Ash is native to Europe and southwest Asia, although the tree is also commonly grown as a garden and park tree. The material used medicinally comes mostly from wild collections.
Ash in herbal medicine
In herbal medicine, the dried leaves of ash (Fraxini folium) and, besides, the bark of young twigs (Fraxini cortex) are used. From the manna ash (Fraxinus ornus) is extracted the so-called manna (Manna cannelata), a dried, sugary sap that comes out of the bark after the tree is injured in warm, dry weather.
Ash: typical characteristics
Ash is a deciduous tree up to 40 m tall with large, opposite, pinnate leaves. The inconspicuous flowers appear in spring before the leaves. The tree also bears elongated winged fruits, which are nuts about 3-4 cm long. These are usually arranged in dense clusters.
Ash leaves as a medicine
The leaf material used medicinally consists of brittle fragments of the leaflets, with leaf veins clearly visible on the underside. The main vein is weakly hairy and the leaf margin is toothed. Furthermore, the up to 2 mm thick, light brown leaf spindles are also part of the drug material.
The smell of ash leaves is relatively weak and peculiar. Taste-wise, ash leaves are bitter.
