Birch
Its name (Betula in botanical circles) is antique. Some claim it derives from Sanskrit – “bhurja” – meaning “tree, the bark of which is used to write on”, for they wrote many religious texts onto it; others believe it comes from the Indo-European word “bher”, which means “shiny white”. Druids spoke of the lady of the forest, for the thin 10 to 20 m tall tree radiates with an exquisite lightness, elegance, and grace, surrounding its environment with a pleasant fragrance after it rains. Being the first tree to turn green after winter, it symbolized reformation, rebirth, and a new beginning.
Numerous nations consider it a magical tree and broadly use it for healing and nutritional purposes. The American Indians consider it a holy gift of their hero Wenabozho and use its wood for ceremonial wrapping of the body and funeral preparation. They believe birches are immune to lightning strikes and are an excellent shelter from the storm; they use its wood for numerous house chores – making canoes, wigwams, baskets, works of art, maps, and others.
In the Middle Ages it was considered “a tree of wisdom” and its branches were used by teachers to punish lazy students; in the 16th century it was named “the European tree of kidney diseases”. The latter was due to the Italian doctor Mattinola’s successful treatment of kidney and bladder stones.
Birch is a natural astringent, antibiotic, antidiabetic, antidiarrheal, antirheumatic, antiseptic, diuretic, and anti-artesclerosis agent, including more. It contains sodium, potassium, phosphorus, tannins, proteins, flavans, bitters, organic acids, saponins, sugars, phenol glycosides, vitamin C, invert sugar, betulin, and others. All parts of the tree have healing properties.
Birch leaves are one of the most potent natural vegetable diuretics, increasing normal urination up to 5 times. In the role of a diuretic, it functions as a natural disinfectant and detoxificant, keeps away the bacterial infections of the urinary tract, kidneys, bladder, blood, liver, edema, pancreas; reduces gallbladder, kidney and bladder stones, intestinal parasites; heals anaemia, scurvy, hair loss, cellulite, liver, and kidney cysts; has a soothing effect on rheumatism, gout, swollen and painful joints, skin diseases, fever, diabetes, and others.
Fresh juice, gathered in the beginning of spring by cutting to the bark of the tree, was used as a preventive method in folk medicine and is still recommended today to heal blood, liver, gallbladder, kidney and bladder diseases, jaundice, scurvy, edema, sore throat, numerous wounds, to remove skin rashes and other skin impurities, to strengthen hair roots and the entire organism.
Its bark is used for external healing of numerous skin diseases and impurities – rashes, ulcers, excessive sweating, dandruff – and for internal healing of chronic skin and lung diseases, edema, gout.
With dry distillation of the wood and bark, birch tar is produced, containing a high level of tannins. It is used as an insect repellent, to soothe rheumatic pains, for accelerated healing of skin wounds and ulcers, to cleanse the skin. It prevents the emergence or spreading of scabies and other changes caused by bacteria and skin parasites.
In cosmetics, it is an important gift of nature. It contains vitamins B1, B2, A, C and E, and carries an important role in detoxification and rejuvenation, with an added astringent effect, therefore, reduces pores and cleanses them of excessive oils. Additionally, it cleanses and heals, and is therefore, very suitable to use on more gentle and sensitive skin.
