What Are Hedge Apples Good For?

No, it is an ornamental item, we use in the house for bug deterrent. Also known as horse apple and hedge balls here.

I use them whole every year. About 20 to 25 of them under the furniture and sink, in the closets. They do work, and they don't rot if you don't cut them. They just shrivel up. I got them last week and put them out. Never had gnats or any problem. Just use them whole.

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. Well, what ended up happening was a ton of gnats came to visit, drawn to the hedge apples. :-( I won't do this again.

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. The doctors, of course, can't condone the use of a natural treatment because they might be held responsible if it doesn't work.

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. Feel it is very important for anyone to tell their doctor or family they are using it, in the event some problem arises. Please be careful.

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!

The trees provide some protection for wildlife. The apple has no food value.

The animals do not eat them but nest in them.

Here are some facts about the Hedge Apple tree:

1. Most people call the yellow-green fruit Hedge Apples. The fruit is produced by the Osage-Orange.
2. The trees are native to Eastern Texas, southwestern Arkansas, and southeastern Oklahoma.
3. The trees are easy to transplant and do well in poor soil conditions.
4. It is used as a barrier for livestock and many people plant the Hedge Apple instead of using barbwire.
5. The wood of the tree is very hard and is used to make fence posts, bows, furniture and wood nails.
6. The fruit of the tree is dangerous and can become a dangerous weapon if eaten by small children. Many families won't plant this around their home if they have young children. The children try to eat the apples and they are harmful and dangerous.
7. You can use the Hedge Apple tree around the foundation of your home as a pest control for cockroaches, spiders, crickets and other bugs that enter your home.
8. The tree isn't suitable to use for landscaping because of the large green fruit and sticker or thorns on the tree. Many states such as southern Iowa are starting to band the trees in these areas.
9. The milky juice present in the stems of the plant can cause skin irritation.
10. People suspect the fruit is poisonous to livestock, but it hasn't been proven yet.

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.

You can actually use them as an effective insect repellent.

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.

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.

Answer:

What are hedge apples good for?

Mostly they are good to feed squirrels and other wild animals. Deer will eat them if they are starving.
There are some that swear by them as bug deterrents, but it takes a lot of them. They get in the way, and as they are an organic material, they will rot. Kids like to throw them at each other.

I saw a craft once using sliced hedge apples that were dried then painted, but it was hard to cut them and they weren't pretty enough to go to the trouble. (09/28/2006)

By Carla B

Does anyone have any ideas for Hedge Apples? I picked a bunch from some trees in the country. I've heard they will repel spiders. Any craft ideas? Are they poisonous? Excited to find out.

Thanks!

Sharon from Stockham, NE

Answers:

What are hedge apples good for?

Also known as OSAGE ORANGE. (10/13/2008)

By Diana

What Are Hedge Apples Good For?

I love the color and texture of hedge apples and want a few to put in a bowl or basket for decoration. I didn't know deer fed on them - that's a new one, but I knew they rot. (10/13/2008)

By melody_yesterday

What Are Hedge Apples Good For?

I've learned at the University of Washington Burke Museum site and elsewhere, that neither osage orange nor horse chestnuts can 'repel' spiders, which have no sense of smell anyway. The spiders in houses were nearly all born there. (10/13/2008)

By peseta

What Are Hedge Apples Good For?

They are really not good for much of anything. They are inedible for humans. Not poisonous, but so fibrous that they can clog the throat and cause choking. The "juice" is irritating to the skin of some people and can cause burning and itching.

I tried slicing some and drying them in the oven for using in natural dried flower arrangements. I have to agree it is not worth the trouble. On the other hand, I like the bright green color and interesting texture. To maybe put in a bright orange bowl for a temporary, unusual centerpiece. (10/13/2008)

What Are Hedge Apples Good For?

Well, they've always helped keep the spider population in my house almost non-existent. When we moved in, over three years ago, I had constantly battled daddy-long legs in the basement. After three years of placing hedge apples around the basement every fall, I rarely see a spider. They work for me! (10/14/2008)

What Are Hedge Apples Good For?

They do repel spiders BUT when they start turning brown you need to throw them away because they start smelling worse than a skunk spraying. (10/14/2008)

By castleberrycc

What Are Hedge Apples Good For?

I know the wood from the tree is sometimes used in making bows. (10/22/2008)

By Barb

What Are Hedge Apples Good For?

This will come as a major surprise to the medical community, but I have personal knowledge that the hedge-apple is an alternative cancer treatment. I personally know 3 people who are now cancer free after using 1 teaspoon per day for only 1 month. It isn't poisonous. In my opinion, it's a miracle from GOD. (11/07/2008)

By Judy M.

What Are Hedge Apples Good For?

I just heard about them stopping cancer, too. A friend personally knows 3 people who had 3 different types of cancer - all cured. One was skin cancer so they rubbed the hedge apple on their skin. And yes, they make excellent bows. My father has carved many, many bows from the wood. He calls them bowdark trees. (12/14/2008)

By anne