Birch buds: beneficial properties and contraindications for use. Use of birch buds for cough, joints, liver

Birch buds– this is unique natural remedy, which helps get rid of a whole bunch of diseases, it is noteworthy that this is a very effective and environmentally friendly medicine that is accessible to most people.

After all, birch is one of the most common trees in the temperate climate zone.

Medicinal properties birch buds were valued in ancient times; as soon as sap began to flow in the spring, and the buds began to swell, they were carefully cut from the branches and dried, later used for cooking healing decoctions and infusions.

During the same period, healing birch sap is also collected, which brings great benefits to health.

Collection of birch buds

Birch buds are collected in the spring during the swelling period. Birch buds are collected while they are not yet open, but already swollen - while the birch sap is moving along the tree trunk.

This is very important, because collecting birch buds too early is useless. They still have too few nutrients. The buds are collected by hand or cut off along with the branches.

The color of the buds is brownish-brown, sometimes greenish at the base. The smell is balsamic, intensifying when rubbed. The taste is slightly astringent, resinous.

It is better to collect birch buds outside the city, away from highways and factories, then it will be an environmentally friendly raw material.

Dry them in the open air or in dryers at a temperature of 25-30 degrees. Store them in cloth or paper bags or in glass containers.

Medicinal and beneficial properties of birch buds

To evaluate the benefits and medicinal properties of birch buds in in full, you need to consider their biochemical composition. Those who like to take a steam bath with a birch broom know how pleasant the air becomes. So - the same fragrant essential oils as in birch leaves are also contained in birch buds.

Birch buds contain essential balsamic oil, which includes betulenic acid, betulol and betulen, resinous substances, alkaloids, flavonoids, fatty acid, vitamin C, PP, carotene and saponins, tannins and minerals (magnesium, calcium and iron).

The oil obtained in an amount of 5-8% by steam distillation of the buds is a thick yellow liquid with a pleasant balsamic scent.

The beneficial properties of birch buds are known not only to folklore, but also traditional medicine. They have a diuretic, choleretic, diaphoretic, blood purifying, analgesic, disinfectant, wound healing effect.

This is beautiful anthelmintic, birch buds relieve inflammation and have a strong antibacterial effect, killing enteric typhus microbes.

Birch bud tincture (1:5) exhibits antimicrobial activity against antibiotic-resistant forms of 144 strains of staphylococci isolated from patients various forms purulent infection.

This allows you to treat various purulent infections, such as phlegmon, furunculosis, peritonitis and mastitis. Essential oils, contained in birch buds, have a destructive effect on invasions.

Preparations prepared from the buds of the plant are prescribed for swelling cardiac origin . Birch buds increase diuresis and quickly reduce swelling in the periphery, even when traditional diuretics do not have the desired effect. For edema caused by functional kidney disorders, such treatment is not recommended, since resinous substances can irritate the kidney tissue.

The choleretic properties of birch buds are used for liver diseases and biliary tract . In addition, they are used in the treatment of bronchitis, tracheitis as a disinfectant and expectorant. Birch bud preparations are also used for hygienic and medicinal baths.

As can be seen from the above, birch buds have a lot of medicinal properties.

Application of birch buds

As mentioned at the beginning, this medicinal raw material is mainly used in the form of infusions. It is also widely used in folk medicine in the form of alcohol tinctures and ointments.

Infusions and decoctions of birch buds are used in otolaryngology and dentistry as an anti-inflammatory, decongestant and epithelizing agent for stomatitis, gingivitis, periodontal disease, glossitis, sore throat, chronic tonsillitis, acute respiratory diseases in the form of rinses and applications of gauze napkins moistened with infusions or decoctions.

In folk medicine, birch buds are used to treat gout, rheumatism, and joint pain. They will help in the treatment of burns, eczema, and acne. Compresses made from a decoction of birch buds will have a wound-healing effect.

Thanks to their regenerative effect, birch buds contribute to more fast regeneration cells. In the treatment of arthritis, trophic non-healing ulcers, edema, a decoction of birch buds will have a diuretic and strengthening effect on the body.

For diseases oral cavity and throat, it is recommended to gargle with a decoction that contains birch buds.

