Herb library · Herb · Myrica cerifera (Morella cerifera)
Bayberry root bark
The root bark of the American wax myrtle, the shrub whose berries give bayberry candle wax. It was a staple of 19th-century American herbal practice as an astringent. It has only been studied in the lab; no study of the bark in people exists.
Traditional use
Followers of the herbalist Samuel Thomson in the early 1800s used bayberry bark widely, and Eclectic physicians later described it as astringent and stimulating, using it for loose bowels, sore mouth and throat (as a gargle) and bleeding gums. A 2022 study records wax myrtle as a medicinal plant of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina. The berries were boiled for their wax, which made candles.
What studies show
No studies in people of this herb on its own yet. What is known of it comes from the traditions that use it.
- Insufficient
Digestion, sore throat and other traditional uses: no studies in people were found. Extracts and compounds from the bark act against bacteria, nematode worms and cancer cells in lab dishes, which does not show what the bark does in a person.
Be careful of
Cautions
- AmountOld texts note that larger doses of the bark can cause vomiting. There is no tested safe dose.
- AllergyWax myrtle pollen is a known allergen in the southeastern United States: in a Florida study, 15% of 400 people tested for respiratory allergies reacted to it on skin testing, and nasal and airway challenges confirmed it. People allergic to the pollen may react to the plant.
- PregnancyNo safety information for pregnancy or breastfeeding was found in the sources used here.
- Ask a clinicianTalk with a clinician or pharmacist before using this if you take prescription medicines, are pregnant or breastfeeding, or are giving it to a child.
From the old books
What herbals and dispensaries of the past printed. History, in their words.
“Bayberry bark is astringent and stimulant, and as such is valuable in debilitated conditions of the mucous membranes; in drachm doses, it is apt to occasion emesis. It was largely employed by the followers of Samuel Thomson, in catarrhal states of the alimentary tract.”
Sources
- Myrica cerifera, a medicinal plant of the Lumbee Tribe, has antibacterial and nematicidal properties (Am J Undergrad Res, 2022) — PubMed record (opens in a new tab) · NIH · read September 25, 2026
- Biological activities of triterpenoids and phenolic compounds from Myrica cerifera bark (Chem Biodivers, 2016) — PubMed record (opens in a new tab) · NIH · read September 25, 2026
- Nasal and bronchial provocation challenges with bayberry (Myrica cerifera) pollen extract (J Allergy Clin Immunol, 1992) — PubMed record (opens in a new tab) · NIH · read September 25, 2026
Reviewed September 25, 2026.