{"id":322565,"date":"2026-03-20T09:45:38","date_gmt":"2026-03-20T09:45:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.herbalreality.com\/?post_type=herb&p=322565"},"modified":"2026-04-16T14:26:44","modified_gmt":"2026-04-16T13:26:44","slug":"hazel","status":"publish","type":"herb","link":"https:\/\/www.herbalreality.com\/herb\/hazel\/","title":{"rendered":"Hazel"},"content":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"featured_media":322585,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","beyondwords_generate_audio":"1","beyondwords_integration_method":"rest-api","beyondwords_project_id":"47224","beyondwords_content_id":"61d8513d-a02b-4eb2-9c79-e5235c8cbf5a","beyondwords_preview_token":"987cc8a0-4368-4955-8901-fc04279ff563","beyondwords_player_content":"","beyondwords_player_style":"","beyondwords_language_code":"","beyondwords_language_id":"","beyondwords_title_voice_id":"","beyondwords_body_voice_id":"","beyondwords_summary_voice_id":"","beyondwords_error_message":"","beyondwords_disabled":"","beyondwords_delete_content":"","beyondwords_podcast_id":"","beyondwords_hash":"","publish_post_to_speechkit":"","speechkit_hash":"","speechkit_generate_audio":"","speechkit_project_id":"","speechkit_podcast_id":"","speechkit_error_message":"","speechkit_disabled":"","speechkit_access_key":"","speechkit_error":"","speechkit_info":"","speechkit_response":"","speechkit_retries":"","speechkit_status":"","speechkit_updated_at":"","_speechkit_link":"","_speechkit_text":""},"tags":[],"conditions":[694,685,699,700],"sustainability":[1576],"sense":[31,2090,27],"western_action":[992,2055,994,996,1000,2066],"chinese_action":[],"ayurvedic_action":[],"energetics_action":[1499,1487,1379,1488,1494,1492,1380],"writer":[1932],"region":[1893],"class_list":["post-322565","herb","type-herb","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","conditions-cardiovascular-system","conditions-digestive-system","conditions-musculoskeletal-system","conditions-skin","sustainability-green-sustainability-status","sense-astringent-taste","sense-neutral","sense-sweet","western_action-anti-inflammatory","western_action-antibacterial","western_action-antioxidant","western_action-antirheumatic","western_action-astringent","western_action-nutritive","energetics_action-astringent","energetics_action-dry","energetics_action-hot","energetics_action-moist","energetics_action-sweet","energetics_action-toning","energetics_action-warm","writer-christina-stapley","region-western-herbs"],"acf":{"last_reviewed":"20260320","herb_author":1932,"banner_text":"Hazelnuts provide nutrition with antioxidant and cardiovascular benefits","latin_name":"Corylus avellana<\/span><\/i>, <\/span>C. maxima<\/span><\/i>","pseudonym_name":"","family_name":"","herb_summary":"Hazelnuts are rich in protein, vitamins and minerals. The bark is astringent and the leaves are antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial. The oil helps to decrease cholesterol in the blood.","key_benefits":"","how_does_it_feel":"Hazel saplings are supple with a gloss to the smooth, brown bark. This is echoed in the new growth of these deciduous trees that have been coppiced or pruned. They lend themselves readily to use for weaving fences and being moulded into borders in basketry. Their soft nature is expressed also in the oval, hairy, tooth-edged leaves. <\/span>\r\n\r\nThe tiny female flowers with tufts of red styles are a joy to see in January, while the showy yellowing catkins hanging below produce bountiful amounts of pollen to release on the wind. In late summer into early autumn the brown nuts ripen in clusters within cases resembling old fashioned bonnets, again soft and hairy to touch (1).<\/span>","hdif_image_1":322592,"hdif_image_2":322586,"hdif_image_3":322588,"hdif_video":"","sense":[31,2090,27],"what_can_i_use_it_for":"The nuts can be eaten as a nutritious snack, roasted or fresh, or they can be roasted and with skins removed, either ground into flour, made into a tasty nut butter, or a spread with added honey and dried fruits. With honey and organic dark chocolate, the ground nuts offer the base for a healthy, nutritious drink. Oil can be pressed from the nuts and used in cooking. The ingested cold-pressed oil is helpful for circulatory health.\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nThe oil may alternatively be used in cosmetic recipes, treating acne and skin conditions. Recipes have long included hazel nuts for stimulating hair growth in alopecia (2,3).<\/span>","into_the_heart_of":"The nuts are heating and moistening when first harvested, turning to hot and dry with time\u00a0 (4). These changing properties are evident if the freshly harvested nuts are tasted and used in recipes and then older nuts from the previous harvest are compared. Initial moisture leads them to become mouldy if put straight into a closed jar and so careful storage of home gathered nuts is necessary.<\/span>\r\n\r\nThe suppleness of the tree in all parts tells of moisturising, anti-inflammatory and balancing effects in the body. Hazel offers strength through remineralisation aiding body systems and at the same time is protective against the effects of age and environmental stresses, being rich in antioxidants (2). It offers a soft, modest beauty lifting the spirit in dark days with the sight of precious female flowers. There is also resilience, exemplified by the hardy male catkins hang from the bare branches over the winter and the ready re-growth of coppiced trees.\u00a0<\/span>","tradtional_uses":"[caption id=\"attachment_322592\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"510\"]\"Hazel Hazel (Corylus avellana<\/em>)[\/caption]\r\n\r\nIn ancient Greece hazelnuts and honey were made into a drink for soothing coughs (5). This use is repeated by Coles in the 17th century when he gives the parched kernels in an electuary for an old cough (4). An electuary is made from the powdered herb added to honey or syrup to make a paste. From early times the whole nuts were also burned and the ashes pounded with bears grease to be applied to the scalp to encourage hair growth. This use was repeated in varying recipes on through the centuries (1).<\/span>\r\n\r\nA similar recipe, burning the nuts first, then mixes the powder with hog's lard in a burn salve. This was made in Ireland in the 18th century. In the same Irish herbal, it is recommended to eat the nuts roasted with pepper for catarrh, suggesting use of tannins (6). Gerard discusses the properties of hazelnut milk, made in the same way as almond milk, for reducing fevers and stopping <\/span>diarrhoea<\/span><\/a> (7). Culpeper denies that any part of the hazelnut except the shell or skin is stopping or binding for diarrhoea or bleeding. He recommends hazelnut oil for cold afflictions of the nerves and pain in the joints, including gout (8).<\/span>\r\n\r\nWilliam Coles at the same period in history used many parts of the hazel. These included the husks, shells and skins of the nuts, each taken in red wine for their astringent properties. Hazel catkins and the inner rind of small branches were administered to treat strangury, a term which refers to the inability to produce urine (4). In traditional Swedish medicine the leaf and bark were used to treat pain (9).<\/span>\r\n\r\nJudging by the absence of hazel from most herbals after the mid-18th century, hazel seems to have lost popularity in medicine with attention turning more to the American <\/span>witch hazel<\/span><\/a> (1). Interest is returning with current scientific research into the medicinal properties, due partly to the search to identify antioxidants and possible preservative <\/span>antimicrobial<\/span><\/a> properties in foods.<\/span>","what_practioners_say":"

