The Linden Tree

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A few days ago, I attended an short seminar at a school of medicinal herbs close to Frankfurt (the area where I live). The interesting thing about this series of seminars is that each one focuses only on one plant: in this case the linden tree (or lime tree, as it is called by Mrs. M. Grieve in her classic book "A Modern Herbal", and as it is also known in the UK). So I joined a small group of fellow Kräuterfrauen, and we dedicated a couple of hours to study this beautiful tree: we learned to identify its leaves and flowers, talked about its constituents (flavonoids, mucilage, and volatile oil, among others) and medicinal properties, drank linden tea, and in the end even ate the flowers with bread and honey (they tasted good, just a bit too perfume-like). 

Although I had studied the linden's properties in my herbalist training, I have to say that I really hadn't given much thought to it. In my native Costa Rica, "té de tilo" (linden tea) is something that you get in little bags from the supermarket, and that you drink when you are nervous, can't sleep or are under stress; by extension, "go have some linden tea" would be something that you say to someone who is stressed or stressing you. But, apart from that, and despite having studied in Berlin (home of the famous Unter den Linden boulevard), my mind hadn't yet registered how the tree looks like (crown and leaves have the shape of a heart), or the fantastic fragrance of its flowers. 

A beautiful linden in the park.

The linden belongs to the Tilia genus, which in turn is part of the family of the mallows (Malvaceae). Different species of Tilia are found throughout Europe, North America, and Asia. Although I had heard that the number of species is in the hundreds, apparently it is more accurate to say that there are about 20 - 25 separate species, if you exclude geographic variations and hybrids. 

A close-up of the flowers and leaves.

Given that I've studied plants and trees in Germany, most materials that I know on the use of the linden tree as a medicinal plant focus on the two species that are native to Europe: the large-leaved linden (Tilia platyphyllos), and the small-leaved linden (Tilia cordata), which are also the ones that have been researched for their medicinal properties. Funnily enough, in German they are known respectively as Summer Linden and Winter Linden, although they both flower in summer (but apparently T. cordata flowers a couple of weeks later). Despite what their names say, both trees are quite similar. However, T. cordata can easily be distinguished because of the reddish hairs it shows near the veins on the underside of its leaves. Another characteristic of the Tilia species is the presence of leaf-like bracts at the base of the flowers. 

Linden blossoms also have an amazing scent. I had already noticed the smell while walking in the park near my house, but only realized where it came from after attending my linden seminar. The smell only lasts for a couple days, and it is quite strong. 

The flowers are also the part of the tree used for medicinal purposes. Other parts such as the leaves and bark have gotten a negative monograph from the German Kommission E. This doesn't mean that they are poisonous or dangerous, but rather that their medicinal action hasn't been proven. The flowers, however, can be used in different preparations to treat cold and flu symptoms. Linden blossoms are known for their diaphoretic action, which is a fancy way to say that they induce sweating; this is, of course, good if you have a fever. The flowers can also be used to prepare a relaxing bath: Mrs. Grieve wrote in her book (first published in 1931) that "[p]rolonged baths prepared with the infused flowers are also good in hysteria".  So, if you ever feel hysteric (oh, I hate that word and what it implies!), try a nice linden bath...

There's something nice about standing under a linden tree. 

Linden trees were of great importance for many cultures. In the Germanic tradition, the linden was often in the town center, and people would gather there for festivities, and also to hold trials. Apparently, verdicts issued under a linden tree were less severe than those given under other trees (this I heard; unfortunately I don't have a written source to support that claim...). I also read that it is a very important tree in Slavic culture and tradition, for example in Poland and Slovenia. 

To sum up, the linden is simply a beautiful and magical tree; I'm glad that I learned to identify and appreciate it.