Edible Parts: Inner bark  Shoots
Edible Uses: Condiment  Gum  Tea

Inner bark - raw or cooked[213, 257]. It can be dried, ground into a powder and then used as a thickening in soups etc or mixed with cereals when making bread[161]. It has also been used as a sweetener for other foods[257]. The inner bark was often cooked and then dried for use in the winter[256]. At its best in spring[172], it was one of the staple foods of the Alaskan Indians[82]. An emergency food, it is only used when all else fails[183]. The leaves and twigs yield 'spruce oil', used commercially to flavour chewing gum, soft drinks, ice cream etc[183]. Pitch, obtained from crevices in the bark, has been chewed as a gum[257]. The leaves and young shoots have been chewed as an emergency food to keep one alive when lost in the woods[257]. A herbal tea is made from the leaves and shoot tips[172, 183]. These tips are also an ingredient of 'spruce beer'[183].

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Astringent  Diaphoretic  Diuretic  Parasiticide  Poultice  Skin

Western hemlock was commonly employed medicinally by several native North American Indian tribes who used it to treat a variety of complaints[257]. It is little, if at all, used in modern herbalism. The bark is astringent, diaphoretic and diuretic[21]. A decoction of the pounded bark has been used in the treatment of haemorrhages, tuberculosis and syphilis[257]. The boiled bark, combined with liquorice fern (Polypodium glyccyrhiza), has been used in the treatment of haemorrhages[257]. An infusion of the inner bark or twigs is helpful in the treatment of kidney or bladder problems[21]. It can also be used as a good enema for treating diarrhoea and as a gargle or mouthwash for mouth and throat problems[21]. Externally, it can be used as a wash on sores and ulcers[21, 257]. A poultice of the plant has been applied to bleeding wounds[257]. A moxa of the twigs has been used to get rid of warts[257]. The powdered bark can be put into shoes for tender or sweaty feet or for foot odour[21]. The gum obtained from the trunk has been applied to cuts[257]. It has been applied to the skin to prevent chapping and sunburn[257]. A poultice of the chewed leaves has been used in the treatment of burns[257].

Dye  Fuel  Gum  Hedge  Hedge  Parasiticide  Resin  Rust  Tannin  Wood

Yields a resin similar to Abies balsamea, it is gathered by incisions in the trunk or by boiling the wood[46, 61, 64]. The bark contains 8 - 18% tannin and is a major source of tannin in America[46, 82, 171, 226]. A reddish-brown dye is obtained from the bark[21, 46, 257]. A decoction of the bark has been used to clean rust off iron and steel[257]. A pitch (called hemlock pitch), is obtained by distillation of the young branches[46]. The pitch is rubbed on the hair to get rid of head lice[257]. Tolerant of light trimming, plants can be grown as a hedge[81]. This species makes a good hedge in Britain[124, 200]. Wood - light, hard, tough, easy to work. Commercially superior to other members of this genus, it is an important tree for construction, the outside of buildings etc and for carving into spoons etc[46, 61, 82, 171, 226, 229]. It is also a major source of pulp[226]. The wood makes a slow-burning fuel and so can be used to bank up a fire to keep it burning overnight[257].

Special Uses

Hedge  Hedge