Cramp bark is a deciduous shrub that produces bright red fruits, leaves
that resemble maple and huge pom-poms of clustered white flowers that
are reminiscent of hydrangea. Native to Asia, Africa and Europe, the
plant is now naturalized in North America, where it is often called
snowball bush or European cranberry. Note, however, that cramp bark is
not a variety of cranberry; it is a member of the honeysuckle family.
Indigenous groups throughout North America documented the use of cramp bark in traditional preparations. These accounts are preserved in ethnographic and historical literature and reflect regional plant knowledge passed down through generations. Cramp bark also appears in European and early American herbals as part of traditional botanical systems.