Birch bud decoction - recipe

10 grams of kidneys (about 5-6 pieces) are poured into 0.2 l hot water, after which they boil for 15 minutes, cool and filter. It is recommended to drink this decoction every day, half a glass between meals. It will help restore the body during colds and flu, give essential vitamins in the spring. You can gargle with it for sore throat, stomatitis or periodontal disease; it reduces swelling, having diuretic and choleretic properties.

Alcohol tincture of birch buds

An alcohol tincture of birch buds is recommended for colds, laryngitis, bronchitis, tracheitis, pulmonary tuberculosis, indigestion, poor appetite, for diseases gastrointestinal tract, stomach ulcers and duodenum, for dysentery and dyspepsia in children, pinworms and roundworms, as a choleretic and diuretic, for kidney stones and diseases Bladder, for headaches and migraines, for atherosclerosis.

It is useful to give the tincture to seriously ill patients after stress, especially to women after an artificially terminated pregnancy, during severe menopause, with edema of cardiac origin, with liver disease.

Preparation of alcohol tincture (internally)

Pour 20 g of dry crushed birch buds into 100 ml of 70% alcohol or vodka, leave in a dark, cool place for 3 weeks, shaking the contents periodically, strain, squeeze out the rest.

Take 20 - 30 drops per 1 tablespoon of water 3 times a day 15 - 20 minutes before meals.

Alcohol tincture for external use

As an external analgesic, anti-inflammatory agent, alcohol tincture of birch buds is used for rubbing and compresses for rheumatism, gout, joint pain, lumbago and bedsores, in the treatment of minor wounds, skin erosions, skin irritation purulent discharge, in the treatment of acute and chronic forms eczema, poorly healing ulcers, in the treatment of myositis and arthritis, for toothache in the form of a mouth rinse.

Preparation of tincture for external use

Birch buds are ground in a mortar and poured with alcohol at the following rate: for 1 part by weight of buds - 5 parts of alcohol. In the absence of alcohol, you can use high-quality vodka. After a week, the tincture is ready for use.

Birch bud ointment

There are two ways to prepare kidney ointment:

The first method requires 700-800 grams of unsalted butter and birch buds as needed. Take an enamel pan and alternately add oil and birch buds into it in equal finger-thick layers. After this, the closed pan is wrapped in foil and placed in a preheated oven for a day. You can add camphor to the resulting ointment to enhance the therapeutic effect (a little, about five grams).

The second method is simpler - pour boiling water over birch buds, filter this liquid and mix it with melted lanolin. After the resulting mass has hardened, drain the liquid formed on the surface. The ointment is ready for use.

The ointment obtained by these methods can be rubbed into sore joints every evening. In addition to rheumatism, it will be useful for eczema.

Birch buds. Contraindications

Birch buds have, albeit minimal, contraindications for use. Should not be used in medicinal purposes birch buds for women during pregnancy and lactation.

It is also recommended to use them very carefully when acute diseases urinary system and renal failure.

Ideally, you should consult your doctor before ingesting birch buds. This is not always possible, but it will avoid many troubles.

Video about the medicinal properties of birch

Birch grows almost throughout the entire territory of our country. Birch is real folk healer. In addition to birch tar, which our ancestors used for treatment thousands of years ago, they also used other gifts of this beautiful tree, including birch buds. Their medicinal and healing properties were used to treat many diseases, both internally and in the form of compresses and lotions. Decoctions, infusions, alcohol tinctures and ointments were prepared from them.

Birch is distributed throughout the world. On this moment there are about a hundred species. On the territory of our country, the main tree that grows is the weeping birch. Our birch groves occupy a significant area and are second only to coniferous and mixed forests, in which birch is often the main representative of such forests. This tree grows up to 20 meters in height. It has a smooth trunk covered with white bark and hanging branches. In early spring, birch leaves are covered with drops of resin, which is why the birch got its name, weeping.

Beneficial properties of birch buds

Starting from the end of March, birch buds begin to appear on the birch tree. During this period, the kidneys contain greatest number useful substances.

