Right now is the time to gather Poplar buds. Cottonwoods, or Poplars, are usually found easily along rivers and near water, but you might have one in your yard or near your home. Waiting even another couple of weeks may prove too late, as the best time for harvesting the buds is before the temperatures turn warm enough for the buds to open.
I like to gather fallen branches after wind storms. They are abundant on the ground near the tree.
Poplar buds are sweet and very pleasant smelling. It is described as having balsamic undertones and heavy vanilla honey top notes.
I take the branches home and remove the buds. They come off very easily. I like to process the buds over something I can scrub easily with steel wool. The buds contain a sticky resin that can be challenging to clean off your fingers or surfaces. Here I use a smooth & shiny-topped TV tray I picked up for $1 at a yard sale. It's perfect for a job like this, and makes clean up easy. You can always lay down old newspapers, too.
It's hard to see in this picture above but that arrow is pointing to the red resin that has leaked out and hardened on the outside of the bud. There's more of that good stuff inside, waiting to be extracted.
I'll use the resin from these buds to make an oil called Balm of Gilead. It has numerous medicinal uses. We use it topically but it can be processed to be taken internally as well. Do not take internally unless working with a qualified practitioner.
At home we use it for superficial wounds, injuries and sunburn. The sticky resin of poplar buds contain salicin, which your body (liver) converts to aspirin. It is traditionally used as a remedy for muscle soreness and headaches, and has anti-septic, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, analgesic (pain killing), expectorant and anti-inflammatory properties. Do your own research to learn more about poplar bud medicine.
I'm left with a pile of knotty looking sticks after removing all the buds. I'll compost these later or use them in some other craft project.
After I'm done, there are red specks everywhere on my tray. I carefully scoop them up and add them to the bowl with the buds. I don't like wasting even a speck of this red gold.
After all that, the buds go into a big jar and I cover it with oil plus a couple inches. Mine is a mixture of olive and coconut oil. This picture (above) is after about a week in the oil. The buds expand and open and so the extra oil is needed to keep them covered.
The first two days the filled jar sits in my crock-pot in a waterbath on low. I stir it every few hours and press on the buds with my stirrer to get them to release all that good stuff into the oil. Be sure the jar sits higher than the water so none gets inside the jar, which will ruin the batch.
Leave the lid off, because gas inside the jar will accumulate and needs to escape. I cover mine with cheesecloth and a jar ring or rubber band to keep dust and whatnot out of the jar and still let it breathe.
After a couple days on low heat in the crock-pot waterbath I strain the oil into a cheesecloth covered handled sieve that fits perfectly inside the jar opening. Then I put it right back into the jar and re-cover the buds, and add more oil if needed. It no longer needs any heat. I can now use the cheesecloth and sieve as a 'lid' that is much easier to take off. The soaked-in oil holds the cheesecloth down nicely and keeps it in place.
I use a wooden skewer as my stir-stick. If you use a spoon or other utensil, it should be long enough to get in the bottom of your jar without getting your fingers and hands sticky. Whatever you use, it WILL accumulate resin like nobody's business. This is a new clean one but after a couple days of stirring it will become red with resin again.
Keep your jar out of direct light in an out of the way space and stir once everyday. How long you let it infuse is up to you. After the two days in the warm bath you can call it good, or continue on for weeks or months. The longer it goes the more good stuff gets into the oil. I like to go for six months or longer. I have a batch on hand from prior years so I don't need this right away, and I can let it go for a while. It's OK to infuse this for a year, so since the best time to collect the buds is in the Winter, you can make this and let it infuse most of the rest of the year then turn them into gifts for the holidays come December, as well as renew your own supply. I would advise a minimum of six weeks, but many people do it for shorter and it's all fine.
Once you are done infusing, whether it's a few weeks or a few months, strain your buds and oil through a few layers of cheesecloth. There will be some dirt sediment and you want all of that stuff to stay out of your finished oil. Once you are done straining, you can discard the buds, add a little Vit E as a preservative (maybe a teaspoon or two for a large jar like mine) and keep the oil in a dark bottle with a good lid. You can also use the oil to make salves, lotions and other products that fit your needs. You can even cut it with more oil if you want to use if for sore muscles or massage, for example.
The finished oil will keep for 1-2 years.
Magickal Uses
The finished oil of the poplar buds is what we call Balm of Gilead (BoG). Not to be confused with another plant by that name, the Cottonwood or Poplar tree has it’s own set of magickal properties.
BoG is a highly protective and powerful oil. It’s both energizing and grounding at the same time. Because of it’s sweet perfume, it’s often used in matters of love.
Use it for consecrating and anointing tools, candles and people, especially when working healing magick.
The buds alone can be burned as an incense to attract spirits and for divination. The rustling leaves of the tree are regarded by many Native American tribes as a spirit conductor, carrying messages from the spirit world if you just listen. In fact, the Balsam Poplar or Cottonwood tree is one of the most sacred trees in Native American plant lore. Sacred objects, like Hopi Kachinas, were made from this tree.
This oil is excellent in workings of reconciliation, knowledge, protection, strength, wisdom, love, fertility and healing. Because of its connection to the spirit world, BoG is used in many flying ointment recipes.
