Linden, Tilia Americana

Linden

Tilia americana & cordata

var. europaea, carolinia, chinesis, johnsoni, etc.

cool, moist, relaxant

Taste:sweet, mildly salty, musty

Family: Malvaceae

Medicinal parts: flowers, leaves, bark

Actions: demulcent, nervine, anti-inflammatory, sedative, hypotensive, anodyne,

relaxant diaphoretic, antispasmodic, mild astringent 

Affinities: cardiovascular and nervous systems

Notable constituents: volatiles (.02-.1%),flavonoids (quercitin, kaempferol), caffeic acid, mucilage 3%, tannins

Medicinal applications

• Cardiovascular system

  • Linden has traditionally been worked with as a heart tonic. Linden is known for regulating blood pressure, consider working with linden to bring back into balance conditions of high and low blood pressure. Linden is especially indicated when high blood pressure is associated with nervous tension.  Linden can be preventative for conditions such as hypertension and treating arteriosclerosis. As a supportive ally for heart health, consider linden when working with people that have a history of heart problems, such as heart attack, stroke and cardiovascular surgery. Linden can be worked with when addressing issues such as heart palpitations, arrhythmia and angina.

• Nervous system

  • Linden is a nervine and has anodyne action, relaxing nervous tension and relieving nerve pain throughout the body. Whenever nerve pain occurs, whether it's from indigestion, systemic nerve pain or from viruses, linden can help reduce pain. Linden relaxing properties make it a supportive ally when dealing with migrations caused by tension.

• Emotional health 

  • Named the “tea of happiness” by herbalist Maurice Messegue, linden is a great option when working with a person who runs hot, has a fiery mental state and is holding on to emotional stress. Linden has a diaphoretic action, allowing excess heat to leave the body. Moisoning linden is indicated when the heat is from a lack of fluids paired with a dry tissue state.

  • Linden is a suitable option for emotional support and combating stress. Decreasing stress levels and calming your mental state play a key role in maintaining health. Linden can be a supportive ally, allowing people to process difficult emotional states and relaxing the nervous system, bringing us back into allostasis.  

  • For those who work with cannabis for mental health and stress relief, linden can be a supportive ally. Linden can help calm and relax the mind while reducing stress, this might be a helpful support for those wanting to lower or stop working with cannabis. Consider linden as an option when working with cannabis dependance or cannabis hyperemesis syndrome.

  • Linden is suitable for folks who have anxiety, it is especially indicated when stress is combined with tension such as muscle cramping and tension headaches. Linden can be a helpful sleep aid for people suffering from excessive tension. 

  • When working with ADHD medicated people, linden can help combat the drying effects of adderall and ritalin.  

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In practice:

• When preparing an infusion of linden, be sure to cover after pouring your hot water to capture any volatile oils. The volatile compounds found in linden are supportive for many types of mental stress.  If you are working with someone who is dry physically and feels dried out on a nervous system level, consider letting the infusion cool overnight and drinking it the next morning. This will allow for linden to become mucilaginous and this more viscous infusion will be helpful for restoring dry states.

• Linden blends well with other plant allies. Hawthorn and linden complement each other for supporting someone who has cardiovascular heat and agitation. Hawthorn helps with high blood pressure and it's not reactive for most people. Consider working with linden and hawthorn as a tincture blend for heart health, they can be worked with alongside heart medication. 

• As an emotionally supportive and calming herb, linden pairs well with rose and motherwort for their properties of emotional comfort. Eastern wood betony is also a good ally for linden, helping agitated people ground and feel emotional support. 

• Linden flowers bloom in abundance and this herb is ethical to work with in large amounts because of its generous harvest. Be aware that linden can lose potency over time when dried, so make sure to not to purchase or harvest more than you will need. 

• Linden's calming and cooling properties are useful when working with someone that has feverish cold and flu symptoms, allowing the body to release excess heat and calm nervous tension.  

• It is popular to work with linden as an infusion, but other methods can be tincture, cordial, elixir, bath tea or infused honey. 

Cautions: Linden is a safe plant for most, it is suitable when working with pregnant people, children and elders. Less often worked with in modern herbalism, linden bark is contraindicated for people taking blood thinners. 

Friends: hawthorn, rose, motherwort, wood betony, lemon balm

This is for research purposes and should not be taken as medical advice.

Cited works

Gladstar, Rosemary. Medicinal Herbs: A Beginner’s Guide. Storey Publishing, LLC, 2012. 

Groves, Maria Noël. Body into Balance: An Herbal Guide to Holistic Self-Care. Storey Publishing, 2016.

Hoffmann, David. The Herbal Handbook: A User’s Guide to Medical Herbalism. Healing Arts Press, 1998. 

Ruth, Tara. “Herb Notes: The Benefits of Linden.” LearningHerbs, www.learningherbs.com/blog/linden-benefits#gsc.tab=0. Accessed 1 June 2025. 

Swift, Katja, and Ryn Midura. “Linden - Materia Medica Entry.” Accessed 1 June. 2025.  

Swift, Katja, and Ryn Midura. “Linden - Tilia spp.” Family Herbalist Course. https://online.commonwealthherbs.com/courses/take/materia-medica/lessons/2374093-marshmallow-althaea-officinalis Accessed 1 June. 2025. 

Wood, Matthew. Practice of Traditional Western Herbalism: Basic Doctrine, Energetics, and Classification. North Atlantic Books, 2013.