With its white trunk and beautiful leaves, birch is considered a splendorous tree above other trees. Because of her bark, several popular beliefs call her the white goddess. It is a wonderful tree, full of healing power. Our ancestors worshipped it as a sacred tree, which helped to liberate the old and negative, and to make room for the new and the positive.
Today, birch represents a symbol of love and protection. In traditional healing media, birch is a synonym for purification and is especially used in today’s herbal medicine and natural cosmetics. This tree is extremely rich in essential oils and vitamin C. It is for this reason that the active ingredients of the whole tree are used in alternative medicine and cosmetics.
Birch is considered the tree of spring and light. This not only needs a lot of light, but, despite its size, the elegant tree is able to bloom with impressive ease and thus symbolizes the joy of nature and the unbridled desire for freedom and eroticism. In total, there are about 60 different species of birch.
An interesting fact is that birch resin was used as the first “glue” to join stone wedges and wooden handles during the Stone Age.
Birch within cosmetics and medicine
Almost no other tree offers such varied benefits to the body, mind and soul as the white goddess. In herbal medicine, birch leaf extracts are used to treat bladder infections, gout and other metabolic diseases.
Birch sap is used to treat hard-to-heal wounds and birch charcoal is of great help against diarrhea, as it absorbs fluids and contaminants into the intestine.
A beneficial natural ointment
There is also a long tradition of using birch as a skin ointment, and it is used to heal wounds since the Middle Ages for its antiseptic effect. In cosmetics, they take advantage of the power of leaves and juice, which act in many different ways.
The drainage and detoxifying qualities of birch leaf essences are a blessing for the whole body. These stimulate lymphatic flow and dissolve tissue “garbage”.” This makes birch one of the most valuable drug suppliers in the fight against cellulite.
Since within the holistic approach, the impact caused by the appearance of cellulite is also associated with mental attachment and solidification, the purifying power of birch also helps on an emotional level by releasing old restrictions and patterns of life that are not good for you.
The healing properties of birch
The essential oils of the bark and juice are characterized by their antiseptic and wound healing properties. In facial care creams, they embellish not only the appearance of skin that needs regeneration, mature skin, but also bacterial acne, eczema and other skin irritations.
Birch is also extremely popular in hair care. Shampoos and conditioners containing ingredients from this tree give the hair a new shine and strength, but it also works great against dandruff.
Some companies also sell birch tonics against hair loss. However, it is still rebuttable how much these products really help. Due to their cooling properties, birch extracts are also applied in foot creams.
Uses of birch in the kitchen
From the crust of the birch you can get a substitute ingredient for traditional and refined sugar, which is just as sweet and delicious. Birch sugar looks and tastes like normal sugar, but has 40% fewer calories, counteracts cavities and can be consumed without problems by diabetics.
Since birch sugar contains no dyes or preservatives, it can function as a healthy alternative to traditional sugar, which can be consumed cold or hot and therefore used in pastries and to preserve jams.
Birch leaves are edible unlike most tree leaves.
You can use them for a cheap and well-functioning detox treatment. Tender, young leaves detoxify the body vessels without loading the kidneys or liver and can be added to breakfast in the morning. The older the leaves, the harder the surface of the leaf, and the more bitter its taste.
How to use birch leaves for profit?
Collect a few birch leaves, let them dry in an aerated place and store them in a container in the dark; or you can also go to your health food store and get the ones you need.
Once you have your leaves dry, you can try the following methods and get the benefits you want:
Birch leaf bath:
Add 250 g of dried and chopped birch leaves to two liters of boiling water and leave it at that for ten minutes. Then strain the leaves and pour the water into your tub for a warm bath. Try to make sure your bath doesn’t last more than 15 minutes. By taking this bath you can relieve body aches or simply purify yourself.
Birch leaf conditioner that strengthens the hair:
Add two tablespoons of finely chopped birch leaves to a liter of fruit vinegar. Leave the container in a warm place for two weeks. Then filter the mixture. To use it you will have to mix a part of the fruit vinegar with three parts of water. When you bathe apply this mixture to your hair after washing it.
Birch sugar, also called xylitol, resembles common table sugar, but has fewer calories and is said to protect against tooth decay.
Benefits and disadvantages of birch sugar
Birch sugar is a natural sugar alcohol that Finnish researchers have discovered as a sugar substitute.
Proceeds:
The benefits of this sweetener are many:
- The body recognizes birch sugar and can metabolize it, making it different from other artificial sugar substitutes.
- Birch sugar has 240 kcal per 100 grams and therefore approximately 40 percent less calories than classic table sugar. The carbohydrate content is about 75 percent lower.
However, the sweetening power is almost the same, and the taste and taste of sugar and Xucker hardly differ. - Sugar substitute is also suitable for diabetics because it is degraded independently of insulin.
Disadvantages:
Like most substances that are supposed to replace sugar, birch sugar also has its disadvantages:
- Since our gut can only absorb very small amounts of xylitol, birch sugar has a laxative effect. Scientists recommend that no more than 0.5 grams per kilogram of body weight per day be consumed; otherwise flatulence and diarrhea may be experienced.
- Like other sweeteners, birch sugar is suspected to encourage food cravings.
- Although it is a natural product, for the production of birch sugar many chemical processes are used that can spoil the beneficial contribution of this food.
