WITCH HAZEL Alternative names: Spotted alder, winterbloom, snapping hazelnut, tobacco wood HOW TO IDENTIFY: This flowering shrub is most recognizable by its yellow spider-like flowers, which bloom on bare branches in the autumn. HISTORY: The name witch hazel doesn’t actually have anything to do with witches! It is believed to come from the old English “wice”, “wicke” or “wiche”, meaning bendable or pliant. European settlers were shown how to use witch hazel sticks to dowse for underground water by the indigenous American Mohegan tribe. In the 1950s, the American botanist Donald Peattie wrote in A Natural History of North American Trees that naturally Y-shaped branches would be chosen, those “whose points grew north and south so that they had the influence of the sun at its rising and setting, and you carried it with a point in each hand, the stem pointing forward. Any downward tug of the stem was caused by the flow of hidden water”. Witch hazel was one of the first plants chosen for ornamental use in private botanical gardens as early as the seventeenth century, but it isn’t clear exactly who brought it to Britain. By the eighteenth century, it was one of many American plants that had become fashionable among British garden circles. In 1846, pharmacist Theron T. Pond learned about the benefits of distilled witch hazel extract from indigenous Americans living around New York. He went on to use it as an ingredient in Pond’s cold cream and to establish a very successful cosmetics company. FOLKLORE: Many modern witches consider witch hazel a magical herb and use it to heal broken hearts. Some believe tea made from witch hazel leaves and bark will heighten occult powers, while amulets made from witch hazel wood can be carried as protection against evil spirits. FOLK MEDICINE: The Osage tribe of North America use witch hazel bark to treat sores and skin ulcers. The Iroquois brew a tea to treat coughs, colds and dysentery, and the Potawatomi steam the twigs over hot rocks in their sweat lodges to soothe sore muscles. In the 1830s, an astringent ointment for haemorrhoids could be purchased in pharmacies consisting of equal parts witch hazel, white oak and sweet apple bark. OTHER COMMON USES: Because of its natural astringent properties, witch hazel is still in use for many minor skin ailments; it eases razor burn after shaving, speeds up the healing of bruises, soothes eczema, cools sunburn, reduces itching from insect bites and even eases the itching and pain from haemorrhoids. WITCH HAZEL DEODORANT Distilled from the bark and twigs, witch hazel water is a tried-and-tested skin friendly ingredient and is widely available in chemists. Clove oil calms irritated skin, coriander oil has deodorizing properties, lavender oil is anti-inflammatory, lemon and lime oils reduce body odour and palmarosa oil is antibacterial – combined, this homemade deodorant smells amazing! INGREDIENTS 90 ml distilled witch hazel 10 ml vegetable glycerine 2 drops clove essential oil 2 drops coriander essential oil 2 drops lavender oil 10 drops lemon essential oil 5 drops lime essential oil 5 drops palmarosa essential oil Equipment needed Sterilized 100-ml bottle fitted with an atomizer spray METHOD Mix all ingredients together in a small jug and pour into the bottle. Tightly screw on the atomizer lid and shake well before use. Will keep for up to six months. Always do a patch test.