# What is Witch Hazel? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 29, 2004, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-witch-hazel/277186 "2004-11-29T18:35:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2004, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-witch-hazel/277186/1 "2004-11-29T18:35:02Z")
What is Witch Hazel? Not the comic strip character, nor the local Wiccan named after a tree. There are bottles of the stuff in the pharmacy. What is it? What is it good for? How is it made? ---
**Author:** ![cher3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/da6949/32.png) [@cher3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cher3)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2004, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-witch-hazel/277186/2 "2004-11-29T18:47:33Z")
It’s an alcohol tincture made from a plant which can be used for minor skin irritations, like razor burn. It’s also used in some hemorrhoid medications and pads. I found it very soothing after giving birth to a large baby, for reasons I won’t elaborate on. ---
**Author:** ![pokey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ebca7d/32.png) [@pokey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pokey)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2004, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-witch-hazel/277186/3 "2004-11-29T18:53:11Z")
> [@cher3](#): > > I found it very soothing after giving birth to a large baby, for reasons I won’t elaborate on. Cause you were drinking it? ---
**Author:** ![plnnr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@plnnr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/plnnr)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2004, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-witch-hazel/277186/4 "2004-11-29T18:54:29Z")
It also has astringent properties. ---
**Author:** ![pokey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ebca7d/32.png) [@pokey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pokey)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2004, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-witch-hazel/277186/5 "2004-11-29T18:58:23Z")
> [@cher3](#): > > I found it very soothing after giving birth to a large baby, for reasons I won’t elaborate on. Cause you were drinking it? ---
**Author:** ![pokey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ebca7d/32.png) [@pokey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pokey)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2004, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-witch-hazel/277186/6 "2004-11-29T19:01:28Z")
heh. I didn’t make that dumb joke twice on purpose. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2004, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-witch-hazel/277186/7 "2004-11-29T19:07:59Z")
Here’s a [page](http://botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/w/withaz27.html) with information of the herb itself. I believe the stuff in the store is distilled, not merely tinctured. Just tinctured witch hazel is not clear - it’s cloudy. My favorite facial toner is a piece of watermelon (rind, pink stuff, seeds and all) pureed in the Vita-mix and poured into a bottle with three parts witch hazel. It’s a little sticky, but it gives me the clearest and softest skin imaginable. It lasts in the cupboard for at least a year. Straight witch hazel is also great for insect bites - reduces the swelling and takes away the itch. I make a plaintain poultice with witch hazel for sunburn and bee stings. Just find some [plantain](http://botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/p/placom43.html) growing in your yard and smash it up with enough witch hazel to make a slimy mess. Then smear it on stings, bites, sunburn, razor burn, whatever is red and swollen. When it dries and falls off, the skin is visibly less red and doesn’t hurt or itch. ---
**Author:** ![ouryL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ouryl/32/6067_2.png) [@ouryL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ouryL)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2004, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-witch-hazel/277186/8 "2004-11-29T19:27:05Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > Here’s a [page](http://botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/w/withaz27.html) with information of the herb itself. I believe the stuff in the store is distilled, not merely tinctured. Just tinctured witch hazel is not clear - it’s cloudy. > > My favorite facial toner is a piece of watermelon (rind, pink stuff, seeds and all) pureed in the Vita-mix and poured into a bottle with three parts witch hazel. It’s a little sticky, but it gives me the clearest and softest skin imaginable. It lasts in the cupboard for at least a year. > > Straight witch hazel is also great for insect bites - reduces the swelling and takes away the itch. I make a plaintain poultice with witch hazel for sunburn and bee stings. Just find some [plantain](http://botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/p/placom43.html) growing in your yard and smash it up with enough witch hazel to make a slimy mess. Then smear it on stings, bites, sunburn, razor burn, whatever is red and swollen. When it dries and falls off, the skin is visibly less red and doesn’t hurt or itch. You know I wondered what to do with all that plantain growing in our back yard… :smack: :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2004, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-witch-hazel/277186/9 "2004-11-29T19:35:50Z")
> [@ouryL](#): > > You know I wondered what to do with all that plantain growing in our back yard… :smack: :dubious: That :dubious: wasn’t to me, right? 'Cause if you live on Earth, chances are very good that you \*do \*have plantain in your backyard. It’s a plant found on every continent in copious quantities. Legend has it that the Eastern Native Americans called it “White Man’s Footprints” because everywhere the Europeans went, plantain would pop up. If the :dubious: was to the plantain you can’t get rid of in your backyard, by all means, carry on. And pull it all up and make use of it next spring. [/plantain hijack] ---
