Witch Hazel: Princess of Winter

Witch hazel (Hamamelis virginiana), belonging to Hamamelidaceae family,is considered asthe most popular American species,and the Eastern Connecticut is known as the “witch hazel capital of the world.” Historically, the material of commerce used for the manufacture of witch hazel drug products has been obtained from wild collection near distillation facilities in the New England region, and its use became widely established in the United States during the 19th century.

One theory about the common name witch hazel is that “witch” may be a derivative of the old English wych, meaning “to bend,” in reference to trees with pliant branches, while “hazel” may be due to the resemblance of the leaves to those of true hazels in the genus Corylus (Betulaceae). The most interesting use as been the use of forked limbs as dowsing or divining rods. Early European settles observed Native Americans using American witch hazel to find underground sources of water. This activity is probably where the common name witch hazel came from.

Botanical Description:

American witch hazel is a shrub or small tree with arching branches generally growing as a dense, multi-stemmed clump reaching heights of 20 to 30 feet and widths of 15 to 20 feet, however the shrub form typically does not grow over 12 to 15 feet tall. Leaves are alternate, simple, broadly ovate, 2.5 to 6 inches long, unequal offset leaf base, with large wavy teeth on the margins and with the upper surface dark green and the lower surface a paler green.

This woody plant is extraordinary in its flowering pattern. The flowers are bright yellow, with 4 very slender creamy to bright yellow petals ½ to ¾ inch long, appearing in mid to late fall. The small, tanish to gray, hard capsules go dormant throughout the winter and then develop over the next growing season and then in autumn forcibly expel two shiny black seeds 10 to 20 feet rarely to 40 feet. The seeds then take an additional year to germinate.

Phytochemicals and Hamamelis Water:

Hamamelis water, also called white hazel or witch hazel water is a clear, colorless liquid prepared from a steam-distillation process using leaves, bark or twigs. Both bark and leaves, contain volatile oil (0.1% and 0.01 to 0.05%, respectively), tannins andsaponins (up to 12% and up to 5%, respectively); the leaves also contain flavonoids (1.9%). The volatile oil contains hexen-2-ol, hexenol, a- and ß-ionones, eugenol, safrole (maximum 0.2%of the volatile oil) and sesquiterpenes. Other constituents include gallic acid.

K. Hering (1800-1880), a German doctor is thought as the first who has used Hamamelis virginiana L. in medical treatment in USA. At that time, a “Pond’s Extract” of hamamelis was already known, which T.Pond learned from an Oneida Indian tribe in 1840. This extract was sold under the name “GoldenTreasure”In the course of time Pond modified the production process, using an aqueous distillate ofhamamelis twigs, known as “hazaline”

Anhamamelis ointment containing a distillate of leaves and bark, has been commercially available inGermany since 1878. While, the British Pharmacopoeia of 1932 included a monograph on Extractum Hamamelidis Liquidum.

In USA, the aqueous extract of witch hazel twigs has long been an American household liniment. That it is used in several OTCs in astringent and haemostatic preparations in combination with Aloe.

The world's leading producer of witch hazel is American Distilling, Inc. Located in Connecticut USA, they produce witch hazel that is exported around the world and used in everything from salves and creams to toothpastes and shampoos. Since the annual production of witch hazel UPS runs in the neighborhood of 3 million gallons, a whopping 20 million tons of witch hazel twigs would be required.

Benefits and Uses of Witch Hazel

Witch hazel hydrosol has many powerful medicinal properties that can be used in a variety of ways,it contain very small amounts of the essential oils and water-soluble components of the plant material that may not be present in the heavier components typically classified as essential oils. Native Americans applied poultices of hamamelis leaves and bark as a remedy for hemorrhoids, wounds, insect bites, painful tumours and ulcers, they consider witch hazel a magical herb, using it to keep away evil and to heal broken hearts.

In the following some of Witch Hazel medicinal proprieties:

Skin protector:

Skin provides a barrier against UV radiation, chemicals, microbes and physical pollutants, many studies have revealed that the skin is very sensitive to reactive oxygen species (ROS).

The external use of witch hazel has become widely reported and has been approved by many regulatory authorities. It have a bunch of magic properties, like astringent, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and anti-bacterial, associated with its active components of Gallic acid and tannins. It consider asone of the oldest beauty ingredients, and despite all the innovation and technological advancements in beauty, it’s still hugely popular.