Birch buds have beneficial properties only at the moment of their swelling, when the leaves have not yet begun to bloom. It is at this moment that they need to be collected, carefully cutting them together with a branch. The buds are dried in the open air under a canopy. And only after complete drying, they are separated from the branch.

Our distant ancestors knew about the beneficial properties of birch buds. Today, numerous studies have been scientifically confirmed. Birch buds contain:

  • organic acids;
  • volatile compounds that have anti-inflammatory properties;
  • saponins, which give the kidneys diuretic properties;
  • flavonoids, which have a positive effect on capillaries;
  • essential oil with disinfectant properties;
  • tannins;
  • various resins and bitters.

Due to their composition, birch buds have the following properties:

Diuretics;

Antibacterial,

Anti-inflammatory;

Expectorants;

Choleretic;

Antispasmodic;

Sweatshops;

Anticancer;

Hemostatic;

Anthelmintic.

Medicinal properties of birch buds

The healing properties of kidneys have long been used in folk medicine to treat many diseases. They can be used to treat:

Urinary tract and kidneys as a diuretic and antibacterial agent, except during exacerbations;

Gallbladder and biliary tract as an antispasmodic and choleretic agent;

Gastrointestinal tract as an antispasmodic and anti-inflammatory agent;

Upper respiratory tract as an anti-inflammatory, diaphoretic, expectorant and antibacterial agent;

Tuberculosis as a hemostatic, expectorant, anti-inflammatory and antibacterial agent;

Enterobiasis as a sedative.

Birch buds are used:

For edema of various origins;

Locally for the treatment of burns, wounds, skin diseases, ulcers;

IN combination treatment cancerous tumors;

Externally for inflammation of the joints and treatment of hemorrhoids;

For hair loss.

Does not deny the medicinal properties of birch buds and official medicine. Pharmaceuticals You can mainly buy it in the form of alcohol tinctures.

The presence of flavonoids, saponins and vitamin PP allows you to normalize metabolic processes in organism.

In case of hypovitaminosis, carotene, vitamins C and PP present in the kidneys can reduce depression, irritability, and drowsiness, which are often symptoms of vitamin deficiency in the body.

In case of atherosclerosis, thanks to flavonoids and saponins, birch buds will reduce cholesterol deposits on the walls of blood vessels. Cholesterol plaques can cause diseases such as heart attack and stroke. People who are over 50 years old are recommended to drink a decoction of kidneys to prevent cardiovascular diseases.

The use of birch buds in folk medicine

In folk medicine, birch buds are used in the form of decoction, infusions, alcohol or vodka tinctures. There are many recipes for using kidneys to treat a number of diseases.

Birch bud tincture

To prepare the tincture, pour 25 grams of birch buds with 250 ml of vodka or 100 ml of alcohol. Leave for 10 days in a dark place, shaking the container periodically.

Take tincture 0.5-1 teaspoon 3 times a day 15-20 minutes before meals.

For the treatment of bronchitis, laryngitis, closed form tuberculosis prepare such a tincture.

Pour a handful of birch buds with 100 ml of alcohol (70%) and leave for 3 weeks in a dark place, shaking the jar occasionally.

Take 3 times a day, 15-20 drops before meals.

In the same way, you can take an alcohol tincture for diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, after diluting it with water.

The tincture is also used as a rub for sore joints, rubbing it into the affected areas twice a day.

To treat toothache, apply a cotton wool soaked in tincture to the diseased tooth.

Birch bud decoction

To prepare a decoction, pour 1 teaspoon of buds into 100 ml of boiling water and leave for several minutes.

This decoction is taken for menstrual pain, postpartum period to restore uterine function.

This decoction can also be prepared for oral administration. Pour two teaspoons of kidneys into a glass of cold boiled water and put it on the stove. Bring to a boil and simmer, reducing heat, for 30 minutes.

Cool the broth to room temperature and strain. Add cold water to original volume boiled water. Take one tablespoon 3 times a day before meals.

Infusion of birch buds

Pour a tablespoon of kidneys into two glasses of boiling water. Leave for one hour. The strained infusion is taken 0.5 cups 4 times a day before meals.

You can take the infusion when cardiovascular diseases, for edema associated with kidney disease.

