Common Black Locust: Applications, Treatments, Health Benefits

The common black locust is a deciduous deciduous tree. Robinia pseudoacacia, also called Robinia for short, White Robinia, False Acacia, Silver Rain or Common Scotchthorn, originated in North America. It was named after Jean Robin, a botanist and apothecary who was commissioned to create a botanical garden and brought the tree to Europe in the early 17th century.

Occurrence and cultivation of the common robinia.

Its elegant inflorescences, which were given the poetic name of silver rain, and delicate feathery leaves made it an exotic attraction in European parks. Originally native only to Atlantic North America, Robinia pseudoacacia came to England in 1640. Thirty years later it was planted in the Berlin Lustgarten. It found a new home in Italy in 1726. Its elegant inflorescences, poetically named Silver Rain, and delicate feathery leaves made it an exotic attraction in European parks. Its imposing height of up to 30 meters also made it look imposing. Robinia is very adaptable and undemanding, preferring nutrient-poor clay and sandy soils and a relatively humid climate. It grows mainly in mixed deciduous forests. Today it is considered a foreign woody plant with the greatest spread throughout Europe. It is also found in West and East Asia and North Africa. In America it has also extended its range. However, as a cold-sensitive deciduous tree, it avoids the very cold north and high altitudes with heavy frosts. Its robust characteristics also make it possible to plant in difficult locations, such as where there is a lot of industry. It even spread to rubble areas in Germany after World War II. However, the false acacia, as the common robinia is also called, displaces native species, resulting in a reduction in the diversity of fauna and flora. Rare biotopes such as rough grasslands or sandy dry grasslands are threatened as a result. Therefore, as part of nature conservation, populations are being curbed at some sites.

Effect and application

Robinias are popular not only as ornamental trees for landscape beautification, but also as urban trees for avenues, as they do not resent soil and air pollution such as car exhaust, road salt, smoke and dust. Their hard wood, which surpasses even oak in longevity, is valued in shipbuilding and furniture making. It is also used to make sill and pit timbers, gymnastic equipment and parquet flooring. In mining, it was used to support the tunnels. Despite its hardness, Robinia wood is very flexible and is therefore preferred for bow making. Its great resistance to wood rot and water makes Robinia the ideal wood for garden furniture. Especially since the material does not require chemical impregnation when used outdoors. Therefore, the Robinia tree is gaining importance as a substitute for precious tropical woods. It offers a qualitatively equivalent, but cheaper substitute for teak, for example. Robinia pseudoacacia plays an important role as a so-called bee nursery plant, also known as a bee pasture plant. The Robinia flowers provide a very sugary nectar in early summer and are preferred by honey bees. The honey obtained from robinia is marketed as acacia honey, although it should correctly be called robinia honey. True acacia honey comes from tropical and subtropical regions. Unlike other types of honey, robinia honey is very liquid and stands out for its light yellow color. Its mild taste makes it an ideal sweetener for tea and baked goods. In Hungary and France, robinias are intensively used as beekeeping plants. In Germany, acacia honey is produced in Brandenburg, where it accounts for up to 60 percent of the harvest in high-yield years.

Importance for health, treatment and prevention.

As beautiful as common locust is, the entire plant is toxic to humans and animals; it can be especially deadly to horses. The flattened legumes and the tree bark are very toxic. Toxic substances in the bark include Robinia lectin, phasin, syringin, and protocatechingerbstoff. Acacetin, asparagine, camphorol, and indican are found in the leaves. The seeds contain lectins. In particular, Robinia lectin and phasin are highly dangerous because they cause clumping of red blood cells and destroy tissues.In the bark of the tree, the ingredients are present in higher concentrations, so horses, which like to nibble on tree bark, are particularly at risk. The greater danger for humans, especially children, lies with the seeds. Just four of them can cause symptoms of poisoning in the form of nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. Robinia pollen also belongs to the hay fever pathogens. As a purely natural medicinal plant, black locust carries little weight, at least in Europe. A tea made from fresh or dried flowers is drunk for headaches, stomach aches and nausea. An ointment made of blossoms mixed with sheep fat makes brittle and dry skin supple again. Homeopathy, on the other hand, knows Robinia pseudoacacia well and uses the bark of young twigs against indigestion and for all ailments related to the digestive tract. These include liver problems, colic, bloating, heartburn, diarrhea, constipation, hyperacidity or reflux. But migraine and gastrointestinal ulcers are also on the list of indications. In ethnomedicine, especially among the Native Americans, where black locust is native, black locust still plays an important role. Parts of the tree are used to reduce fever, as a sedative, for spastic conditions, and for purging. As an emetic, the root is chewed; for toothache, it is simply kept in the mouth. For eye ailments, the flowers are boiled and eaten. Fresh leaf juice is said to have antiviral effects both internally and externally. Italian ethnomedicine uses black locust for bronchial ailments with a decoction of dried fruit.