\"CardiovascularCardiovascular system<\/span><\/a><\/h3>\r\nHazel leaf is a venous restorative and can be used to treat varicose veins. It is less astringent than <\/span>witch hazel<\/span><\/a> but offers sufficient <\/span>vasoconstriction<\/span><\/a> and haemostatic properties to be useful in this role with peripheral circulatory conditions (10).\u00a0<\/span>\r\n

Digestive system<\/a><\/h3>\r\nWell known as a nutritious food, although sometimes criticised as causing indigestion, hazel provides support for convalescent patients. Oil from the nuts is a gentle and effective treatment for children with threadworm and pinworm (1).<\/span>\r\n

Respiratory system<\/a><\/h3>\r\nHazel twig bark is <\/span>antipyretic<\/span><\/a> and the leaf, though regarded as less effective than witch hazel, may help to stop sinus discharges and reduce inflammation. Use for catarrhal problems and coughs is supported by traditional use (10).<\/span>\r\n

Musculoskeletal system<\/a><\/h3>\r\nHazel leaf may be used internally and externally for treating aching muscles (10). The oil has been used for joint pain and gout (1).<\/span>\r\n

Skin health<\/a><\/h3>\r\nThe oil is light and helpful to all skin types, including congested, dehydrated skin. While being slightly astringent, hazelnut oil has excellent penetration of the skin barrier and is softening and moistening. It can be recommended as a natural sun filter (11).<\/span>","research":"[caption id=\"attachment_322595\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"510\"]\"Hazelnuts Hazelnuts (Corylus avellana<\/em>)[\/caption]\r\n

Hazelnut and its by-products: A comprehensive review of nutrition, phytochemical profile, extraction, bioactivities and applications<\/h3>\r\nThis review of studies looked at those illustrating the nutrient rich composition of hazelnuts with protein, a high proportion of monounsaturated fatty acids, second only to walnuts. It highlighted studies on the benefits of consuming the nuts for cardiometabolic risks, reducing HDL cholesterol and benefits for type 2 diabetes.\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nMany studies have recorded the importance of phenolic compounds in hazel but have concentrated on the effects of different methods of preparation and processing. The review also looked at other use of by-products, extraction methods and the variation in levels of constituents from studies on hazelnuts grown in different countries. <\/span>\r\n\r\nIt noted continuous planting and sustainability of nut production. Due to the conclusion that a comprehensive review of hazelnut and its by-products was lacking, this review summarizes the varieties, nutrition, phytochemical profile, extraction methods, bioactivities and applications (12).<\/span>\r\n