Lotions with infusion are used for eczema and dermatitis. They will help relieve inflammation and itching.

A weak infusion of birch buds is used for gargling or as tea for colds and flu.

Prepare the infusion as follows. Pour one teaspoon of buds into a glass of boiling water and leave.

For colds and flu, it is better to drink the infusion at night, as it has diaphoretic properties.

Another recipe for an infusion that can be taken orally is prepared from 2 teaspoons of kidneys and a glass of boiled water. Pour water over the kidneys and place in a water bath for 15 minutes. Then leave for 45 minutes and strain. Add water to the original volume.

Ointment with birch buds

This ointment is used to treat rheumatism of the joints. It is prepared as follows.

Take 700-800 grams of butter good quality. Place in a clay pot or enamel pan, sprinkling a layer of butter with a layer of kidneys. The bud layer should be about the thickness of a finger.

Cover the pan with a lid and wrap in foil. Place in a warm oven for a day. To increase the healing properties, add 5 grams of camphor to the finished ointment. Rub the ointment into sore joints at night.

The second way to prepare ointment is with lanolin. First prepare an infusion with birch buds. Then strain and mix it with melted lanolin.

After the ointment hardens, drain the water that will be on top.

Contraindications to the use of birch buds

People with birch buds should not take medications with renal failure. It is not recommended to take birch buds during pregnancy.

The shelf life of birch buds is 2 years. But it is better to store them for no more than a year.

You can buy kidneys at a pharmacy or collect them yourself. The collection of buds should be carried out in an ecologically clean area, away from roads and hazardous enterprises.

They need to be collected in dry weather. The most healing properties possess buds collected from young birches.

Read

The medicinal properties of birch buds, as well as contraindications for their use, have long been studied by people, and not only in folk experience, But scientific medicine. Currently, you can easily purchase this medicinal natural raw material at a pharmacy, but you can also collect it yourself.

At home, infusions, decoctions, oil and alcohol tinctures, lotions and ointments are made based on this product. It is worth noting that in Ancient Rus' It was practiced to use this raw material for food.

Kidneys were added to soups, okroshka, salads, casseroles, pickles, meat, fish and vegetable dishes as a seasoning and natural preservative. However, the main purpose of this raw material was precisely for medicinal purposes. But what is the use of this raw material? For what diseases is it used? Can kidneys cause any harm to the human body?

Rules for procurement of raw materials

There are about 65 types of wood. But in medicinal purposes Not only buds are used, but also foliage, bark, and sap of such types of birch as downy, flat-leaved, drooping, and squat. All these species are widespread in the European part of Russia, so anyone can collect them.

Can be purchased already collected raw materials in the pharmacy. An important condition industrial harvesting is to be carried out in sanitary places in agreement with the forestry department, without causing damage to nature.

Collect this valuable product necessary at the very beginning of spring when sap flow begins in the trees. But useful elements in the kidneys they can survive until winter arrives. In winter, they can be collected when cutting down birch trees.

But how to properly collect kidneys? They are necessary cut along with young branches. The cut branches are tied into a bundle and dried in a dry, ventilated area. Drying should last for 3-4 weeks. Dry buds emit a pleasant aroma and have Brown color, are easily threshed. They must be removed manually or threshed dry twigs, clearing them of earrings and leaves.

The beneficial properties of the raw materials are preserved for 2 years. To store them you need pack in linen bags and store in a dry place.

The healing properties of this product are explained by its unique chemical composition. Birch buds contain:

During steam distillation, the raw material is capable of producing a good yield of essential oil. It is a liquid yellow color with a resinous aroma and taste. Essential oils are quite common used in cosmetology and dermatology.

Pharmacological actions of the kidneys are as follows:

  • choleretic;
  • antiseptic;
  • diuretic;
  • expectorant;
  • disinfectant;
  • anti-inflammatory;
  • blood purifying;
  • hematopoietic;
  • pathogenic.

IN Lately quite often they talk about antitumor properties of birch buds. That is why they can often be found in folk recipes for the treatment of malignant and benign tumors.

