Silver birch.

Silver birch: properties and use in folk medicine and industry

Silver birch (Betula pendula) is a tree of the birch family, which is distributed throughout almost the entire territory of Russia. This is a tall tree, reaching a height of up to 20 meters. Young birch trees have brownish bark, while the trunk of an adult birch tree is smooth, white, with black lentils along the bark. A characteristic feature of the silver birch is its thin, drooping branches with resinous warts. The leaves are long-petiolate, rhombic-ovate, dotted with resinous glands.

Silver birch is a monoecious tree, that is, it bears staminate and pistillate catkins. Silver birch blooms during the leaf bloom period, usually in April-May.

Silver birch finds use in a variety of industries and occupations. The wood of this tree is used to make skis, furniture and other products. Birch bark serves as a good tanning agent, and tar is obtained from the wood. When burned, the coals remain hot for a long time. An extract is obtained from May birch leaves, which, depending on the concentration, well colors wool and cotton fabrics in yellow, black-brown, yellowish-green and golden yellow.

Birch ash contains up to 30 microelements, so it is a valuable fertilizer and means for spraying plants against pests. Birch sap, which is obtained during sap flow from trees, is used as a healthy tonic drink.

But silver birch is most widely used in folk and scientific medicine. Various parts of the tree contain biologically active substances that are used to treat various diseases.

The medicinal raw materials are the buds, leaves and sap of birch. The buds are collected in early spring during the period of their swelling, but always before the leaves bloom. The cut branches are stuck into the snow, and in the spring, when the buds swell, they are collected. The buds are dried in the shade or in a dryer at temperatures up to 30°C, preventing them from blooming. The leaves are collected in July-August in dry weather, after the dew has disappeared. For drying, they are spread in a layer of 3-5 cm. The buds and leaves of silver birch contain flavonoids, tannins, essential oils, vitamin C, ascorbic acid, carotenoids, trace elements, organic acids and other useful substances.

Tinctures, decoctions, ointments and drops are prepared from birch buds, which are used for urinary tract diseases, rheumatism, gout, hypertension, diabetes, colds, skin diseases and other diseases. Birch leaves are used to make tea, which has a diuretic and anti-inflammatory effect. Birch sap is used to cleanse the body, increase immunity and improve health.

However, it must be remembered that any treatment with silver birch must be agreed with a doctor and carried out only under his supervision. Some people may be allergic to components of birch, so care must be taken when using it as a medicine.