Birch

by Aimee Amodio | More from this Blogger

26 Aug 2007 09:09 AM

Poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge called the birch tree the Lady of the Woods. This graceful tree isn't just decorative -- birch has been used in healing for hundreds of years.

There are many different types of birch tree, including:

• White birch, also known as canoe birch or paper birch, is found in northern forests across North America -- throughout Canada, in the Great Lakes region, in the Pacific Northwest, and in the northeast.
• Black birch, also known as sweet birch, is found as far north as Maine, as far south as Tennessee, and as far west as Iowa.
• River birch, also known as black birch, is found throughout the South and as far north as Massachusetts.

Generally, birches are divided into two groups: white bark and black bark. The white birches are known for the ease of peeling away strips of papery bark.

Native Americans used birch as a remedy for many different ailments.

• Tea made from birch leaves was used to relieve headaches and ease the pain of rheumatism.
• Tea made from birch leaves and birch bark was used to ease fevers, relieve gas and abdominal cramping, and ease the pain of kidney stones.
• Poultices made from boiled bark were used to help heal burns, bruises, and wounds.
• The fruit was boiled into tea to ease menstrual cramps or roasted over a fire -- the smoke was thought to ease respiratory infections.

Pioneers saw the Native Americans using birch in so many different ways and added a few of their own. A birch gargle was used for freshening breath and birch tea was thought to expel intestinal worms.

Birch does contain methyl salicylate -- an anti-irritant and analgesic agent. Birch tea may indeed relieve aches and pains. And since the skin can absorb methyl salicylate, a poultice can be used on aching joints or minor wounds and irritations. Modern medicine mainly uses synthetic methyl salicylate in creams and ointments used for pain relief.

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