Early fall is one of my favorite times. Our lovely small peach trees bear the most amazing fruit, and we eat fresh peaches for weeks as we freeze and dehydrate them for use all winter. I haven’t met anyone that doesn’t love the taste of a beautifully ripened peach.

Did you know that the leaves, kernels, and bark of the peach tree are all medicinal and good to use? We had a branch break this year due to heavy fruit and a big storm, so we picked the fruit to finish ripening on the counter and hung the branch to dry. A few weeks later I gathered the leaves and bark and put the remaining wood in our firewood pile. If gathering leaves without the aid of a broken branch, gather in late summer when they are at their best – and from trees that have not been sprayed. When harvesting the bark, it is best collected from young trees in late autumn after the harvest, using caution to not take too much from one tree (Herb Syllabus, 469). 

What can you use these parts of the peach tree for? Jethro Kloss, author of Back to Eden, lists the medicinal properties of the leaves, bark, and kernels as a relaxant, demulcent, sedative, aromatic, laxative, diuretic, and expectorant. He recommends collecting plenty of leaves to have on hand year-round as they are useful to stop vomiting and help morning sickness in pregnancy. Kloss recommends making the leaves into tea and taking it in small doses, every hour, to stop vomiting. The leaves can also be used to help coughs including whooping cough and bronchitis, they help with bladder and uterine issues, and help calm down the nervous system. Mrs. M. Grieve teaches that tea from dried peach leaves would help expel worms, and using the fresh leaves as a poultice would do the same (A Modern Herbal Volume 2, 620). According to Kloss, the kernels can be boiled in vinegar until they become thick and used on the scalp to help grow back hair. The kernels can also be used as a substitute for quinine for the treatment of malaria (Back to Eden, 223). 

I find it fascinating that the plants around us have so many varied uses! They provide both food and medicine. Dr. Christopher taught, “live under your own fig tree” meaning, use what you have around you. Study the plants in your area so you know what properties they have and keep them on hand for use when they are not in season. You may not have the exact same plants that Dr. Christopher used, but you will have something with medicinal properties that is good to use. Take the time to study and get to know your plants – they may save your life. 

Tara Christopher Eyre is a Master Herbalist and Foot Zone therapist/practitioner. She loves helping people find and continue their path toward health.