Botanical atlas

Sweet Thorn

Acacia karroo

Long before it had a Latin name, sweet thorn was one of the great utility trees of the southern African bush. Its amber gum, wept from cracks in the bark, was chewed and dissolved into water much the way gum arabic was used further north, soothing coughs and easing an unsettled stomach. Healers across many southern African communities have traditionally simmered the bark into a decoction for diarrhea and applied it to wounds, while the thorny branches themselves were laid across kraals and gaps in fences, a practical reminder that this tree has always done double duty as medicine chest and homestead guardian.

Safety.

Sweet Thorn's gum, bark, and flowers show no significant toxicity, and the gum has traditionally been chewed like gum arabic. The tree's long, sharp thorns can cause puncture wounds prone to infection, so handle it with care.