Oriental Arborvitae
The Oriental Arborvitae is a large evergreen shrub or a small tree popular in the United States for decorating the yards of houses. It grows extremely slowly, but it can grow to approximately 15 meters tall. Its Latin name is Folium Thuja Orientalis (IUCN Redlist). In their native homeland China, most Oriental Arborvitaes never reach their full potential as they are heavily harvested for spiritual and herbal use.
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Quick Facts about the Tree
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Community Surrounding the Tree:
It is difficult to tell because of
past plantings and cultivations of other species of plants that grow around the
tree. In its native homeland in Eastern
Asia, it is commonly grown in large groups with each other so they can be
harvested as a group. It is getting
difficult to find more of these trees in their natural habitats as their numbers
are dwindling due to de-forestation. Naturalized
varieties of Oriental Arborvitaes are mainly used for decorations next to
buildings and houses.
Ethnobotony of Tree
It appears that this tree is a favorite of many religious groups in modern-day China, as noted by an explorer in 1927 when he visited inland China. Due to this, however, Oriental Arborvitaes have been harder to find as the religious groups cultivate more and more of this species. Much of the research done of this type of tree dates back dozens of years as recently numbers of this species of tree have begun to dwindle due to de-forestation. It is most commonly found in its native home of Eastern Asia, stretching from Southeastern Russia to Northeastern North Korea. While the Oriental Arborvitae does look a lot like pine trees, they can only grow in dry woodlands and steep hillsides. The leaves, when dried, serve as an herb in traditional Chinese medicine, where they can be used to stop bleeding and coughing. In its medicinal form, it is considered one of the 50 main herbs used for Chinese medicinal purposes. However, the leaves in its original form are toxic if ingested. Even though there is this danger, many can be found stateside as this tree is popular for outdoor décor in the suburbs.
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Current Research
The Oriental Arborvitae, while
having many curative effects, has been found to be more of a danger than a
cure. A 7-month old child was treated
with a compound containing a low level amount of Arborvitae oils in order to
calm the child down prior to immunization.
However, instead of calming down the child, the compound triggered a
series of severe seizures, and only once the compound was discontinued did the
seizures cease. Doctors and
practitioners have been warned to be cautious of this compound, but is also
recognized for providing neurologic care to children when used correctly
(MDidea).
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Creative Writing
It is very unique in that the Oriental Arborvitae can be as much a cure as much as a toxin. In traditional Chinese herbal medicine, this plant can be used for many medicinal purposes such as ulcers and whooping cough. It is one of the 50 main herbs used in Chinese herbal medicine. The leaves have to be carefully separated and dried, otherwise if they are ingested incorrectly, it can kill the patient. While some pine tree varieties’ bark can be sued to brew tea, the bark in the Oriental Arborvitae releases hydrogen cyanide, which is a potent toxin, in the form of an glucose-enriched oil. It secretes this oil in nature in order to protect itself from diseases and plant eaters. Not only can the bark be poisonous, the leaves can be as well. There is something in this oil that makes an improperly prepared medication produced from the leaf of the Chinese Arborvitae toxic and potentially fatal if ingested/medicated. Oddly enough, the Oriental Arborvitae was also idolized by Taoists and other religious groups in China in the 1600s. They valued its wide existence, even though numbers began to dwindle as the plant’s medicinal attributes came to light. It was seen as a strong and defiant by the religious groups while viewed as medicine cabinets by doctors and herbalists. Some extremely religious believers went so far as too build small temples around the oldest of these trees in order to preserve them from the axe. Even though not many of these trees remain, the Oriental Arborvitae is still an integral part of Chinese culture and traditions.
References
Franco, L. (2013, July 19). Posted to http://conifersaroundtheworld.com/blog/platycladus_orientalis_oriental_arborvitae
Franco, L. Platycladus Orientalis. Retrieved October 16 2013 from The Gymnosperm Database http://www.conifers.org/cu/Platycladus.php
Franco, L. Platycladus Orientalis. (2013). Retrieved October 14 2013, from http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/31305/0
---. Chinese Arborvitae Leaf. (2012). Posted to http://www.hellotcm.com/Herb/herb167.thtml
Stafstrom (2007). Research Update: Thuja Orientalis. Platycladua Orientalis. Retrieved from Univeristy of Wisconsin, Section of Pediatric Neurology: http://www.mdidea.com/products/proper/proper073research.html
Franco, L. Platycladus Orientalis. Retrieved October 16 2013 from The Gymnosperm Database http://www.conifers.org/cu/Platycladus.php
Franco, L. Platycladus Orientalis. (2013). Retrieved October 14 2013, from http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/31305/0
---. Chinese Arborvitae Leaf. (2012). Posted to http://www.hellotcm.com/Herb/herb167.thtml
Stafstrom (2007). Research Update: Thuja Orientalis. Platycladua Orientalis. Retrieved from Univeristy of Wisconsin, Section of Pediatric Neurology: http://www.mdidea.com/products/proper/proper073research.html