I used this website sometimes when I was learning medicinal plants. I didn’t check it often. Tonight I was searching for tannin content of oak trees, checked this site and found they’d changed a great deal, it’s seems much better, more informative. But I haven't had time to really check out how accurate this info is.
This is the list of oak tree species. Not all are in the US but many are. Properties of oaks vary greatly species to species, especially tannic acid content. On the right end of the chart they have “Edibility” rating for each species. Not sure of all the criteria but its a place to start and that column is a reflection of the tannin content. The higher the tannin, the more work to remove from acorns… thus a lower rating number.
Some oaks have less tannin's than others making them more desirable as food, less work. I've read that the usefulness of acorn's varied among native tribes, now it makes sense. If your neighborhood has crappy acorns you wouldn't use them unless you were hungry. I've read some tribes considered it starvation food.
I have no idea why they give a 2 rating to all oaks for medicinal qualities. Oaks most certainly vary in medicinal usefulness. One in particular, white oak. Tincture from the inner bark is the best astringent out there (drying). It's added to dozens of kinds of herbal medicines. For instance, I’d add it to a cold or flu formula, it’d help dry sinuses. It's good medicine.
Anyway, here’s the chart. and the link Quercus chrysolepis Live Oak, Canyon live oak PFAF Plant Database
Edit to add... There are 75 or so species of Oaks in the lower 48
This is the list of oak tree species. Not all are in the US but many are. Properties of oaks vary greatly species to species, especially tannic acid content. On the right end of the chart they have “Edibility” rating for each species. Not sure of all the criteria but its a place to start and that column is a reflection of the tannin content. The higher the tannin, the more work to remove from acorns… thus a lower rating number.
Some oaks have less tannin's than others making them more desirable as food, less work. I've read that the usefulness of acorn's varied among native tribes, now it makes sense. If your neighborhood has crappy acorns you wouldn't use them unless you were hungry. I've read some tribes considered it starvation food.
I have no idea why they give a 2 rating to all oaks for medicinal qualities. Oaks most certainly vary in medicinal usefulness. One in particular, white oak. Tincture from the inner bark is the best astringent out there (drying). It's added to dozens of kinds of herbal medicines. For instance, I’d add it to a cold or flu formula, it’d help dry sinuses. It's good medicine.
Anyway, here’s the chart. and the link Quercus chrysolepis Live Oak, Canyon live oak PFAF Plant Database
Edit to add... There are 75 or so species of Oaks in the lower 48
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