Origin of Witch Hazel

The Witch Hazel plant is a shrub indigenous to the woodland areas of northeastern United States. This unique plant bears delicate golden flowers in late autumn, after the leaves have fallen. The seed capsule matures in the following season at which time it bursts open, scattering its seeds with great force. The twigs and bark contain therapeutic and aromatic constituents that when extracted and distilled, create a clear, fragrant,naturally astringent liquid. Nineteenth century writings describe how Native Americans boiled the stems and twigs of Witch Hazel and used the resultant clear liquid for the relief of hemorrhages, bruises, cuts, scratches, external inflammations and sore eyes to name a few. During that time missionaries were introduced to the plant's beneficial attributes by Native Americans and developed the proprietary distillation process still being used today. Today, more than a century later, American Distilling's Witch Hazel Extracts are used as a basis for a wide array of personal care products.