Mountain Ash
OTHER NAME(S): Arbre aux Grives, Corbier d'Europe, Eberesche, Ebereschenbeeren, European Mountain-Ash, Quickbeam, Rowan, Rowan Tree, Serbal de los Cazadores, Sorb Apple, Sorbi Acupariae Fructus, Sorbier d'Europe, Sorbier des Oiseaux, Sorbier des Oiseleurs, Sorbier des Oiseliers, Sorbier Sauvage, Witchen, Sorbus aucuparia, Pyrus aucuparia, Serbal De Los Cazadores, Sorbier Des Oiseaux
Overview
Mountain ash is a tree. People use the berries and flowers to make medicine. The berries may be used fresh, dried, or cooked and then dried.
People take mountain ash for diabetes, diarrhea, gout, heart disease, and many other conditions, but there is no good scientific research to support any of these uses. Eating large amounts of fresh mountain ash berries can also be unsafe.
In manufacturing, mountain ash is used as an ingredient in marmalade, stewed fruit, juice, liqueur, vinegar, and in tea mixtures.
Uses
Insufficient Evidence for
- Diabetes.
- Diarrhea.
- Gout.
- Hardening of the arteries.
- Heart disease.
- Long-term kidney disease (chronic kidney disease or CKD).
- Osteoarthritis.
- Premenstrual syndrome (PMS).
- Swelling (inflammation) and sores inside the mouth (oral mucositis).
- Vitamin C deficiency.
- Other conditions.
Menstrual cramps (dysmenorrhea)
More evidence is needed to rate the effectiveness of mountain ash for these uses.
Side Effects
When taken by mouth: Fresh mountain ash berries are POSSIBLY UNSAFE. Eating large amounts can cause stomach irritation and pain, vomiting, queasiness, diarrhea, kidney damage, and other side effects. There isn't enough reliable information to know if dried or cooked mountain ash berries are safe or what the side effects might be.
Precautions
When taken by mouth: Fresh mountain ash berries are POSSIBLY UNSAFE. Eating large amounts can cause stomach irritation and pain, vomiting, queasiness, diarrhea, kidney damage, and other side effects. There isn't enough reliable information to know if dried or cooked mountain ash berries are safe or what the side effects might be.
Pregnancy and breast-feeding: It's POSSIBLY UNSAFE to use large amounts of fresh mountain ash berries. Not enough is known about the safety of dried or cooked berries. Stay on the safe side and avoid using any mountain ash product.
Kidney disease: There is a chemical in mountain ash berries that might harm the kidneys. If you have kidney disease, don't risk making it worse by taking mountain ash berries.
Interactions
Moderate Interaction
Be cautious with this combination
- Medications that can harm the kidneys (Nephrotoxic drugs) interacts with Mountain AshEating a lot of mountain ash berries might harm the kidneys in some people. Some medications can also harm the kidneys. Taking mountain ash berries with medications that can harm the kidneys might increase the chance of kidney damage. Some of these medications that can harm the kidneys include cyclosporine (Neoral, Sandimmune); aminoglycosides including amikacin (Amikin), gentamicin (Garamycin, Gentak, others), and tobramycin (Nebcin, others); nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) including ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, Nuprin, others), indomethacin (Indocin), naproxen (Aleve, Anaprox, Naprelan, Naprosyn), piroxicam (Feldene); and numerous others.
Dosing
The appropriate dose of mountain ash depends on several factors such as the user's age, health, and several other conditions. At this time there is not enough scientific information to determine an appropriate range of doses for mountain ash. Keep in mind that natural products are not always necessarily safe and dosages can be important. Be sure to follow relevant directions on product labels and consult your pharmacist or physician or other healthcare professional before using.
References
- Blumenthal M, ed. The Complete German Commission E Monographs: Therapeutic Guide to Herbal Medicines. Trans. S. Klein. Boston, MA: American Botanical Council, 1998.
- Gruenwald J, Brendler T, Jaenicke C. PDR for Herbal Medicines. 1st ed. Montvale, NJ: Medical Economics Company, Inc., 1998.
- Olszewska MA, Kolodziejczyk-Czepas J, Rutkowska M, et al. The effect of standardised flower extracts of Sorbus aucuparia L. on proinflammatory enzymes, multiple oxidants, and oxidative/nitrative damage of human plasma components in vitro. Oxid Med Cell Longev. 2019;2019:9746358.
- Rutkowska M, Kolodziejczyk-Czepas J, Olszewska MA. The effects of Sorbus aucuparia L. fruit extracts on oxidative/nitrative modifications of human fibrinogen, impact on enzymatic properties of thrombin, and hyaluronidase activity in vitro. Antioxidants (Basel). 2021 Dec 18;10(12):2009.
- Rutkowska M, Kolodziejczyk-Czepas J, Owczarek A, Zakrzewska A, Magiera A, Olszewska MA. Novel insight into biological activity and phytochemical composition of Sorbus aucuparia L. fruits: Fractionated extracts as inhibitors of protein glycation and oxidative/nitrative damage of human plasma components. Food Res Int. 2021 Sep;147:110526.