Indications for use

Natural raw materials are used in the following cases:

Most positive feedback collected the treatment of diseases with these birch raw materials gastrointestinal tract and urinary system. In pharmacology, drugs based on them are used as a diuretic and choleretic.

Contraindications for use

There are also contraindications to the use of birch buds:

Quite rarely, but it is still possible to encounter an allergic reaction to this herbal component due to its irritating effects. At the same time it appears itching, redness skin and burning.

Folk recipes

It is worth noting that the use of kidneys in traditional medicine is officially recorded in the protocol for the treatment of many diseases. First of all, they act as a diuretic, antiseptic, and choleretic agent.

Exists many different folk methods treatment for this natural raw materials. But how to cook effective medicine based on this component at home?

Decoction and infusion. Such agents are used internally and externally in various dosages and concentrations.

Step-by-step preparation of bud infusion:

  • take one tablespoon of raw material;
  • pour the raw material with one glass of boiling water;
  • let the tincture steep for 2 hours.

The resulting infusion is quite effective anti-inflammatory and diuretic means.

Step-by-step preparation of kidney decoction:

  • Take one teaspoon of raw material.
  • Pour one glass of boiling water over the kidneys.
  • Boil for 2 minutes.
  • Let the broth brew for half an hour.

Before use decoction must be strained. In addition, decoctions of buds and leaves are used as medicinal baths for extensive lesions of the skin, as well as for rheumatic diseases. To do this, you need to take a large volume of raw materials: 1 kg of birch buds per 10 liters of water.

How is the decoction and water infusion taken? Infusions and decoctions should be drunk warm. The decoction is drunk in the following dosage: ¼ cup 3 times a day before meals. Infusions can be drunk after meals in the following scheme: half a glass 6 times a day. The dosage and course of treatment must be established by a specialist.

The treatment regimen will depend on the age and diagnosis of the patient. Stronger infusions and decoctions can be used externally as a gargle, mouth gargle, and lotions. Less concentrated solutions are used to treat children. Ready-made medicines based on birch raw materials are stored in the refrigerator for no more than 2 days.

How to prepare the tincture

A tincture based on birch buds is considered to be an external antiseptic. It is also prescribed for oral administration for digestive disorders, stomach ulcers, dropsy, kidney diseases, and also as a remedy for worms.

The tincture can stop vomiting well, reduce rheumatic and muscle pain with compresses and rubbing.

Step-by-step preparation:

  1. Take four tablespoons of kidneys.
  2. Fill the kidneys with 500 ml of vodka or 70% alcohol.
  3. Let it brew in a warm room for at least a week.

The finished tincture is accepted one teaspoon before meals, but before that it needs to be diluted in a small amount of water.

Homemade ointment

At home, you can prepare an ointment based on birch buds.

For this:

The finished ointment can be stored in the refrigerator, it can work well relieve swelling, pain and inflammation. Can be used as a wound healing medicine.

Directions for use for men, women and children

For women, birch buds are a useful anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and general tonic.

They are capable good for cleansing blood, restore general state after childbirth, they normalize metabolism, and are prescribed for hormonal disorders during the premenopausal period, as well as for irregularities in the menstrual cycle.

Once again, it is worth noting that during pregnancy and lactation, products containing birch buds are contraindicated due to the resins they contain, as well as local irritant effects.

For men, the product is quite effective for diseases of the male genitourinary system. Kidneys help relieve inflammation and pain in prostatitis. Infusions and decoctions are rubbed into the scalp to treat and prevent baldness.

Doctors prescribe decoctions for children for diseases of the urinary system and cough. The products are also used as a moderate anthelmintic for pinworms and roundworms.

Birch buds are effective folk remedy for diseases genitourinary system, gastrointestinal diseases, skin diseases of various nature, rheumatic pain. This one is strong natural antiseptic widely used in cosmetology, dermatology, dentistry and otolaryngology.

Since ancient times, the healing power of birch has been used to treat a whole bunch of diseases. Leaves, bark, juice of the white-trunked beauty, as well as birch buds are used as medicinal raw materials.

They are collected in the spring, as soon as sap flow begins. The work is not easy, because it cannot be automated and everything is done manually. After collection and proper drying, phyto-raw materials are ready for preparation medicinal tinctures and decoctions. In terms of effectiveness, birch buds are compared to garden ginseng.

