Dried Sweet Gum Fruit
The Sweet Gum tree is the sand spur of the forest. You painfully find them with your feet. The vicious seed pods have impaled many a forager and has done much to ruin the Sweet Gum’s reputation. Perhaps it is time for some rehabilitation.
The only edible part of the tree is the dried sap which makes a fragrant, bitter chewing gum. Despite its name the gum is not sweet. It’s called Sweet Gum to separate it from a different species altogether, the Black Gum, Nyssa sylvatica, which is extremely sour and bitter. In comparison the mildly bitter Sweet Gum is definitely sweeter. Dr. Francois Couplan in his book The Encyclopedia of Edible Plants of North America states on page 60 the gum “it has antiseptic qualities.”
Sweet Gum Leaf
That would be the extent of our interest in the Sweet Gum if it were not for influenza. Viruses are little packets of chemicals that can’t reproduce on their own. They have RNA not DNA. So they need something live to reproduce in. Birds, pigs and humans are the preferred hosts. You might be surprised to learn that all strains of the flu start out in birds. It usually jumps from bird to pig and from pigs to people. It can also be found in whales and seals. Sometimes the flu jumps directly from bird to man, resulting in a very strong and often deadly flu. That led to finding special treatments. Among them is Tamiflu.
Crystalization of oseltamivir phosphate, the active ingredient in Tamiflu
Tamiflu, or chemically said, oseltamivir phosphate, is made from the star anise tree, Illicium verum, a native of China. Specifically it is made from the seed pods. The prime ingredient is shikimic acid. (she-KEE-mick) A shortage led folks to look elsewhere for shikimic acid, and they found it: In pine needles, and infertile Sweet Gum seeds. Sweet Gum bark and leaves have some but the highest concentration is in the infertile seeds. The star anise pod is about 7% shikimic acid, the pine needles 3% and the Sweet Gum 1.7% to 3%. Interestingly, Sweet Gum tea was an herbal treatment for the flu and the Cherokee made a tea out of the bark.
Sweet Gum Seeds
First, how do you tell infertile sweet gum seeds? Fertile seeds are black with wings on either side, infertile seeds are yellow and wingless. Now, how does shikimic acid work? To reproduce the virus needs to break out of the cells it is in. A protein makes that possible. Shikimic acid inhibits the protein. The flu doesn’t reproduce which shortening the duration of the infection and thus shortening or lessening the symptoms, which in some cases of the flu is what is deadly. In some flu infections it is your body’s response to the flu that kills you rather than the flu directly. This is why some flus kill the young. They have very strong and immediate immune systems that overwhelm the body while fighting the disease. With some flus older folks have slower immune responses and may have partial immunity from previous infections. As for the exact preparation and dosage, consult an herbalist. It usually involves soaking crushed green Sweet Gum fruits in alcohol to make a red tincture.
Unripe Sweet Gum Fruit
Botanically the Sweet Gum is Liquidambar styraciflua. (lick-wid-AM-bar sty-rass-
Green Deane’s Itemized Plant Profile: Sweet Gum
IDENTIFICATION: Liquidambar styraciflua: A medium-sized to large tree, growing to 65-155 feet (20–35 m) with a trunk up to 6 feet (2 M) in diameter, can live to 400 years. Leaves alternating, usually have five (but sometimes three or seven) sharply pointed palmate lobes. dark green, glossy turning brilliant orange, red, and purple the autumn. Leaves have substantial amounts of tannin. Fruit, compound, round, 40 to 60 capsules, each with one or two seeds.
TIME OF YEAR: Flowers later spring, fruits in summer, persists in winter.
ENIVORNMENT: Prefers deep, moist bottomland and full sun. Found from southern New England to Florida west to mid-nation.
METHOD OF PREPARATION: Slashed to the cambium, sap will leak out and harden. The resulting gum can be chewed. Unripe fruit can be crushed and soaked in alcohol to make a medicinal tincture. The bark can be used to make a medicinal tea.
If you would like to donate to Eat The Weeds please click here.
{ 33 comments… read them below or add one }
Would that mean I could make an antibiotic tincture from pine needles . that would be way easier to find and make for the next flu season.
I am thinking about doing that but I am not an herbalist so I can’t advice others to do so. I would check with our localal herbalist.
Even we herbalists can’t legally advise others to make or take tinctures, since we are not a recognized profession in the United States. But we can make recommendations, as long as we don’t “diagnose” or “treat” illness. So certainly this would be one good approach when flu infection has occurred. But I’m a huge fan of prevention, and for that you might want to look into the herbs that help to strengthen the immune system (medicinal mushrooms, Astragalus) and the herbs that help the body to “prepare” to fight viral infections (elderberry). Good luck and good health!
My Dad keeps calling the one growing in his front yard a Red Maple. I keep telling him that it is a Sweetgum. We discuss what it is atleast once a year and i keep telling him its a Sweetgum. When the leaves come back we will discuss it again.
Walk around barefoot; you’ll know if it’s a sweetgum.
awesome research Deane! I spent the night with ANdy FIrk whom enlightened me on such knowledge…now the preparation…I’ll see if 7 song or Susan Marynowski have any ideas.
I was under the impression that the shikimic acid was found in the unripe fruit rather than the infertile seeds, but I could be totally mistaken about that. If I were to make a tincture of this plant, I would collect the unripe fruits or unfertile seeds, whichever one you want to try, chop them up and pack a small jar about halfway with the plant material, and cover with 100 proof (50%) vodka. Higher percent spirits would be even better…we have 153 proof (76.5%) available in Florida, and 180 proof (95%) is available in Georgia and some other states. You could also potentially make a decoction (simmered tea) with the plant parts, but the unripe pods would only be available at a certain time of year. The pods are also difficult to collect unless you find a tree with low-hanging fruit, as it were.
