Birch sap - the benefits and healing properties of a natural drink. Natural health elixir, or what birch sap can do

Birch sap is an ancient Slavic drink of natural origin, the beneficial properties of which were known many hundreds of years ago. They still drink it now, but it is easier for an ordinary city dweller to buy a packaged product. Let's find out if there are differences between such juices, and what are the benefits and harms of a birch drink.

The benefits of birch sap are undeniable - it contains various vitamins and dissolved minerals, especially group B. It is most useful in the spring, at the same time you can collect the most apiaries, up to 5 liters from an average tree size. To do this, they find an adult birch and make an incision on the trunk, inserting a dense groove into it and hanging a container to drain the liquid. Young seedlings are not recommended to be touched, since excessive sap intake can destroy a fragile plant. In addition, after the procedure, the place of the log house should be covered with garden pitch, covered with moss or wax. A more modern and humane way to extract liquid is to drill a small, even hole in the barrel with a dropper attached to it. The last date for extracting the drink is the end of May. Officially, birch sap belongs to the food forest resources, whose production is regulated by the Forest Code of the Russian Federation of 2007, as well as some related documents. According to the latter, individuals have the right to carry out free activities for the collection and preparation of this product. But commercial companies will need some permits. Birch sap contains 0.5-2.5% sugar, from which its taste varies. In addition, the composition of the drink includes organic acids, tannins, essential oils, saponins, wood ash. Natural juice ferments well; alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks (for example, syrups, kvass and even sparkling wines) are made on its basis. Birch sap has its place in folk medicine, where it is used to treat various skin diseases (lichen, eczema, acne) and as a diuretic. Sometimes, in order to preserve the juice for a long time, it is frozen and used in the form of ice. In addition, according to various sources, birch sap is used as:

• balm conditioner for problem hair;
• antioxidant with anti-cancer properties;
• therapeutic and prophylactic agent for tuberculosis and other diseases of the respiratory system;
• aperitif to improve appetite and metabolism;
• with cholelithiasis;
• with edema and non-healing wounds.

There are practically no drawbacks to this natural product. The juice is 100% environmentally friendly, as wood serves as a natural and most reliable filter. However, for some, collecting a drink can be dangerous because of an allergy to the pollen of the so-called "birch catkins" - the tree's spring inflorescences.

At a time when the bright spring sun begins to melt the cold snow, Russian birch trees begin to wake up from hibernation. Along their trunks, there, to the smallest twigs and swelling buds, a nutrient liquid with minerals, acids and vitamins, necessary for the growth and flowering of a tree, seeks. Birch produces so much of this liquid that a person can use the “extra” for his own purposes. Moreover, the benefits of birch sap for the body can not be overestimated.

The cheapest and healthiest way to quench your thirst with this juice is to get it directly from the tree itself. In no store you will find that healthy birch drink that our parents remember. How to draw juice correctly, without damaging the tree itself, we told in the article ““, and now let's talk about the rich chemical composition of this miraculous drink.

Real birch sap can give the human body the enzymes necessary to maintain immunity. This is especially important in the spring, when we are most prone to colds.

In addition, even if you did not manage to strengthen your immunity, but managed to catch a treacherous cold, tannins contained in large quantities in birch sap will help you easily overcome the inflammation that has begun and speed up the healing process.

Important for the heart, potassium, magnesium, calcium also take pride of place in the composition of birch sap.

This drink is not only healthy, but in some cases, it can help save someone's life. Special substances contained in birch sap are able to remove toxins from the body in a short time, which is very important in case of poisoning. This can also be attributed to alcohol intoxication. So instead of artificially created “hangover pills”, it is better to use a natural natural medicine - birch sap. Although it is even better not to bring your body to a hangover state.

Birch sap also has a beneficial effect on the work of the digestive tract. For example, for people suffering from low stomach acidity, birch sap is not just one of the few permitted products, but also a drink that stimulates the production of acid in the stomach.

In addition to affecting the internal vital systems of the body, birch sap is successfully used in the treatment of various skin diseases such as neurodermatitis, eczema, acne and furunculosis, and the like. It is enough to carry out evening and morning water procedures with him, and not with water. Cosmetologists have long adopted this drink, and thanks to it, they relieve their patients of dandruff and strengthen their hair. To achieve a good result, you can simply rinse your hair with this valuable liquid.

Contraindications

In addition to the benefits, birch sap can, in a small percentage of cases, harm the human body. For those whom doctors call allergic, if they are allergic to birch tree pollen, this juice is not recommended to drink. The reaction of the body can follow immediately. Also, a contraindication for the use of this drink will be considered urolithiasis. By causing active urination, birch sap can cause stones to move, which will manifest itself as severe pain.

