gardens, and up against house foundations in front gardens.Spicebush (Lindera benzoin) can be planted as a border shrub in shade or woodland gardens, naturalized areas, rain gardens, and along streams or ponds. Named for the sweet, spicy fragrance when the twigs, leaves, or fruit are crushed, spicebush is native to the eastern United States.
Can you eat spicebush berries?
The leaves, twigs, and berries can all be used. The Iroquois and Ojibwa tribes of North America considered the spicebush berries as two dissimilar seasonings. They would separate the seeds of the berries from the pulp and skins. The pulp and skins would be used as an allspice-type flavor. Spicebush is a fast-growing deciduous shrub. It has a broad, rounded habit and grows 6 to 12 feet high and wide.The spicebush’s reward is its flavor, yes, but so is its mystery and potential. The ground, dried berries have sharp notes of citrus zest, pine resin, and fruity black pepper. The more I use it, the more I love it. You’ll spy spicebush growing on tree-lined roadsides and shady, richly forested hiking trails aplenty.This spicy beverage had medicinal qualities as well. It was used to reduce fever, to relieve colds and dysentery, and to destroy intestinal parasites. After a long winter, pioneers often made a “spring tonic” of spicebush tea. The aroma of spicebush’s crushed leaves or broken twigs make it easy to identify.
Why is it called spicebush?
The name spicebush is in reference to the pleasant spicy aroma of its crushed leaves, stems or fruits. The twigs and foliage are not so spicy that they always deter browse from white-tailed deer, although they are certainly not their preferred food. And a number of mammals also eat the leaves and twigs of spicebush. And they are edible for humans too!
Where is the best place to plant a spicebush?
Spicebush (Lindera benzoin) can be planted as a border shrub in shade or woodland gardens, naturalized areas, rain gardens, and along streams or ponds. Named for the sweet, spicy fragrance when the twigs, leaves, or fruit are crushed, spicebush is native to the eastern United States. Lindera benzoin (commonly called spicebush, common spicebush, northern spicebush, wild allspice, or Benjamin bush) is a shrub in the laurel family.Lindera is a genus of about 80–100 species of flowering plants in the family Lauraceae, mostly native to eastern Asia but with three species in eastern North America. The species are shrubs and small trees; common names include spicewood, spicebush, and Benjamin bush.