November is the perfect time to collect Witch Hazel
(Hamamelis virginiana). It is now at its peek since its blooming period is from September to November. You can find Witch Hazel in many of your woodlands without having to hike into the middle of nowhere. It is found both in damp and dry woods, usually near the foot of a small mountain.
Witch Hazel is very easy to spot if you keep an eye out for its very distinctive flowers. For this reason I suggest conducting your search during late mourning or early afternoon when the flowers are completely unfolded. Witch Hazel grows as a tall shrub about 10 to 15 feet tall. It has fairly thin branches and diamond shaped leaves with wavy edges. The flowers are yellow and shriveled looking, somewhat like crumpled pieces of thin paper.
The leaves are what you really want to collect for medicinal purposes; however, you want to make sure the leaves you collect are free of galls. A gall is a small pointed growth on the leaf. Once collected the leaves are used in an infusion as a topical astringent. Simply put, when you soak the leaves in hot water it makes a solution that helps cuts and sores close-up and heal. This same infusion is also often used as a makeup remover.
To make an infusion put one teaspoon of leaves in a non-metallic container and pour 1 cup of very hot water over them. The leaves may be dried and crushed or cut into small pieces if fresh. Let them sit with a cover over them so no steam escapes for9 to 13 minutes. Strain the infusion and let it cool. To use the infusion apply it on a wound a few times a day with either an eye dropper or cotton ball.
There are also many other uses for Witch Hazel according to folklore. The most common of which is to use the branches to make the "Y" shaped divining rods that dowsers use to find water. It is also said that the twigs and flowers can be carried in a small sachet to ward off evil or to ease a broken heart.
