Unhindered Brilliance: Cramp Bark (Viburnum opulus) Plant Profile
Our plant allies offer many gifts, alleviating the symptoms that arise from stress to inflammation to infections, but they also draw us into a deeper relationship with what it means to feel whole and well in our bodies.
Cramp Bark (Viburnum opulus) is a plant that I turn to often in my practice for very grounded and everyday needs, while watching again and again it guide folks through a transformative relationship with their bodies. So, I'm very pleased to share what I've learned about the unhindered brilliance of Cramp Bark (Viburnum opulus) and it’s transformative ways.
Cramp Bark
(Viburnum opulus)
Common + Folk Names : Guelder rose, snowball tree, wayfaring tree, water elder, white dogwood, spindle tree, whitten tree, highbush cranberry, king's crown, rose elder, may rose, dog rowan tree, gaitre berries, European cranberry, kalyna, rosa da qúeldres.
Element : Fire, Water
Zodiac Signs : Carries the energy of Libra and Pisces. A remedy for Leo, Capricorn, Libra, and Pisces.
Planets : Venus, Saturn, Neptune
Moon Phase : Waxing Moon
Tarot Cards : The Hanged One, The World, The Fives
Parts used : Bark
Habitat : Native to North Africa, Central Asia, and Europe, naturalized in North America. Grows at edges of woodlands and hedgerows.
Growing Conditions : Prefers sun to part shade in nutrient-rich and moist soil.
Collection : Spring or fall. Deb Soule recommends gathering "in the spring when the sap is rising or in the autumn when the leaves are falling from the branches."¹
Flavor : Bitter, astringent
Temperature : Neutral to warm
Moisture : Dry
Tissue State : Tension, Stagnation
Constituents : Catechin, glycoside, valeric acid, coumarins, salicylates, tannins, resin, arbutin.
Actions : Antispasmodic, astringent, hemostatic, nervine, partus preparator, parturient, relaxant, sedative, uterine tonic, vasodilator, vulnerary.
Main Uses : As an herbalist, I am practiced in explaining to folks that most forms of herbal medicine take some time to bring about change - patience is required but the healing that comes about is often one that lasts. There are a few herbs within the traditional western materia medica however that work quickly to alleviate significant suffering. Cramp Bark is one of those herbs, an ally to those experiencing cold, stagnant tension where energy is not moving resulting in deep, prolonged pain.
The primary use of Cramp Bark in traditional western herbalism is as an amphoteric uterine tonic - the herb is able to tend to the needs of the uterus in a variety of ways. Occasionally you'll see Cramp Bark is categorized as an emmenagogue, but this is a bit misleading, and most herbalists would view the herb as a menstrual regulator. In addition to helping with painful periods (dysmenorrhea) and heavy or prolonged periods (menorrhagia), Cramp Bark is used to help prevent miscarriage as well as regulate and slow down labor.
Cramp Bark is my favorite herb to recommend for menstrual cramps. Taking a dropperful when you begin to feel cramps come on (and twice more in 15 minute increments if needed) can often completely prevent cramp pain.² Even if you are in the midst of cramping, Cramp Bark can help. Consider combining with Valerian (Valeriana officinalis) when sleep is disrupted and excess anxiety is present. If you experience anal cramping during menstruation, herbalist Thomas Bartram recommends combining 2 parts Cramp Bark with 1 part Stone Root (Collinsonia canadensis), and ¼ part Cayenne (Capsicum annuum).³ In general, Cramp Bark helps to circulate energy and alleviate uterine congestion, which is the traditional western energetic way of describing the conditions that lead to imbalances like endometriosis, fibroids, ovarian cysts, and uterine fibroids.
While alleviating uterine cramping is where Cramp Bark really excels, it can also be used for other muscle cramps and spasms, including lower back pain (consider combining with Taraxacum officinale or Verbascum thapsus when you're also trying to strengthen the back or with Hypericum perforatum if there is nerve pain or discomfort). You can include Cramp Bark in your post-workout blends to help alleviate and prevent muscle pain and fatigue. Use Cramp Bark in combination with other bitter herbs to help relieve intestinal and stomach cramps, including cramping caused by IBS.
Cramp Bark has long been used as a midwife's herb in the care of pregnant folk, including helping to prevent miscarriage especially when miscarriage has occurred before. Rosemary Gladstar regards Cramp Bark as a prized pregnancy tonic especially when threatened miscarriage due to excessive stress and anxiety is present.⁴ Cramp Bark can help to slow down a labor that is moving too quickly, regulate labor, and help the laboring person regain some strength. Use the herb postpartum to help prevent hemorrhage and alleviate pain.
While Cramp Bark is primarily used as a uterine tonic, it is also a great bronchodilator and antispasmodic that's not only useful for asthma but for coughs in general. Use Cramp Bark to help “clear phlegm and catarrh through warmth.”⁶ The herb also has relaxing nervine qualities that address the stress and anxiety that often accompanies an asthma attack. For folks, especially babies and young children, who are experiencing increasing states of agitation and wakefulness due to coughing at night may be aided by appropriate dosage amounts of Cramp Bark (consider combining with Verbascum thapsus, Prunus serotina and/or Inula helenium depending on the type of cough). Cramp Bark can also be used in case of heart palpitations or cardiac conditions where there is a weak heartbeat (combine with Crataegus monogyna). The clearing warmth of Cramp Bark can also be applied to states of stress that are alleviated by feeling held and comforted - Cramp Bark helps to reduce “nervous tension due to the gentle warmth that it imparts to the nerves and brain.”⁷
A note about preparation: a decocted tincture of the bark - where the bark is first boiled with water, strained, cooled, and then a preservative is added - is recommended.
