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Prickly ash, Zanthoxylum americanum. Botanical plate: American medicinal plants; an illustrated and descriptive guide to the American plants use
Plate: American medicinal plants; an illustrated and descriptive guide to the American plants use. Internet Archive Book Images. No restrictions.

Prickly ash

Zanthoxylum americanum

Herbs & Roots. Native American and Western & European.

Also called Toothache tree, Northern prickly ash, Yellowwood

Limited safety data

A thorny North American shrub whose bark numbs the mouth, long used for toothache and joint pain.

Did you know? It belongs to the same genus as Sichuan pepper, the spice that makes lips tingle.

What it may help, and how strong the proof is

  • Mouth, gums & teeth. Chewing the bark numbs the mouth, and it is a traditional toothache remedy. Human trials are missing.
    Traditional proof
  • Joint pain & arthritis. Used for arthritis and joint pain. No good human trials exist.
    Traditional proof

Parts of the body

Mouth & throat, Joints

Traditional use

Native peoples chewed the bark for toothache. Settlers and Eclectic doctors later used it for rheumatism and poor circulation.

How it is classified

Herbal actions
Analgesic, Circulatory, Stimulant. Energy: warming.

How people take it

Traditionally, a small piece of bark is chewed for toothache, and tea or tincture is used for joint pain. No tested dose exists.

Tincture, tea and powder.

Where to get it

Grows as a thorny shrub or small tree in woods and thickets of eastern and central North America. Bark is wild-cut or sold as dried bark, tinctures and tea blends.

Be careful

Chewing the bark causes strong tingling and numbness. Large amounts may upset the stomach. The thorny bark can irritate skin when handled. Avoid in pregnancy and breastfeeding, since it has not been studied.

Avoid if: pregnancy; breastfeeding.

Mixing with other things

  • Works well together

    Both are old toothache remedies that numb the mouth. Clove oil has more study.

The honest take

Prickly ash has a long history as a toothache remedy, and its numbing effect is real. Modern human studies for its pain and joint claims are missing. Do not use it for a dental infection, which needs a dentist.