The place where the drink was collected is also of great importance. Trees growing in close proximity to highways and busy highways will produce sap "infected" with heavy metals. Clogging your body with such elements is simply not safe for any person, therefore, before buying birch sap, it is advisable to ask in which areas it was collected.

Birch sap drinks

The syrup, which is obtained by evaporating the juice itself to a certain state, is extremely popular in the United States. To get one liter of syrup, you need to use about 100 liters of valuable birch tree moisture. But in this state, birch sap can be stored for more than one month.

In the USSR, in 1968, a recipe for making birch kvass was developed, and a little earlier, birch wine was invented from this juice, but today the Russian industry does not produce anything like this, and only homemade recipes for making drinks from the juice of the Russian tree itself remain.

Svetlana Frantseva

Birch is familiar to everyone since childhood. This tall tree, rarely a shrub, belongs to the birch family and the birch genus. It grows in temperate regions. In the form of a shrub, birch is found in areas with an arctic climate, where it spreads along the soil, practically not rising above it. The trees have a height of up to 45 m, and the girth of the trunk can reach 150 cm. The root system of birch is powerful and can be, depending on the growing conditions, both superficial and deep, which prevails. The tap root, which is formed in a newly germinated plant, dies off very quickly, as soon as lateral roots with numerous uric roots begin to actively develop. In the first 2-3 years, the tree grows very slowly, and the surrounding grass often covers it completely. However, after the root system becomes sufficiently developed, the birch actively begins to gain height and, due to this, wins over other young plants in the competition for sunlight. Birch bark is dense; has a color from white to gray, with dark stripes or spots. Often there are deep cracks on the trunk. Birch leaves are whole, ovate-rhombic in shape, have a serrated edge. The length of the leaf plates can reach up to 7 cm, and the width is up to 4 cm. They are arranged alternately. The surface of young leaves is sticky. Their petiole is small. Male flowers are collected in complex inflorescences - catkin-shaped thyrsus, which appear in the summer at the top of the tree. At first, their color is green, gradually becoming brown as they mature. The flower catkin ripens, depending on the climate, only by April-May. The tree is wind pollinated. When an earring opens, the wind carries its pollen. Female catkins are located in the leaf axils and are formed in the spring. The fruit of a birch is a flattened lenticular nut. The seeds are light (there are about 5000 seeds in 1 g) and are carried by the wind at a distance of up to 200 m from the mother plant.

Birch is widespread throughout the Northern Hemisphere. Today there are about 100 of its species. Birch in many regions is the main forest-forming tree. It is used in industry and medicine. The healing properties of the plant have been proven not only by traditional healers, but also by representatives of official medicine. Birch sap deserves special attention, which is obtained from a tree during the spring sap flow until the buds open. Juice has unique healing properties and, when used correctly, brings invaluable benefits to a person.

What does birch sap contain

The medicinal properties of birch sap, like any other product, directly depend on its chemical composition. Birch sap, which is harvested in Russia, Ukraine and Belarus on an industrial scale, contains many medicinal components. They are: carbohydrates, phytoncides, formic acid, citric acid, oxalic acid, essential substances, saponins, tannins and vitamins. The juice is also rich in minerals, the maximum concentration of which is: potassium, magnesium, manganese, aluminum, sodium, calcium, copper, barium, phosphorus, zirconium, titanium, silicon and strontium.

Combining with each other, these substances enhance the effect of each other and produce the strongest strengthening and healing effect on the human body. However, before you start taking this delicious drink, you need to make sure that there are no contraindications for this.

When not to drink birch sap

In order for the juice to benefit, you should take it correctly and strictly observe contraindications. It is necessary to refuse this product for such indications:

• diabetes mellitus - for many juice can produce a sugar-increasing effect;
• severe liver disease;
• severe kidney disease;
• an allergic reaction to birch pollen (in this case, the reaction to sap will be similar);
• individual intolerance to juice.

Juice, which can be purchased in the store all year round, has a much greater number of contraindications, since it contains chemical additives that provide it with a long shelf life, and, unfortunately, reduce the healing properties of the product.

What helps birch sap

Without exaggeration, birch sap can be called a unique product that produces a whole range of therapeutic effects on the human body. It is enough just to drink juice for several days in a row during its preparation, as a person will feel its healing effect on himself.

Due to the presence in the composition of the product of substances that have a beneficial effect on the nervous system, the juice is indispensable in the treatment of depression and nervous fatigue. It helps to improve mood and eliminate depression, and also gives a surge of strength and makes it much easier to endure even significant mental and emotional overload. Juice helps very well to relieve increased nervous excitability in children, because of which they themselves and their environment suffer equally.