Magickal Uses : For a plant that we know we have been working with for thousands of years as a species, I struggled to find historical resources in English recording its medicinal or magickal uses - but we can make some folkloric assumptions around magickal use.
An excellent use for Cramp Bark would be in love and fertility magic. I could also imagine incorporating it into wreaths for both menstrual and croning rites. The beautiful red color of a Cramp Bark extract or infusion can be used to symbolize blood in rituals. Cramp Bark shafts used to make arrows were found in the grave of a Copper Age European, you might incorporate the shafts of the plant in ancestral magick.⁸
Some modern ogham practitioners include Cramp Bark, or Guelder Rose as it is more often referred to in these circles, as part of the forfeda, associating the herb with either pín/iphín or peith. This association seems to have started with Nigel Pennick in his book Magical Alphabets, but I first came across the association through the work of Elen Sentier in her book Trees of the Goddess. The association with pín/iphín probably arises from Cramp Bark's use as a spindle or shaft tree/shrub. I'm less certain about the reasons for the association with peith - Pennick states it is the "equivalent" to the rune perthro which seems to be chosen from the fact that both symbolize the "p" sound.⁹ Sentier ties the magick of Guelder Rose / Cramp Bark to peith and the menstrual cycle, which I appreciate as a much needed (whether modern or previously lost) addition to the ogham tradition.¹⁰ But peith is also a variation of beith, associating it with the first ogham fid that symbolizes many things including new beginnings and birth which ties in nicely to Cramp Bark's medicinal uses.
Personally, I see Cramp Bark as holding space with other liminal hedgerow plants like Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna) and Elder (Sambucus nigra). These three herbs hold a Faery Queen/Goddess/Elder Crone energy to me and I enjoy incorporating their magick in Goddess rites (especially of the initiatory variety) and trancework.
The Cramp Bark Personality : When I think of Cramp Bark folks the image that comes to mind is someone in a dark and liminal space, trying to hold onto everything. They are rummaging around in the dark, engaged in the dance of withdrawing from vulnerable experiences with others while still clinging desperately to them. On the surface they may appear judgmental of others. For Cramp Bark folk there is such potential for growth but life is hindered by being unable to let go. It can be terrifying to let go as Cramp Bark folks deeply feel and fear the potential of loss. Often, though not always, there was a significant experience of insecure attachment as a child that has left Cramp Bark folk struggling to form secure attachments as adults. Asking Cramp Bark folk to let go, become more confident in their ability to be resilient, while also allowing people into their life in a more meaningful way, is like asking them to paint a picture of an animal they've never seen before - they have little context for what an alternative to their clinging and stuck-ness would look like, so the change not only feels frightening but not even possible.
The brilliance of working with Cramp Bark is that it is a plant that is very comfortable in the liminal, in the stranded spaces, in the places that feels too full and unmovable. Cramp Bark is able to help us generate the energy needed to move energy, to unclench from unhealthy attachments, and begin to relax instead of just stagnate. Working with Cramp Bark can help these folks to take chances in their relationships with others while leaving the past in the past, coming to a deep comfort with the present, and curiosity instead of fear about the future.
Contraindications : The uncooked berries are toxic. Avoid in cases of salicylate allergy, hypotension, kidney stones, and bleeding disorders. Stop use a week before surgery.
Drug interactions : May affect anticoagulants due to presence of coumarins.
Dosage : Standard dosage.
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The request to write a profile about Cramp Bark was suggested by one of my patrons and I'm so happy they asked!
Cramp Bark is such a lovely plant to work with and if you’re seeking more plant wisdom, be sure to check out the plant profile archive.
This post was made possible through patron support.
❤︎ Thanks, friends. ❤︎
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Footnotes
1. Deb Soule, The Roots of Healing: A Woman's Book of Herbs (New York: Citadel Press, 1995), 110.
2. For folks for whom Cramp Bark does not work, I've generally found that Black Haw (Viburnum prunifolium) will and can be used in the same way as Cramp Bark.
3. Thomas Bartram, Bartram's Encyclopedia of Herbal Medicine (London: Constable & Robinson Ltd, 1998), 133.
4. Rosemary Gladstar, Herbal Healing for Women: Simple Home Remedies for Women of All Ages (New York, NY: Fireside, 1993), 175.
5. Soule, 139.
6. Stephen Taylor, The Humoral Herbal: A practical guide to the Western Energetic system of health, lifestyle and herbs (London: Aeon Books, 2021), 286.
7. Taylor, 286.
8. Ötzi, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%96tzi (Accessed January 2024).
9. Nigel Pennick, Magical Alphabets: The Secrets and Significance of Ancient Scripts -- Including Runes, Greek, Ogham, Hebrew and Alchemical Alphabets (York Beach, ME: 1992), 118.
10. Elen Sentier, Trees of the Goddess: A New Way of Working with the Ogham (Hampshire, England: 2014), 80.
