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Tree Spirits and Tree Worship
(Part 2 of 2) |
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Bleeding tree
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Trees that bleed?
Is that true that trees do bleed as a sign of pain or injury when
harmed, just like other animals? As we have examined the
superstitious beliefs from ancient time till today, there are
suggestion that trees do harbor spirits abode. When either
the tree was praised in worship or destroyed by cutting,
supernormal tends to happen.
Nevertheless, SPI has discovered and photographed some
confirmation that a tree, released some red liquid when the trunk
is cut off. It was a maple gum tree once standing in the
natural stripe of a car park near Ang Mo Kio. The tree
stump, after being cut, appeared to be bleeding - a substantial
flow of blood-color sap running out from the trunk to the parking
lots nearby. The road surface was stained with patches of
rusty maroon color, resembling blood.
In the ancient time when people did not have much knowledge on
science or biology, they would interpret it or actually mistake
this scene as tree bleeding. Such would be deemed to be a
paranormal event of course. And in turn, it would further
reinforce their belief that spirits were inhabited in trees, and
therefore it became a necessity for worshipping trees.
Here is another grandfather's tale; when the first water-melon was
discovered in China thousands of years ago it created an anxiety.
Alarmingly, the villagers thought it was of evil. Well,
interesting enough, the Chinese would foolishly take anything that
they have not seen before as evil. It was how the Caucasians
in the 18 century when they first arrived China, were called
'Devil Men' by the local.
So to a water-melon, a strange round object with zebra stripes
that they have no knowledge about, they nominated a warrior with a
long sword to kill it off by chopping it straight into two halves.
"Chump", the sword sliced open the water-melon in almost no
effort. Surprisingly, they saw red and raw flesh and juice
gushed out from the water-melon, flowing all the way under their
feet. The bleeding scene made everybody in the ceremony
bowed down to the so-called 'demon melon', begging for pardon.
Science verse superstition
With a scientific mind, nowadays, we no longer worship trees nor
be afraid of seeing a bleeding tree. The phenomenon of tree
bleeding is simply a release of tree sap of ruby color, especially
for Red Gum tree or Red Maple tree whose technically name is
Liquidambar styraciflua of the Family Hammamelidaceae.
The book "The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Trees, Timbers and
Forests of the World", by Herbert Edlin and Maurice Nimmo,
explains the name red gum. “Red gums are so called because they
contain red tinge of the heartwood with red sap, or better known
as syrup". The deepness of the red color is somehow related
to higher acidity levels in the soil. This tree is not
usually used for maple syrup, as the sugar content in the sap is
too low. The tree primarily utilized for maple syrup is the
Sugar Maple.
The Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum) grows to 100 feet in height and
has a 300-year life span. Sugar Maple prefers calcium-rich
soil in the upland woods of the eastern deciduous forest. It
can survive years of suppressed growth in dense shade before
reaching the sunlight and tree canopy above. The leaves are
4-6 inches long, opposite and have three to five lobes.
Early colonists also highly prized the sugar maple often drinking
the sap straight as a “spring tonic” (before indoor plumbing,
spring tonics were used to clean the internal body systems after a
long, cold winter in which one was less likely to use the
outhouse).
Enough said, bleeding tree is nothing but just dripping of tree
sap. So don't be gullible.
Bleeding tree that cures?
Do you know that there is one type of bleeding tree that can be
used as a pain killer, anti-inflammatory and antibiotic?
Known as Sangre de Grado, Spanish for "Blood of the Dragon,"
because of its thick red sap, Croton lechleri grows throughout the
Amazon. Its sap has been used for centuries by indigenous peoples
of the Amazon as a herbal medicine to treat wounds, ease pain and
relieve gastrointestinal distress. Wallace and his research team
are conducting experimental research on Sangre de Grado as a
potent inhibitor of inflammation and pain.
Not only does Sangre de Grado prevent pain sensation, it also
blocks the tissue response to a chemical released by nerves that
promotes inflammation. There is currently no other substance that
we know of that shares these same activities.
In a clinical trial performed with pest control workers, a balm
made from Sangre de Grado was found to provide relief from the
bites and stings of a wide variety of insects within 90 seconds.
The study further shows that Sangre de Grado offers pain relief
and alleviated symptoms - itching and swelling - for up to six
hours. Similar types of pain and inflammation can occur in the
gastrointestinal tract - with gastritis, ulcer disease and
infectious diarrhea.
Sangre de Grado has antibacterial actions, showing excellent
promise as a first aid treatment for insect bites and stings,
lacerations and even burns.
Reference:
Dr. John Wallace of the University of Calgary's Faculty of
Medicine, and researchers at Albany Medical College in Albany, NY.
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