Prickly Ash

Prickly ash is an aromatic tree that, as its name suggests, is covered with very strong prickles. Its bark has a rich history of use as a herb for stimulating the circulation, the lymphatic system and mucous membranes. Another common name for Zanthoxylum is yellow wood, zanthos being the Greek word for yellow. The berries of this North American tree are being investigated as a suitable substitute for Sichuan pepper (from various species of Chinese prickly ash), which is the foundation flavour in five spice powder used in Asian cooking. Prickly ash is also commonly known as toothache tree, or tickle tongue, due to the analgesic properties of its bark. Native cultures from around the world including Native American, African, South Asian and Chinese traditions have used prickly ash to treat toothache, arthritis and pain for hundreds of years. New Zealand medical herbalist Richard Whelan says: “Simply take a small amount of prickly ash tincture, drip it into a wad of cotton until soaked, and hold directly against the sore tooth. Pain should be relieved within minutes.” The two most common sites of treatment by prickly ash, the teeth and joints, are richly innervated by pain fibres, suggesting that chemicals within prickly ash may directly target peripheral pain neurons.

The same compounds that give echinacea its characteristic numbing tingle, alkylamides, are found in prickly ash bark as well. Alkylamides are secondary metabolites found in several medicinal plants belonging to different families. Plants containing alkylamides are used as spices for their pungent and tingling sensations. According to researchers “Zanthoxylum bark, leaves, and fruit capsules pack a one-two punch of [flavour] and tongue-numbing. As a member of the Rutaceae, the family that includes oranges, grapefruits, and kumquats, the citrusy [flavours] of limonene, citronellal, methyl cinnamate, and cineol are expected, but the numbing property is unique to the genus. That anesthetic response is due to alkamides derived from polyunsaturated carboxylic acids, most likely tetradecapentaenoic acid with isobutylamin, also known as hydroxy sanshool. Sanshool apparently acts like some other [anaesthetics] by activating sensory neurons and inhibiting background potassium conductance.”

As a circulatory stimulant prickly ash is used when there is sluggish circulation such as in chilblains, cramps in the legs (including night cramps), varicose veins, varicose ulcers, Raynaud’s syndrome and erectile dysfunction. It is also indicated in other chronic inflammatory disorders marked by deficient circulation such as joint diseases like rheumatism and arthritis. It is said to be similar to cayenne (Capsicum frutescens) although slower in action. It combines well with devil's claw (Harpagophytum procumbens) for arthritis and with ginger (Zingiber officinale) to improve circulation and help shift deep-seated conditions in the joints or tissues.

References

Maier K. Energetic Herbalism. Vermont: Chelsea Green Publishing. 2021. p. 293

Putz FE, Patel N. Florida Szechuan pepper: A financial opportunity. The Palmetto. 2019;35: 4-7.

Tsunozaki M, Lennertz RC, Vilceanu D, Katta S, Stucky CL, Bautista DM. A 'toothache tree' alkylamide inhibits Aδ mechanonociceptors to alleviate mechanical pain. J Physiol. 2013 Jul 1;591(13):3325-40. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.2013.252106. Epub 2013 May 7. PMID: 23652591; PMCID: PMC3717230.