What is birch leaf good for?
Birch leaf also contains several natural antioxidants in the form of flavonoids and vitamin C. The leaves also contain saponins, flavonoids, tannins and sesquiterpenes. It can help treat inflammation or infection in the urinary tract. Birch leaf tea may also help treat edema and flush the kidneys. Birch leaf tea has been used as therapy for gout, rheumatism, and dropsy and also for dissolving kidney stones. Simmonite-Culpeper describes birch as a diuretic if a strong juice is made from the leaves. A decoction of leaves may be used as a mouthwash.Both the leaves and branches can be used to treat sprains, strained muscles and headaches, and steaming the leaves can help clear sinus congestion. In the early spring, the buds of the birch can be infused in oil to make a topical salve for inflamed skin. Birch trees can also be tapped for their sap to make syrup.Medicinal uses of birch included a bark decoction for milky urine and to help with stomach pain; the chewed leaves or tea served as an antidiarrheal, cold remedy, urinary aid, and gastrointestinal aid. As a craft product, the wood lends itself to being carved into bowls and other tools.When mixed with water, it becomes a health tonic that many people believe has health benefits. It’s high in antioxidants, but consuming too much may put you a risk for manganese toxicity. Birch water, also known as birch sap, comes from the trees of the Betula genus.Kidney health Birch is renowned for its diuretic qualities. Does this mean it can really help our kidneys? Absolutely! Increased urine production: Birch helps eliminate waste and excess fluids from the body.
How do you identify a river birch tree?
The branches of river birch are smooth with many lenticels (L), but the trunk and older branches are scaly or peeling (C and R), with variable color. The leaves are diamond-shaped. Typical of birches, leaves are alternate in arrangement, diamond-shaped, with a doubly serrated margin. The eyes of birches form naturally when the lower branches die and drop off the trunk. What you are seeing is the branch scar.All North American birches have double-toothed leaves and are yellow and showy in the fall. Male catkins appear in late summer near the tips of small twigs or long shoots. The female cone-like catkins follow in the spring and bare small winged samaras that drop from that mature structure.
Why are birch trees so special?
The tree is a great attraction and will be unconditionally adored by the birds and the bees. As the birch is a pioneer species this gives it a symbol of rebirth, new beginnings and growth. It’s a sacred tree within the mythology of the Celts and is thought to have very protective influences. Legend tells of the birch as the sacred tree of the goddess Freya, a symbol of love, beauty, and fertility. In many Slavic cultures, the birch was believed to ward off evil spirits and protect against negativity. People would hang birch branches in their homes or wear amulets made from birch bark for protection.Traditionally, birch is said to be full of the light of the warrior-god Lugh, and the old belief in its power to drive out evil is strong and persistent: even in Victorian times, naughty schoolchildren would find themselves on the wrong end of a birch switch; and ceremonies of ‘beating the bounds’, many of which have .Uses for silver birch They can also be used as a screen—just remember that they will have no leaves over the winter months.Topping birches is not a good idea. They don’t recover and never look normal. Promotes disease and birch boarers. Don’t top the tree.
What is river birch good for?
Medicinal uses of birch included a bark decoction for milky urine and to help with stomach pain; the chewed leaves or tea served as an antidiarrheal, cold remedy, urinary aid, and gastrointestinal aid. As a craft product, the wood lends itself to being carved into bowls and other tools. The one ingredient used in all recipes of birch beer is birch sap. Most recipes use fermented birch syrup, which is done using baker’s yeast. The process of fermentation is done to decompose sugar to alcohol.It offers something that other trees do not. In spring, sap rises in the tree, which in the old days was used for both wine and medicine. Some still use it to make delicious, sparkling champagnes and liquor, and many – to this day – regard birch sap as a natural vitamin supplement.Birch sap, birch water or birch juice is the sap directly tapped from birch trees, Betula pubescens (white birch), Betula pendula (silver birch), Betula lenta, Betula papyrifera, and Betula fontinalis. Birch sap may be consumed both fresh and naturally fermented.The Symbolism of the Birch Tree Perhaps the most universal association is with new beginnings. Just as the birch is one of the first trees to leaf out in spring, it represents fresh starts, growth, and the promise of what’s to come.
What is the difference between white birch and river birch?
The White Birch tree is characterized by its beautiful white bark (when mature) and drooping branches, whereas the River Birch tree has a brownish-red exfoliating bark and pyramidal to rounded crown. These characteristic bark qualities provide interest in the landscape throughout all four seasons. Virtually all commercially used Birch is cut from the Yellow Birch Tree, which botanically is a distinct species. The term Natural or Unselected Birch means that the lumber or veneer may contain both the sapwood or white portion of as well as the heartwood or dark portion of the tree in unrestricted amounts.Pale white to reddish-brown or yellow. This colorful mixture of red/heartwood and white/sapwood is known as Natural Birch and has an even grain which is slightly open.