That , In the world of beauty it has been advised to make witch hazel a part of everyday routine to notice the difference by using its natural products such as: Dove Facial Cleansing Mousse Deep Pure , Dickinson’s Original Witch Hazel Pore Perfecting Toner, Anita Grant Organic Witch Hazel (Alcohol Free), Mario Badescu Witch Hazel & Rose Water Toner, Belif Witch Hazel Herbal Extract Toner at Sephora ,Babo Botanicals After Sun Soothing Aloe Gel.

LETIME has published a video explaining how to make witch hazel face toner for daily use by using all plant based ingredients: witch hazel hydrosol, lavender hydrosol and glycerin.

Antiviral effect:

Some studies indicate that witch hazel may be beneficial in fighting certain types of viral infections. For example, it has found that the tannins in witch hazel which account for as much as 8–12% of the bark weight , exhibited antiviral effects against both influenza A and human papillomavirus (HPV).

Anitumor properties:

Cancer is one of the leading causes of death globally, associated with multifactorial patho-physiological components. Recently, several natural bioactive compounds were found to possess anticancer properties, capable of killing transformed or cancerous cells without beingtoxic to their normal counterparts.

Witch hazel extracts rich in gallate esters included in proanthocyanidins, hydrolyzable tannins (galloylated sugars), and methylgallate. It was studies the response of human colon cancer cells to treatment with fractions obtained from a witch hazel polyphenolic extract. It shows inhibiting cell proliferation in humancolon cancer cell lines, in addition, was potent in arresting the cell cycle at the S phase and inducing apoptosis; they also induced asignificant percentage of necrosis. Also, it has been reported that thamamelis is capable of inhibiting tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF) and could have genotoxic and antigenotoxic effects.

Healing the children with skin disorders:

Published clinical experience with hamamelis ointment in children is limited. It was proved that hamamelis ointment is an effective and safe treatment for certain skin disorders in children up to the age of 11 years. The observed effects are similar to dexpanthenol.

Veterinary medicinal products:

Hamamelis virginiana is used topically in veterinary medicine as a solution or as an ointment in combination with other herbal extracts to promote wound -healing of minor injuries of skin, for treatment of skin inflammations, ulcerations and dermatoses. The medicinal products contain 2.5to 10.8% (w/w) of an extract of the leaves and are applied 1 to 2 times daily for 2 to 3 days.

Environmental effect:

Along with having so many amazing uses for humans, witch-hazel also serves as a larval host plant and nectar source for several insects and Lepidoptera (butterflies) and as a nesting site for several bird species.

Even though there are need of more clinical studies to prove its medicianl benefits, the long history of use of witch hzel provides reference for applying such natural ingredients to improve wellness. This article is not reviewed by US FDA.

References:

https://www.herbalgram.org/resources/herbalgram/issues/116/table-of-contents/hg116-herbprofile/

https://extension.psu.edu/witch-hazels-a-promise-that-spring-is-on-the-way

https://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/plant-of-the-week/hamamelis_virginiana.shtml

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Witch-hazel

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/343678379_Antibacterial_activity_and_medical_properties_of_Witch_Hazel_Hamamelis_virginiana

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/51717480_Antioxidant_and_potential_anti-inflammatory_activity_of_extracts_and_formulations_of_white_tea_rose_and_witch_hazel_on_primary_human_dermal_fibroblast_cells

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3909258/

https://www.academia.edu/24587587/Witch_Hazel_Hamamelis_virginiana_Fractions_and_the_Importance_of_Gallate_Moieties_Electron_Transfer_Capacities_in_Their_Antitumoral_Properties

Habtemariam S (2002). Hamamelitannin from Hamamelisvirginianainhibits the tumour necrosis fa ctor-alpha (TNF)-induced endothelialcell death in vitro. Toxicon. 40:83-88.

ttps://www.researchgate.net/publication/6623259_Hamamelis_in_children_with_skin_disorders_and_skin_injuries_Results_of_an_observational_study

ttps://www.ema.europa.eu/en/documents/mrl-report/hamamelis-virginiana-summary-report-1-committee-veterinary-medicinal-products_en.pdf