Black Haw

Scientific Name(s): Viburnum prunifolium L.
Common Name(s): Black haw, Blackhaw, Blackhaw viburnum, Smooth blackhaw, Smooth blackhaw viburnum, Stagbush, Sweet-haw

Medically reviewed by Drugs.com. Last updated on Apr 21, 2022.

Clinical Overview

Use

Ethnobotanical uses of black haw include treatment of female reproductive complaints and prevention of abortion and/or miscarriage due to its antispasmodic activity; it has also been used for its diuretic, sedative, and antiasthmatic properties. However, there are no clinical trials to support these uses.

Dosing

There is no clinical evidence to provide dosing recommendations for black haw.

Contraindications

Contraindications have not been identified.

Pregnancy/Lactation

Information regarding safety and efficacy in pregnancy and lactation is lacking. Black haw has historically been used to prevent abortion and miscarriage.

Interactions

None well documented.

Adverse Reactions

No studies have been performed.

Toxicology

No data.

Scientific Family

• Caprifoliaceae (honeysuckle)

Botany

Black haw is a large shrub or small tree native to the eastern and central United States, with white flowers and shiny, juicy, blue-black berries.Khan 2009, USDA 2016 The root and stem bark is preferred to the trunk bark for use in black haw preparations.Cometa 2009, Khan 2009 Synonyms include Viburnum bushii Ashe, Viburnum pruniflorium var. bushii (Ahse) Palmer & Steyerm, and Viburnum prunifolium var. globosum Nash.

History

V. prunifolium has traditionally been used for menstrual cramps and cases of threatened miscarriage (also see the Viburnum opulus/Cramp Bark monograph), as well as for its sedative and antiasthmatic effects.Campbell 1886, Duke 2002, Khan 2009 Black haw was used by Cherokee and Delaware American Indian tribes as an antispasmodic for female reproductive complaints. It reputedly was used by slave owners to forestall abortions in female slaves using cotton root bark to induce abortion.Brinker 1998, Duke 2002 Its use was sufficiently common that black haw was officially recognized in the United States Pharmacopeia from 1882 to 1926 and in the United States National Formulary. Case reports of use for preventing abortion and/or miscarriage have also been noted historically in the British Medical Journal.Wilson 1886 Black haw was popularized by the Eclectic medical movement of the early 19th century in the United States as a mild sedative and uterine antispasmodic. An aqueous infusion of the bark from roots and stems was most often used in folk medicine.Cometa 2009

Chemistry

The bioflavonoid amentoflavoneHörhammer 1966 and the coumarin scopoletinJarboe 1967 have been isolated from black haw root bark. Four iridoid glucosides isolated from the ethanol and butanol fraction of a methanol extract were noted to have a Valeriana-type skeleton and were found to contribute to the spasmolytic effects on animal jejunum and trachea in vitro. The less polar 2ʹ-O-acetyldihydropenstemide and 2ʹ-O-trans-p-coumaroyldihydropenstemide were obtained from the ethanol fraction and exhibited higher potency than 2ʹ-O-acetylpatrinoside and patrinoside from the butanol fraction.Cometa 2009 Other constituents identified include beta-sitosterol, heptacosane, aesculetin, amyrin, ...