The black healer of the Taurus
“Kara hekim” (black healer): in the Inner Taurus, tar made in the traditional way from pine and juniper wood is called the black healer, for its dark color and the healing power it is believed to have. For sunstroke at harvest time, this is done: pine tar or garlic yogurt is rubbed on the body, covered with fresh leaves and wrapped in a blanket, and the person is made to sweat for two or three hours.
Source: Erdem Yeşilada, Gisho Honda, Ekrem Sezik ve ark., “Traditional medicine in Turkey V. Folk medicine in the inner Taurus Mountains”, Journal of Ethnopharmacology 46, 1995 (Yeşilada et al., J Ethnopharmacol, 1995). This is a folk record, not a treatment recommendation.
Sacred tree of the Hittites: juniper