Edible Parts:
Edible Uses: Drink

Fruit - cooked. The fruit is not poisonous, but is almost inedible raw[226]. When the seed is removed and the flesh is mashed, it can be mixed with other fruits and made into jams, jellies etc[226]. The fruit, when infused in 'Eau de Vie' makes a bitter but acceptable drink[4]. One report says that the fruit is poisonous for humans[229]. The fruit is borne in clusters, each fruit being up to 15mm in diameter with a thin mealy bitter flesh[229]. The fruit is high in lipids, uo to 35% of dry weight[274].

Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.
Anthelmintic  Antidiarrhoeal  Antiperiodic  Appetizer  Astringent  Bitter  Diaphoretic  Malaria  
Poultice  Stimulant  Tonic

Flowering dogwood was employed medicinally by a number of native North American Indian tribes who valued it especially for its astringent and antiperiodic properties[257]. It is little used in modern herbalism. The dried root-bark is antiperiodic, astringent, diaphoretic, mildly stimulant and tonic[4, 46, 61, 95, 257]. The flowers are said to have similar properties[4]. A tea or tincture of the astringent root bark has been used as a quinine substitute to treat malaria[95, 222, 257] and also in the treatment of chronic diarrhoea[222]. The bark has also been used as a poultice on external ulcers, wounds etc[222, 257]. The glycoside 'cornin' found in the bark has astringent properties[213]. The inner bark was boiled and the tea drunk to reduce fevers and to restore a lost voice[213, 257]. A compound infusion of the bark and the root has been used in the treatment of various childhood diseases such as measles and worms[257]. It was often used in the form of a bath[257]. The fruits are used as a bitter digestive tonic[222]. A tincture of them has been used to restore tone to the stomach in cases of alcoholism[4].

Brush  Dye  Ink  Repellent  Teeth  Wood

A red dye is obtained from the fibrous root[4, 95]. The peeled twigs are used as toothbrushes, they are good for whitening the teeth[4, 95, 102]. The juice from the twigs preserves and hardens the gums[4]. The twigs can also be chewed to make natural paintbrushes[102]. A black ink can be made from the bark mixed with gum arabic and iron sulphate[4]. The bark is very bitter, could it be used to make an insect or bird repellent[K]? Wood - hard, heavy, strong, close grained, durable, takes a good polish and is extremely shock-resistant. It weighs 51lb per cubic foot and is used for making wheel hubs, tool handles, the heads of golf clubs, bearings, turnery etc[4, 46, 61, 82, 102, 171, 227]. A dynamic accumulator gathering minerals or nutrients from the soil and storing them in a more bioavailable form - used as fertilizer or to improve mulch.

Special Uses

Dynamic accumulator  Food Forest