I should have said *fill the jar* with the vodka. So the jar will have 1/2 packed plant material and be full of vodka. You can shake it if you are inspired to do so. Strain after about 6 weeks or never.
I think the dificulty of separating the seeds from the unripe pod is why the whole fruit is crushed and packed in.
I have recently purchased a house with a cluster of 3 Sweet Gums standing at about 80 feet, I am thinking I may need to have them cut down but unsure about how their root systems are. Trees are very close to foundry fence and neighbors pool and are about 5 meters from my house.
Will the roots become a real problem ?
yes, the roots can be an issue…. but the green fruit of the sweet gum in an alcohol solution are, depending on dosage, as good as tamiflu to shorten and end the flu.
What would be the proper dosage of the solution?
For that you will need to consult an herbalist.
I recently saw a huge flock of crows eating something on the sidewalk beneath a row of winter sweet gum trees. I walked closer and saw only the ripe pods and spilled seeds on the sidewalk, so I must assumed they were eating those. Earlier in the late fall, I caught a squirrel eating them from above me as I walked under the tree, depositing crumbs on my sweater. Are there no reports of the seeds being edible for humans?
I’ve never found any reference to eating sweetgum fruit/seeds et cetera. It does have medicinal uses, however. Green seeds are 3% shikimic acid.
I have a tree in our back yard that has “fruit” that falls off looking like small potatoes. My husband’s uncle was visiting one day and said it was a sweet gum tree. But after looking at the picture above, that’s definitely not the “fruit” that falls from the tree. Any thoughts as to what I have?
Probably a sycamore… then again I should ask where you live as that could be important.
I am not a tree expert by any means. Although I have been trying to find out what my tree is also. Have found a few with spines on the “fruits”, one of which is a Buckeye Tree. If you have anything close to what is above try looking up the Buckeye Tree. Mine tree..yes the Sweet Gum…Spiney’s hurt!
a little off topic, but is mid january too late to collect seeds for planting. i am located in southern california in ventura county, the tree in the front yard is still dropping spike balls that are still greenish yellow. would the seeds need to spend time in the fridge or would the recent cold weather be enoughfor them, the temp has been around mid 30′s in the mornings to anywhere from 50-75 in the afternoons.
Just collect them and leave them outside until you are ready to plant them.
I love the shade in the summer from the sweet gum tree,but I need to know if there is any thing I can do to stop the fruit from being produced? A home remedy,chain saw? Please help and advise I’m tiered of raking! Thanks.
Actually, there are a few things, but I do not know if they are toxic or not. A product called Florel which is a Growth Regulator, is reported to work well… if you apply it at the right time. NAA (napthalene ascidic acid) products will cause the immature balls to shrivle and fall. It has a longer window of treatment. Then there are injections, and a soil drench. I have researched every way possible to stop my prolific tree from producing spiny balls. I do know know if these are toxic, so please do some research. In the end, I have realized that I have been defeated; therefore, I am always trying to find “creative” to coerce/entice/manipulate others to help me rake them up.
I can’t wait to utilize these trees, or their fruit I should say! We are surrounded by many. Thanks for a great article! As an odd side note, we were hit by an f4/f5 tornado a year and a half ago. We used to live in heavy woods, and now we don’t
we grieved at the loss of the trees. But the trees that are left, virtually every one still standing in the direct path, is a Sweet Gum. I found this fascinating when I realized.
I have a Sweet Gum tree in my back yard and I have wondered if I could recycle the balls in some way? They do not break down very easily. I have so many and when it’s time to rake them up, I normally have a big leaf bag full.
( We had only been living in this house a couple of weeks and had not yet met anyone in our subdivision. I was in the back yard and stepped on some of the gum balls that were hidden in the grass, lost my footing, landing hard on my rump….. I looked up and saw a neighbor smiling….. I only remember how painful it was and the embarrassment. Now every time I step on one I remember that day)
Sheila,
If you have an outdoor fire pit or cook stove, they burn really well.
The sweet gum trees seem to drop balls all year around. I hated mine, until I learned about its medicinal value. I am going to try a mower with a bag attachment this year. I have seen websites dedicated to finding uses for the horrible spiny balls. Here are few ideas: Craft: Sweet Gum Mini-Wreath, Sweet Gum Balls For Flower Drainage ( put them in bottom of pots), http://www.etsy.com/search?includes=tags&q=sweet+gum+balls . Believe it or not, I even saw someone that wanted to buy sweet gum balls! Perhaps we could market them???
If we could, We could become Rich in a very short time!
I have a sweet gum tee in my yard and I get a bunch of seed pods every year off of it. I put the seed pods around a shrub and it killed the shrub. Are the seed pods toxic? I would like to add them to my compost pile ? Good idea or bad?
Toxic? Np. Hard on bare feet? Yes.
My Aunt used the Sweet Gum branch for a toothbrush. Has anyone ever heard of that?
Yes. My grandmother would use sweet gum twigs to chew on and brush her teeth. My mother has done that as well. Not tried it myself, as yet.:)
Are there any plants – flowers, groundcover, etc – that will grow under a sweetgum tree? We have not been able to find any info and are tired of looking at the bare ground under the trees where even expensive grasses won’t grow.
Yes, Hostas and Orange Stone Crop Sedum love it under my Sweet Gum tree. The Sedum is taller than most Hostas, so plant it next to the tree…then ring it with Hostas. If you get a few plants, they will multiply quickly. You can break one plant apart and have several the next year. They root easily. At the edge, I usually put a ring of shade loving annuals, making sure to plant them in a high grade potting soil.
I hope this helps.
can you use the wood for burning in a fireplace??