Birch buds contain:

  • Essential oils;
  • Resinous substances;
  • Alkaloids;
  • Flavonoids;
  • Fatty acid.

The kidney collection contains a lot of carotene, as well as minerals -, and.

The healing power of birch buds

Thanks to unique composition, the plant has extensive pharmacological effects.

  • Antibacterial;
  • Anti-inflammatory;
  • Diuretic;
  • Choleretic;
  • Expectorant;
  • Sweatshop;
  • Antipyretic.

A decoction of birch buds cleanses the blood. It will rid the body of toxins and waste. Medicinal raw materials are different high content vitamin C, so it is often taken to strengthen the immune system.

Proper procurement and storage of raw materials

It’s easier to buy phyto-raw materials at a pharmacy, but you can prepare them yourself in large quantities.

The period of swelling of birch buds runs from mid-April to early May, in some regions - from March. You need to collect material outside the city, in a clean area.

The kidneys are dried in air, laid out in one row, or in special dryers, at a temperature not exceeding 30°C.

There is a simpler way of harvesting: pickers cut young birch branches with buds, tie them into brooms and hang them to dry. When the branches dry out, they are threshed, freeing the buds.

To save beneficial features, the raw materials are placed in glass jars or canvas bags. Plastic and metal utensils are not suitable. The container with the kidney collection is stored in a dry, dark place.

Areas of use

In folk medicine, birch buds are used to get rid of helminths. As one of the components, medicinal plant It is even present in folk recipes for the treatment of oncology.

The healing properties of birch buds will alleviate the condition of stomach ulcers, inflammation of the gallbladder and bile ducts. A decoction of kidneys can relieve abdominal cramps. It is drunk at various disorders digestive system: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and also taken to normalize appetite.

Birch buds are useful for diseases of the urinary system, as they reduce protein in the urine and relieve swelling. The decongestant property helps with cardiovascular problems.

Interestingly, birch buds improve the condition of a person who has drunk too much. If you take 3-4 sips of the infusion every half hour, the urinary system is activated. As a result, the blood is cleared of toxins, swelling of the brain vessels subsides, and hangover symptoms disappear.

In dermatology, birch buds are used internally and externally in the form of decoctions, applications, lotions and compresses. The range of uses is wide: the product heals wounds, relieves purulent inflammation, helps well with burns and bedsores. They also treat fungal skin infections of various etiologies.

Sinusitis, acute and chronic tonsillitis, pharyngitis can also be cured thanks to a decoction of birch buds. To this list you can add bronchitis, tracheitis, pneumonia and tuberculosis. Lotions with a decoction will calm you down toothache, will improve the condition of the oral mucosa with stomatitis, gingivitis and periodontal disease.

For symptoms of ARVI, alcohol tincture from birch buds is rubbed on the body, and medicinal tea is taken orally.

Interestingly, bees collect birch buds for propolis. So healing effect from tincture of buds is identical to tincture of propolis.

IN complex therapy ointments and compresses based on birch buds will relieve pain in people suffering from arthrosis, arthritis, rheumatism and radiculitis.

Benefits for men, women and children

Kidney collection is effective in the treatment of prostatitis, which is very important for men. It relieves inflammation and pain. And for those who are afraid of going bald, you need to rub the tincture of the buds into the scalp.

For women, a healing potion will help cope with hormonal disorders that occur during menopause, as well as during menstrual irregularities.

For children, the kidneys will be useful for a runny nose, sore throat and cough. You can use the decoction to rinse your nose, gargle, and take the medicine orally as an expectorant.

According to the instructions, children under 12 years of age should not consume birch buds. Decoctions and tinctures are contraindicated due to resins, bitterness and irritation.

There are no restrictions for external use. Babies can be bathed in water with the addition of a herbal decoction, this will relieve the skin of diaper rash.

Recipes

Birch buds are consumed in the form of a decoction or infusion. You can also prepare an alcohol tincture and medicinal ointment from phyto-raw materials.

