Wood Aloe Guaiacum spp
Folk Names: Guaiacum, Lignum Aloe, Lignum Vitae "wood of life"
Description: G. officinale is an ornamental evergreen tree with a greenish-brown trunk. It is a slow growing tree, but attains the height of forty to sixty feet. The tree is always crooked and the bark is furrowed. The wood is extraordinarily heavy due to its dense, cross-grained fibers. Old heartwood is dark green, and there is little sap wood, which is yellowish in color. The leaves are pinnate, oval, and obtuse. Wood aloes have rich blue flowers which become obcordate capsules. The seeds are solitary, hard and oblong.
G sanctum grows in the Bahamas and Southern Florida. Unlike G officinale, G sanctum has oblong leaflets, six to eight per leaf, and produces a five celled fruit.
Effects: gentle
Planet: Venus
Element: water
Associated Deities:
Traditions:
none noted
Magic:
Lignum vitae strengthens mixtures to which it is added. Its high spiritual vibrations make it suitable for incenses for evocations. It may also be used to attract good fortune or carried or worn for love.
Known Combinations:
none noted
Medical Indications: Parts Used : leaf pulp
Wood shavings, called Lignum vitae, and more popularly, the resin, are used as a mild laxative and diuretic. They are sometimes given to a patient in powdered form for tonsillitis. Lignum vitae increases the heat and circulation of the body. For this reason it is useful for rheumatoid arthritis, chronic rheumatism, and gout, relieving the pain and inflammation between attacks and lessening occurrences if dosages are continued.
Nutrition:
none noted
Mercantile Uses:
The wood is very hard and durable and used in object which will see much handling. The tree also yields a volatile oil or good fragrance. The leaves of G sanctum are sometimes used as a soap substitute, but not commercially.