Bayberry Bark is the herb used, but it is the "bark" of the root - unearthed and peeled, then dried. It should be harvested in the Spring or Autumn. It contains tannins, volitale oils and resins. Bayberry is a circulatory stimulant. For this, a health care practitioner must be involved.
Bayberry bark is very astringent and is drunk as an infusion for diarrhea or dysentery. Use a tsp. of dried bark in a cup of water and bring it to a boil, then let steep for 20 minutes. This also makes a good gargle for colds.
The same infusion cut with equal amounts of cool water and strained VERY well makes an astonishing eye wash for a sty. After 2 or 3 applications, the sty is usually gone. Consult your practitioner to be certain there is not a different problem with the eye.
For diarrhea, you can alternate the bayberry bark tea with buttermilk. I had a mare with projectile diarrhea that she suffered for days and I thought I was going to lose her. Two Vets dosed her with allopathics, gave her electrolytes and antibiotics IV... a friend told me how she had been dying of dysentery as a baby (in the 1920's) and an herbalist fed her buttermilk. She healed. I immediately began dosing the mare with buttermilk and she stopped squirting after 24 hours. A horse could tolerate small doses of bayberry infusion, but a dog will do better on the buttermilk alone. For dogs and humans, slippery elm bark powder in capsules will heal the GI tract and allay the diarrhea.
Diarrhea is always the body's way of evacuating something "bad". The reason can be bacteria, virus, septic/rotten food or physical irritation (sharp or "stuck" objects that have been swallowed). Veterinarians and Physicians are needed for extreme cases because the dehydration created can be life threatening. You want to know why the body is evacuating...and help it heal. Give anyone with diarrhea electrolytes/lots of liquids! A little bit very often.
