From the Root & Leaf Journal - Stories, traditions, and the old ways of working with plants.
In early spring across the American West, something remarkable happens along rivers and creeks.
The cottonwood trees begin to wake.
Before the leaves appear, their branches fill with small, sticky buds that release a rich, sweet scent when warmed by the sun. The fragrance drifts through the air along riverbanks — deep, resinous, almost like honey and warm balsam.
For generations, people living on the Great Plains and throughout the Rocky Mountain region knew these buds were more than a sign of spring.
They were medicine.
The Trees That Follow the Water
Cottonwoods are the great trees of Western river valleys. Their roots reach deep into moist soil, which is why they almost always grow near creeks, streams, and floodplains.
For travelers on the Plains, cottonwood groves were important landmarks.
They meant water, shade, shelter from wind & often, useful plants.
Among those plants were the sticky buds that appeared each spring.
A Balm Hidden Inside the Buds
Cottonwood buds are coated in a fragrant resin produced by the tree.
This resin protects the emerging leaves from insects, disease, and harsh weather.
People soon discovered that the same resin could also be useful for skin protection and healing.
Across many Plains and Rocky Mountain tribes, cottonwood buds were traditionally prepared into salves and oils used for:
• cracked skin
• minor wounds
• chapped hands
• winter-damaged skin
The resinous oils helped protect the skin while the plant’s natural compounds supported healing.
A Familiar Scent
Anyone who has worked with cottonwood buds recognizes their unmistakable aroma.
The scent is warm, slightly sweet, and deeply resinous — somewhere between honey, balsam, and spring forest air.
This smell became closely associated with traditional balms made from the buds.
In fact, many herbalists today still refer to cottonwood bud salve as “Balm of Gilead.”
The name dates back centuries and reflects the long-standing reputation of the plant as a comforting skin remedy.
Gathering the Buds
The buds are usually collected in late winter or early spring, just as the tree begins to wake from winter dormancy.
At this moment they are:
• sticky with resin
• strongly aromatic
• filled with the protective compounds produced by the tree
Gatherers often collect buds that have naturally fallen after winter winds or storms, ensuring the trees themselves remain unharmed.
Once collected, the buds are typically infused into oils over time, allowing the resin to slowly dissolve into the oil.
The result is a rich botanical infusion that carries both the fragrance and properties of the buds.
A Remedy of the Western Landscape
For people living on the Great Plains and throughout the mountain West, cottonwood bud salves were practical remedies.
The climate demanded it.
The region’s environment can be:
• intensely sunny
• dry
• windy
• brutally cold in winter
Skin exposed to these conditions often becomes cracked, chapped, and irritated.
The protective qualities of cottonwood bud salves made them well suited for these harsh environments.
A Tradition That Still Continues
Today, cottonwood buds remain a favorite among herbalists and people who work closely with the land.
Each spring, along creeks and riverbanks across the West, people gather the fragrant buds just as generations before them once did.
The method has changed very little.
The buds are still infused slowly into oils, still turned into salves and balms, and still used to care for skin exposed to wind, sun, and weather.
It’s a reminder that sometimes the most useful remedies grow quietly along the edges of rivers - waiting for those who know where to look.
And when the cottonwoods begin to scent the air each spring, they are offering the same gift they have for centuries.