This is a guide about what hedge apples are good for. The hedge apple or Osage orange may look like an orange but it is actually a member of the mulberry family. While many people claim that they are a good natural pest repellent, it is only in concentrated amounts that it is effective. It is generally not eaten by people or wildlife.
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When collecting the hedge apples to use for cancer treatment, can you collect them from the tree or do you need to let them fall off first?
By Alharston from Scottsville, KY
Hedgeapples are not poisonous. However, Hedge apples have suffocated livestock by lodging in their esophagus. Very often a Hedge apple is incorrectly referred to as a Hedge Ball, Horse Apple, Green Brains, Monkey Balls or Mock Orange.
They are used in households to repel spiders. Each Hedge apple lasts about 2-3 months for this.
I do not know of any cancer use and in doing research did not come across any reference to that use.
Human consumption is not recommended and the contact with skin could bring various issues from itching, etc
We wait until they hit the ground. The thorns of the tree make it hard to actually pick them. They usually begin falling off in mid-September. We have two people we know of that have successfully used this for cancer treatment. The Amish suggested it first to a man with lymphoma. Another woman in Cartersville, GA has been told by her doctors that it is a miracle.
There are several pages on the Internet about the use of hedge apples for treating cancer.
I became very interested in this topic because we had a patient that was eating the hedge apple because of what he heard from the Amish. He is now bleeding throughout his lungs and may not live. He did not tell anyone that he was using the hedge apple but it has messed up his clotting cascade and may not live.
Do you cut the hedge apples in half before placing them around your house for pest control or leave them whole?
By Glenda from KS
You use them whole, but think long and hard before you do this! I did this as I don't like spiders and thought this method would be great as it doesn't involve chemicals.
What is a hedge apple good for?
Here are some facts about the Hedge Apple tree:
Basically the tree is only good for planting around your home if you have a lot of insects that enter your home. I personally wouldn't plant this tree in my yard or close to my home because of the throns, milky sap, skin irritations, and a possibility of a small child eating this fruit on the tree.
I want to put hedge apples in my basement to repel rodents, spiders, and other pests, but I don't know how many to place down there. Do I put them in groups or singly scatter? Do I need 5 or 50? We have a basement that is around 1000 square ft.
By ERK from eastern IA
I cut up squares of pantyhose-they don't have to be big and cut the hedge apple in about an inch pieces, gather corner to corner and tie in knots. Place where you know spiders are, like behind doors, corners, out of reach of children and pets. They really work!
I was told that hedge apples were good to use for cancer of the liver. Can people eat them?
I would not eat them--period. I have heard people who do, but I have also heard most people get quite the upset stomach and some even have very serious allergic reactions if they eat them, plus the juice can cause skin and serious throat irritation, so this, to me, is an all around AVOID consumption...no matter what the goal of using them is. Most animals don't even eat them...so you know that must be a pretty good sign that it is not fit for consumption.
Please talk to a doctor about any cancer fears and things that are good to help. I will send up lots of prayers for you or whomever is suffering. Blessings!
Can you freeze hedge apples to use at a later date?
I guess my answer is why would you want to?? In my region they are a nuisance. They can be poisonous to horses and cattle. I would not want them in my freezer where I keep food. If hit with the mower, they can ruin the blades. They are not edible. Some say that they keep away spiders, but only certain types.
Is a crab apple the same thing as a hedge apple? I noticed in one of the comments someone mentioned crab apple. As a youngster in south Mississippi I remember crab apples. I want to remember that kids ate them, but I may be remembering wrong.
By Betty
They are not the same. Crab apples literally look like tiny apples on a tree. The hedge apples are big and greenish in color.
Crab apples are NOT the same. I make jelly from crab apples every year. Yes, it does require a lot of sugar. Its the only jelly my grandson will eat.
Crab apples are small apples about the size of a 50 cent piece and tart you can make jelly from them.
Hedge apples are the size of a grapefruit greenish yellow in color. And resembles cauliflower.
Crab apples are about the size of cherries. We had them up in Ohio when I was little.
I was told these could be used daily to treat COPD. Can this be possible or is this something to avoid? I am just looking for a cure.
I know I read that hedge apples last 2 to 3 mo., how can you make them last all year?
I read somewhere that if you do not cut them, they will not rot. They will merely dry up. Some people also freeze them. Drying any kind of fruit, whether in the sun or with a dehydrator, will also preserve it.
I did not know about this fascinating fruit. Apparently it repels insects, mice, etc. I will have to be on the lookout for this now.
You can freeze them or dry them whole. Don't cut them or they will rot.
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There are no chemicals involved so I guess it's a green tip. If you have a problem with roaches, ants, mice, or other pests inside the house, gather some crab apples and place them around your basement, crawl space, and foundation of your house. My in-laws have done this for years and haven't even seen a trace of a pest or rodent.
By Tammy from Cookeville, TN
This is a page about using hedge apples to repel spiders. Hedge apples have a long standing reputation as a spider repellent.
This is a page about whether you can eat hedge apples. Hedge apples are generally not considered edible. The juice inside the fruit and stem is a skin irritant. They do however make an interesting addition to home decor.
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