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Cooperative Extension Service |
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Agricultural
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Dale Bumpers College
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In the News - October 2009
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| Black walnuts are prized for their flavor and medicinal properties.
(Photo by Norbert Frank, University of West Hungary) |
BENTONVILLE, Ark. - A recent phone call to Uncle Ray, rather than the other way around, began like this, "Uncle Ray, I seem to remember a black magic cure the family used to control ringworm infections." He didn't waste time to correct me, "It wasn't black magic! It was black walnut!"
Prized for its dark, durable wood, the black walnut itself provides a small income source for individuals and youth groups during the fall harvest. Gathered by the tons, black walnuts are hauled to selected sites where they are: hulled, shipped, shelled, graded, packaged and reshipped across the country.
A flavor cherished by many, the black walnut is used in numerous food items ranging from brownies to ice cream. Like other fruits and nuts, the health and nutritional benefits of black walnut have been well documented.
The black walnut tree is extremely drought resistant, opting to lose its leaves rather than its life when stressed, providing potential for some fairly ancient trees.
Possibly the top-rated multi-purpose tree, in addition to its wood and nut kernels, a beneficial purpose of basically every component of the black walnut has been discovered including food, engineering, and medicinal uses. That brings me back to Uncle Ray and ringworm infections.
My ancestors, and possibly yours, were aware of medicinal uses of various plants long before professional medicine became an almost daily obsession. Trial and error was the ancestral norm for identifying medicinal uses of various plant products. However, that process continues today with modern pharmaceutical trials and botanically based medicinal research increases each year.
Black walnut hulls are rich in tannic acid and also contain a compound called juglone, which is known to suppress the growth of certain plants beneath the tree canopy. Ringworm is not a worm, but a fungal infection often contracted from pets. Your grandparents probably were aware that sap from green walnut hulls, due to its apparent microbial and antifungal activity, served to cure ringworm in many cases.
On the downside, black walnut hulls are an excellent source of stain used by artisans who work with furniture, floors and gunstocks. That being said, Uncle Ray advised, "The ringworm problem will disappear long before the stain wears off!" 'Til next week!
The Cooperative Extension Service is a part of the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture and offers its programs to all eligible persons regardless of race, color, national origin, religion, gender, age, disability, marital or veteran status, or any other legally protected status, and is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.
October 2, 2009
By: Robert Seay
Benton County Extension Agent Staff Chair
Media Contact: Elizabeth Fortune
Extension Communications Specialist
U of A Division of Agriculture
Cooperative Extension Service
(501) 671-2120
efortune@uaex.edu
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