Birch sap has proven to be excellent as a means to strengthen the immune system. Under the influence of juice, the production of lymph, which is one of the components of the immune system, improves. In addition, the substances in the composition of birch sap significantly increase the body's resistance to viruses and pathogenic bacteria for a long time. Therefore, after the spring intake of juice, immunity remains as active as possible for almost a year, that is, until next spring.

The ability of juice to cleanse the blood of toxins is also very valuable, which is why it is good to drink juice during the recovery period after serious illnesses, for the treatment of which drugs were taken that remain in the body for a long time and lead to some intoxication. Juice is also useful after chemical poisoning, when the body needs to be cleansed as soon as possible of harmful substances that have entered the bloodstream from the lungs along with air.

The expectorant properties of birch sap make it possible to use it as a medicine against bronchitis, bronchial asthma, as well as in the complex therapy of pneumonia and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

This natural product will also be useful for people suffering from chronic diseases of the stomach and duodenum. This is due to the fact that birch sap has antiseptic, vasoconstrictive, anti-inflammatory and regenerating effects. In addition, it improves the production of digestive enzymes, which makes food easier to digest and assimilate without overloading the gastrointestinal tract.

In oncological diseases, the intake of birch sap is indicated for general strengthening of the body and some antitumor therapy that complements the main treatment. It is unacceptable to use birch sap as the main anti-cancer medicine.

Juice will be useful for problems in the sexual sphere in men. Thanks to medicinal substances in the composition of the plant, birch sap helps to relieve inflammation of the prostate gland and activate the production of sex hormones, due to which potency is restored, and in some cases infertility is eliminated.

How to use birch sap

It is very important to take the juice correctly. Ideally, drink it fresh, and not canned, since it does not lose any useful properties only during short-term storage. The longer the juice is stored, the less medicinal it becomes. In store-bought juice, due to the large amount of additives and sugar, the benefits and harms cancel each other out, making the product neutral as a drug.

For medicinal purposes, the juice is used in the same way for various diseases. This is due to the fact that there is no need to add any other useful substances to it, since the juice actively affects the entire body in its pure form. In order to get the maximum benefit from this product, simply drink 1 glass of juice in the morning on an empty stomach 30 minutes before meals and then during the day - at least 3 glasses before meals. If birch sap is available in large quantities, then you can take it 6-8 glasses a day. For children, the minimum daily dose is one and a half glasses. Babies under the age of 1 are mixed with water in a ratio of 1:1 and given this drink in a volume of up to 150 ml per day.

How to prepare birch sap

It is very important to collect the juice correctly, since the quality of the resulting product depends on how well the tree is chosen. Harvesting should be carried out in environmentally friendly places where there is no soil pollution. The tree must be mature, because otherwise it will not be possible to get a lot of juice from it, and the birch itself will hardly endure the process of extracting juice. It is best to choose a tree that grows on a hill, as this will avoid the accumulation of excess moisture at its roots, which can cause deterioration in the quality of the juice.

In order to prepare juice during the spring sap flow, you should use a drill with a diameter of 5 to 8 mm to drill a hole in a tree at a height of at least one and a half meters from the ground. You need to insert a tube into the resulting hole and place a container for juice below, tightening its top with 1 layer of gauze so that insects and debris do not get into the drink. During the day, the tree gives up to 6-8 liters of juice. After the collection is completed, the hole should be closed with a garden pitch so that the tree does not suffer from prolonged loss of juice. Keep the juice in the refrigerator for no more than 10 days. In order to use this product throughout the year, it should be preserved by adding natural lemon juice. The drink is rolled into jars immediately after it is heated to a boil.

The benefits and harms of birch sap were well known to our ancestors. More precisely, they knew more about its beneficial, healing properties. They also knew when and how to collect this medicine, how to prepare it correctly in order to preserve the healing substances as much as possible. This forest drink has few contraindications, but still they are, and they were established by traditional medicine after a series of observations on patients suffering from urolithiasis and stomach ulcers.

For representatives of the current generation, birch sap is a kind of antiquity, a true story, a natural product from the times of the USSR, which has gone into the past along with the realities of life. There is some truth in this, because the value of this drink, the methods of its collection and preparation are gradually forgotten. Yes, and the volume of its industrial procurement has decreased significantly. However, there are keepers of traditions, there are many recipes in folk herbalists and a lot of evidence that this drink is not just a symbol of Russia. It is also a valuable medicine that can be prepared at home.

Features of medicinal raw materials

Birch sap is pleasant, sweetish, with a specific delicate aroma. For what diagnoses is it recommended? Does it have contraindications? When to start collecting, in what ways to harvest juice yourself?