**Author:** ![sqweels](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f19dbf/32.png) [@sqweels](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sqweels)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2004, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-witch-hazel/277186/10 "2004-11-29T19:52:24Z")
But why is it called “witch hazel”? I mean it sounds so…_wicked_. ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2004, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-witch-hazel/277186/11 "2004-11-29T20:03:57Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > That :dubious: wasn’t to me, right? 'Cause if you live on Earth, chances are very good that you \*do \*have plantain in your backyard. It’s a plant found on every continent in copious quantities. Legend has it that the Eastern Native Americans called it “White Man’s Footprints” because everywhere the Europeans went, plantain would pop up. If the :dubious: was to the plantain you can’t get rid of in your backyard, by all means, carry on. And pull it all up and make use of it next spring. [/plantain hijack] Somehow I doubt it’s in my backyard. It just doesn’t seem like the kind of thing you’d see popping up in the New Mexico desert. ---
**Author:** ![beagledave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6de8d8/32.png) [@beagledave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beagledave)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2004, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-witch-hazel/277186/12 "2004-11-29T20:17:18Z")
> [@sqweels](#): > > But why is it called “witch hazel”? I mean it sounds so…_wicked_. [http://www.stevenfoster.com/education/monograph/witchhazel.html](http://www.stevenfoster.com/education/monograph/witchhazel.html) > [@](#): > > Witch hazel’s name upholds mysterious connotations. In colonial America, the shrub’s flexible forked branches were a favorite “witching stick” of dowsers used for searching out hidden waters or precious metals. This has nothing to do with witches, but rather originates from the old English word for pliable branches “wych.” In England dowsers call an elm (Ulmus glabra) the “witch hazel tree.” When early British settlers arrived in the Americas, they fancied our witch hazel as the logical replacement for dowsing chores, given its pliable, crooked branches. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2004, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-witch-hazel/277186/13 "2004-11-29T22:17:53Z")
> [@asterion](#): > > Somehow I doubt it’s in my backyard. It just doesn’t seem like the kind of thing you’d see popping up in the New Mexico desert. At least two forms of plantain are commonly found in New Mexico - broadleaf and narrowleaf. Really guys, it’s _everywhere_. The entire distribution map at the [USDA](http://plants.usda.gov/cgi_bin/) website is colored in. The whole US, including Alaska and the Virgin Islands! ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2004, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-witch-hazel/277186/14 "2004-11-30T04:00:35Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > Then smear it on stings, bites, sunburn, razor burn, whatever is red and swollen. When it dries and falls off, the skin is visibly less red and doesn’t hurt or itch. How long does that take? ---
**Author:** ![SmackFu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@SmackFu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmackFu)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2004, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-witch-hazel/277186/15 "2004-11-30T04:08:25Z")
You’re not alone. I bought some and also had to look it up, since the label was no help at all: > [@](#): > > Active ingredient: 86% witch hazel. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2004, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-witch-hazel/277186/16 "2004-11-30T13:26:07Z")
> [@Princhester](#): > > How long does that take? 'Bout 20 minutes or so. I usually use the poultice when I’m outside working, and just plain witch hazel if I’m in a hurry or don’t want macerated leaves falling off my shoulders onto the carpet. Note: This does not absolve you of the duty to wear sunscreen! The cellular damage is still done to your skin, it just doesn’t hurt as much! I’m really, really fair with skin that burns after 10 minutes or so in the sun and never tans. Even with heavy duty high spf sunscreen, I can only be in the sun a couple of hours -which makes my hobbies of camping and gardening challenging! ---
**Author:** ![Wile\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c37758/32.png) [@Wile\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wile_E)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2004, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-witch-hazel/277186/17 "2004-11-30T16:27:38Z")
It’s also good for removing that awful smell produced by canine anal glands. We use it for cleaning off the doggie booties that have expressed themselves. ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2004, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-witch-hazel/277186/18 "2004-11-30T17:30:14Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > At least two forms of plantain are commonly found in New Mexico - broadleaf and narrowleaf. Really guys, it’s _everywhere_. The entire distribution map at the [USDA](http://plants.usda.gov/cgi_bin/) website is colored in. The whole US, including Alaska and the Virgin Islands! ??? Don’t “plantain plants” grow large, banana-like fruit? Are there other plants that are in the plantain-plant family that don’t bear banana-like fruit? ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2004, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-witch-hazel/277186/19 "2004-11-30T17:35:09Z")
> [@bordelond](#): > > ??? > > Don’t “plantain plants” grow large, banana-like fruit? Are there other plants that are in the plantain-plant family that don’t bear banana-like fruit? Oh … [these things](http://www.wildflowers-and-weeds.com/Plant_Families/Plantaginaceae.htm). OK, gotcha. (But where are the big, banana-like fruits?) Narrowleaf plantain plants were around here and there in the New Orleans suburbs where I grew up, but I wouldn’t have considered them particularly common on developed property (at least in my experience). I usually saw them in undeveloped lots. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2004, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-witch-hazel/277186/20 "2004-11-30T18:19:28Z")
In the Midwest at least, you can see a broadleaf version of those plants in lawns fairly commonly - assuming herbicides don’t wipe them out for that season. They get mowed down so the flower stalks don’t develop, but you’ll see their rounded leaves with prominent veining growing out in a ring on stems from a central point. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-witch-hazel/277186.md?page=2)