Some traditional medicine recipes:

  1. Tincture for internal use . Take 4 tbsp. l. birch buds and pour 500 g of high-quality vodka or 70% alcohol over them. Leave for at least a week in a cool, dark place. The contents need to be shaken periodically. After straining, you can drink the medicine 15-20 minutes before meals. Dosage for an adult - 1 tsp. tinctures diluted with a small amount of water.
  2. Tincture for external use. The kidney collection is ground to a powdery state, then filled with alcohol at the rate of 1/5. After a week, you can rub the tincture on sore muscles and joints.
  3. Infusion without alcohol. 1 tbsp. raw materials are poured with a glass of boiling water and left for 2 hours. Take 1/2 cup 4-6 times a day.
  4. Decoction. For 2 minutes, you need to boil 1 teaspoon of birch buds in 200 ml of boiling water. The broth needs to brew for 30 minutes, after which it is filtered and drunk 2-3 tbsp. l. 3 times a day before meals.
  5. Ointment with lanolin. You need to melt the lanolin and mix it in equal parts with an infusion of birch buds. After hardening excess liquid should be drained and the creamy mixture used for its intended purpose.
  6. Ointment with butter . Oil and birch buds are placed in layers in an enamel bowl. After this, the container is covered with foil and sent to a preheated oven, where the mixture will simmer for 24 hours. You can add a little to the finished ointment camphor oil. This will enhance the healing effect.

Who are contraindicated for birch buds?

Restrictions apply to the following groups:

  1. Pregnant and breastfeeding women.
  2. People with chronic diseases urinary system.
  3. Children under 12 years of age.
  4. Those who have individual intolerance.

Due to the irritating effect of the herbal product on the skin, redness, itching and burning may occur.

Contraindications are relative, since in some cases doctors allow these categories of people to receive kidneys. They see the picture of the disease, are taught to assess a person’s condition and can recommend kidney tinctures and decoctions to improve health.

We know a lot about birch sap. But not everyone knows about birch buds. In this material we will talk about their beneficial properties and contraindications, which are limited to a small range of health problems. And this is quite sad, because this remedy is extremely accessible: birch grows literally everywhere in the middle zone, and it helps against so many diseases.

Tinctures and decoctions prepared from birch buds are universal remedy treatments for adults and children. They are able to ease the course of all seasonal colds, fight vitamin deficiency, relieve swelling. The list of medicinal effects of kidneys on the human body is uniquely wide:

  • Antibacterial action. Used for gargling, treating wounds, skin diseases.
  • Antipyretic. At high temperature used as a diaphoretic.
  • They help get rid of edema caused by heart problems.
  • Relieves spasms and pain syndrome for problems in the gastrointestinal tract.
  • They have choleretic and diuretic effects.
  • Removes mucus from the lungs when coughing. Expectorant.
  • Anthelmintic. The kidneys are able to fight any invasions in the intestines and liver.
  • For diseases of the mouth and throat, they fight bacterial infection.
  • In oncology it is used as an antioxidant.
  • They have a rich complex of vitamins that help cope with vitamin deficiency.
  • Included in dietary food in the fight against obesity as a source of fatty acids.
  • External remedy for the treatment of eczema, boils, purulent wounds.
  • Used in cosmetology.

Compound

  • essential oil, the structure of which includes sesquiterpene alcohol, palmitic acid, betunol (antimicrobial effect);
  • alkanoids and resins;
  • flavonoids and phytoncides (antiviral properties);
  • tannins (pro-inflammatory and analgesic);
  • vitamins C, PP, carotene;
  • coumarin (soothing effect);
  • microelements: magnesium, calcium, iron.

Collection and reception of birch buds

Birch buds need to be collected a little later than the sap. The harvesting season begins in mid-April and ends in early May before the leaves appear. The buds should swell properly, so there is no point in collecting them immediately after the snow has melted. They have not yet acquired their medicinal properties. It is better to choose trees away from any roads, in the forest or in the field.

If you didn’t have time to collect the kidneys, don’t despair. Birch leaves contain similar useful material, only in a slightly lower concentration.

In appearance, the bud should be brown, perhaps greenish at the base. The aroma is similar to balsamic, the taste is astringent and resinous.

