Tree & Shrub Medicines of Winter

This Winter, I have shared a fair amount about the wisdom and medicine that the season of Winter holds but I haven’t yet shared about the physical medicines that are available to us.

Certainly, we always have access to herbs in preserved forms, such as dried or tinctured, and we can purchase fresh herbs at the grocery store year round. But many think that because the ground is frozen and there aren’t plants actively growing or blooming that harvesting plants for medicine isn’t an option.

This couldn’t be further from the truth!

Even though the number of plants we might harvest from is far fewer in the middle of Winter than during peak Summer, there’s still opportunity for medicine making in this season.

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The medicines of Winter are those of the trees (and shrubs!)- bark medicines and needle/leaf medicine, in particular.

The greenery from White Cedar, Spruce, and Pine are some of the most commonly foraged for teas, steams, and/or baths, depending on the plant.

I may be the odd herbalist out in that lately, I tend to forage for White Cedar more than I do Pine. (Pine is well known as a wild source of Vitamin C and is therefore often quite helpful for supporting immunity, among other aspects of health.)

Cedar, however, has been more available to me for foraging and thanks to Joseph of Creators Garden, my eyes have been opened to the medicine that White Cedar offers and I’ve been exploring it since. If you’d like to watch his video on Cedar, you can find it here!

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Although there are many, the bark medicines from White and Bur Oak, Crampbark, Red Osier, and Prickly Ash are strong allies in my apothecary.

If you are interested in diving deeper into the medicines of barks in particular, I am leading a winter plant walk with bark medicine at the center on Saturday, February 7th, 2026 at 10am in Mankato.

• We will discuss Oak, Crampbark, Red Osier, and Prickly Ash in a way that you will be able to identify them and also understand what medicine they offer.

  
  

• Sustainable and ethical harvesting practices will be discussed as well as how to turn your bark harvest into medicine.

  
  

• And we will chat about other allies that we may come across along our walk, such as Elder, Rose, Sumac, Red Cedar / Juniper, Pine (and more).

  
  

You can learn more about this offering and register here: Bark Medicine Walk.

It is easy to look past the shrubs and trees as providers of medicine, especially in this quiet season of Winter. Might you slow to notice them a little more in the coming days and weeks?

~ Kara