Study of the apoptotic impacts of hazelnut oil on the colorectal cancer cell line<\/h3>\r\nThe process of apoptosis, or programmed death of cells is increasingly understood and used as the basis of new anticancer therapies. Studies have already confirmed inhibitory effects of hazelnut oil on the spread of some liver and colon cancer cells in the laboratory. <\/span>\r\n\r\nIn this study the aim is to show the molecular mechanism behind this result. Oil was extracted from the dried and ground hazelnuts. The composition of the fatty acids and methyl ester derivatives was evaluated and the medium for cell culture prepared. With the cell proliferation level evaluated, cells were mixed with hazelnut oil prepared in lecithin as a buffer. Phosphate buffered saline was used as the negative control.<\/span>\r\n\r\nEvaluation of genes involved in mitochondrial apoptosis showed a statistically significant reduction of mRNA gene expression of bcl-2 gene compared to the B-actin gene and increase in apoptotic index for bax and bcl-2 genes in hazelnut oil-treated cells compared to the untreated group. These results supported the clearly observed potential of hazelnut oil in inducing cytotoxicity (13).\u00a0<\/span>\r\n

Hazel (Corylus avellana<\/i> L.) leaves as source of antimicrobial and antioxidative compounds<\/h3>\r\nIn this study a number of varieties of <\/span>Corylus<\/span><\/i> were investigated for the antimicrobial capacity of their leaves. Aqueous extracts were prepared and these were analysed by using reversed-phase HPLC\/DAD to define their phenolic composition. Eight phenolic compounds were identified. The aqueous extracts were tested against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria and fungi. <\/span>\r\n\r\nAll of the cultivars showed similar high antioxidant activity relative to the concentration of the extract. Sensitivity of Gram-positive bacteria proved to be high, with lower sensitivity in Gram negative bacteria and fungi. <\/span>P. aeruginosa<\/span><\/i> and <\/span>Candida albicans<\/span><\/i> were resistant at 100 mg\/ml. The cultivar M. Bilwiller showed the most potent antimicrobial properties (14).<\/span>\r\n

The potential of hazelnut (Corylus avellana<\/i>) nutritive composition and its bioactive properties in cosmetics<\/h3>\r\nThis article gives an overview of current research and use of hazelnut in the cosmetic industry. It concludes that although hazelnut oil and hazel extracts are relatively new to the cosmetic industry hazel, it is becoming increasingly used as the benefits of the rich vitamin E content boosting collagen and ability of the fatty acids and niacin to prevent excessive loss of moisture, hydrating the skin, are recognised.\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nIt explains the added benefits of the non-greasy oil is similar in composition to sweet almond and olive oils with a high content of oleic acid. With a long process of cold-pressing, the oil is beneficial to all skin types and is helpful to aged skin, repairing photo-aging. Astringency from tannins in the oil further assists in treating <\/span>acne<\/span><\/a>, cleansing and closing pores. The property of helping to thicken hair and treating hair loss have recommended it for inclusion in hair masks (15).<\/span>","did_you_know":"In Celtic folklore the hazel is the tree of knowledge, holding all wisdom literally in a nutshell. When we use the term \"in a nutshell\" to express the concentration of knowledge, it is the shell of the hazel we are referring to. In Greek mythology Mercury was the messenger of the gods. He carried a hazel staff with two ribbons twisted around it like snakes. This is the origin of the caduceus, symbol of healing arts (16).<\/span>","additional_information_right":{"illustration":322599},"additional_information_left":{"botany":"Often regarded as more of a shrub than a tree, hazel can have suckers growing from the lower trunk.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/b>It can, however, grow up to 6\u201312 m tall with many branches, giving it a spread of 5 m.<\/span>\r\n\r\n Hazel trees have often been coppiced in the past as the supple branches were commonly used to weave the wattle framework in house walls and make woven hurdles and fences. The bark is smooth and glossy brown in young growth, later turning to greyish brown with some peeling. The leaves are oval, toothed on the edges, and soft, with greyish hairs on the underside. <\/span>\r\n\r\nThe long male catkins hang on the branches from November through the winter and are joined by the tiny female flowers usually borne higher on weak branches of the previous years' growth in January. These have tufts of red stigmas making them very attractive. The germen in the centre becomes the nut after wind pollination, usually from another tree nearby (1).<\/span>\r\n\r\nThe nuts of the <\/span>C. avellana<\/span><\/i> or cobnut are brown when ripe, rounded and small. In a mast year (every seventh year) there is an increased harvest. The nut from <\/span>C. maxima<\/span><\/i> or filbert is longer and larger. Hazelnuts are mostly grouped together from pairs to five in their hooded papery husks with frilled edges. The cream nuts or seed kernels inside the outer hard shells are covered by a thin skin (1).<\/span>","common_names":"