The following are prepared from birch buds: dosage forms:

Decoction

What diseases does it treat:

  • ARVI;
  • angina;
  • flu;
  • periodontal disease;
  • avitaminosis;
  • stomatitis;
  • edema.

How to cook:

Take 6 or 7 buds for a glass of boiling water, depending on the size. Cook over low heat for 25 minutes, cool, strain.

How to use:

Internally – 0.5 tbsp. 4-5 times a day. For rinsing the throat and mouth - after every meal.

Alcohol tincture for external use

What diseases does it treat:

  • joint pain;
  • wounds, erosions, pustules;
  • gout;
  • rheumatism;
  • eczema in chronic and acute form;
  • toothache;
  • bedsores.

How to cook:

The recipe is based on a ratio of 1:5 - thoroughly crush one part of the buds in a mortar, add alcohol and leave in a dark place for a week.

How to use:

  • rubbing;
  • lotions;
  • applications to the sore spot;
  • oral cavity - rinsing.

Alcohol tincture (internally)

What diseases and conditions does it treat:

  • cough, colds, bronchopulmonary diseases;
  • exhaustion of the body;
  • stress;
  • helminthic infestations in the intestines;
  • helminthic infestations in the liver;
  • spasmodic pain in the gastrointestinal tract;
  • migraine, headaches;
  • atherosclerosis.

How to cook:

Proportions: 20 g of buds per half glass of alcohol. Infuse for three weeks. Shake the mixture from time to time. Strain.

How to use:

The tincture is taken 15 minutes before meals. Dilute 15-20 drops in a tablespoon of water and drink three times a day.

Ointment

What diseases does it treat:

  • joint diseases;
  • rheumatism;
  • arthritis;
  • joint pain.

How to cook:

1 way- Place the kidneys and butter in layers in a saucepan. Preparation time: 24 hours. Simmer over low heat. Add 5 g of dry camphor. Method 2— we make a very cool infusion of the buds, evaporate, strain and mix with lanolin. After hardening, drain the liquid. The ointment is ready.

How to use:

At night, rub the sore areas.

Inhalations

What diseases does it treat:

  • colds;
  • cough.

How to cook:

Half a liter of water and 2 tbsp. l. boil the kidneys for half an hour.

How to use:

Breathe the steam under a towel. Monitor the temperature of the steam so as not to burn the respiratory tract.

Therapeutic baths

What diseases does it treat:

  • ARVI;
  • colds.

How to cook:

Prepare a decoction of two tablespoons of kidneys and three liters of boiling water. Pour the strained broth into the hot bath.

How to use:

Take a bath for 15-20 minutes. Then wrap yourself in a blanket and drink diaphoretic tea there. Not suitable for people prone to hypertension.

Contraindications

  • Pregnancy and lactation.
  • Kidney failure inflammatory process in the kidneys.
  • Inflammatory processes in the bladder.
  • Individual intolerance.

Application of birch buds

This raw material has been used for women since time immemorial. Treated with decoctions and infusions nervous conditions, depression. If a woman lost a child during pregnancy, she was given tea made from birch buds, to which young birch leaves were also added. During menopause, the same tea was used to alleviate the condition. Rich vitamin complex contributed to the leveling hormonal levels and normalized menstrual bleeding in this period.

The medicinal plant is used and how cosmetic product. The buds are infused, and then this oil is used as a mask for aging skin on the neck, face, and how vitamin mixture for hair. In combination with chamomile and calendula, birch buds help with acne and are even able to treat boils.

For men, the decoction is useful as a prevention of baldness. The buds can be added to tea, or you can wash your hair with the broth. It is also used as a general tonic after quitting alcohol or nicotine.

For children, any dosage forms from this medicinal raw material are prepared in smaller proportions. They should not be given strong decoctions, infusions, not to mention alcohol tinctures. Biologically active substances capable of causing allergic reactions. Therefore, it is best to add buds to tea little by little.

But externally the kidneys are indicated for children in any form. Essential oils and phytoncides help heal wounds, cuts, and bruises. Babies are bathed in the broth. It's soft depressant for little screamers and capricious people. Helps you calm down and fall asleep without problems.