Preparation of birch sap

Industrial collection and conservation of birch sap are carried out mostly in Belarus, less - in Russia and Ukraine. This drink was especially popular during the Soviet era. The older generation remembers very well how, in the era of shortages, three-liter cans of this drink filled empty shelves. It can also be seen on modern counters (in three-liter, one-and-a-half-liter jars and tetra-packs), but its production has noticeably decreased.

• When to collect? Harvesting is carried out in early spring, when the juices begin to rise from the root up the tree trunk. With a thaw, sap flow can begin earlier - in February. The juice is collected until the buds on the birch have blossomed, which also depends on the weather and climatic conditions. It is also better to collect liquid during daylight hours, because at night the trees “sleep” and the movement of sap stops.
• How to collect birch sap? There are several rules to follow: do not use young trees; after collection, the hole or slot should be covered with wax, laundry soap or a special garden pitch, which prevents various lesions and wood decay. In extreme cases, the hole is tightly closed with moss or a twig is stuck into it, it is saturated with liquid, swells and prevents it from flowing out. This forest food resource (namely, as it is called in the legislation) can be obtained in different ways. The first is to make an incision (notch) on the bark, substitute a groove and fix it, hang a container where the juice will drain. The second is to drill a hole in the barrel to a depth of 5 cm, insert a plastic tip from the dropper system into it, and lower its other end into a container. The third is to cut off young branches, wrap them in a plastic bag, where the liquid flows. Sometimes the juice is collected from stumps after sanitary cutting of a forest area.
• Some "tricks" of collecting. You need to start collecting in the southern parts of the grove, and as the snow melts and warms up, move deeper into the forest. They try to make incisions on the north side of the trunk - there is more juice here. A cut or hole is made at a height of about 50 cm from the ground. Don't make a deep hole. First, it is dangerous for the life of the tree. Secondly, the juice moves between the bark and the wood, it is enough just to pass through the bark layer.
• How to store birch sap at home? Raw birch is best collected and stored in glass containers. If it is collected in plastic bottles, then after filling it must be immediately poured into glassware. Raw can be stored in the refrigerator for no more than 3 days. It is desirable to drink it by this time, then it becomes cloudy, bubbles appear in it, and fermentation processes begin. Then you can already make kvass or wine from it. For long-term storage, fresh juice is canned and frozen in small portions.

One large tree can produce up to 7 liters of valuable liquid per day, a small tree - up to 3 liters. On a tree with a diameter of up to 20 cm, only one hole is allowed, with a diameter of up to 25 cm - two holes can be made, up to 35 cm - three, and over 40 cm - no more than four. Despite the fact that birch roots go deep into the ground and take nutrients from clean soil, it is better to choose birch trees in groves, and not in plantings along roads. Wood also has the ability to absorb harmful substances from the air.

Healing properties and pharmacological action

The chemical composition of birch sap includes:

• invert sugar (with equal parts of glucose and sucrose);
• organic acids;
• proteins;
• carbohydrates;
• essential oil;
• phytohormones;
• phenols;
• urea derivatives;
• saponins;
• tannins;
• group of vitamins B;
• ascorbic acid;
• rich composition of trace elements (copper, potassium, sodium, manganese, magnesium, iron, silicon).

Pharmachologic effect:

• diuretic;
• secretory;
• anti-inflammatory;
• tonic;
• restorative;
• blood-purifying;
• antioxidant.

Increasingly, they talk about the antitumor properties of raw birch, although there is no scientific evidence for this. It can be prescribed for rehabilitation, recovery of the body after severe procedures in oncology.

What diseases are indicated

• Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. It relieves spasms, gastric and intestinal colic, treats diseases of the stomach, liver, gallbladder, acts as a mild analgesic, anti-inflammatory medicine. Restores microflora, appetite, digestion.
• urinary system. One of the effective folk remedies for urolithiasis. It is advisable to drink fresh 6 glasses a day. Juice promotes crushing of stones in kidneys and their removal. The course of treatment is carried out under the strict supervision of a doctor, painful conditions are likely.
• Rheumatic diseases. Effective remedy for gout, articular arthritis, atherosclerosis. They are taken internally and externally.
• Respiratory system . As a tonic with an expectorant effect, it is prescribed for inflammatory processes in the bronchi and lungs, including the treatment of tuberculosis.
• Metabolic disorders. In diabetes, blended birch sap is useful in complex treatment and with a strict diet. On its basis, a medicinal drink is prepared, it contains 35% juice of raspberries, currants, blackberries, blueberries, elderberries. It is also taken with decoctions of wild rose, lingonberry leaves, buckthorn, nettle and other medicinal herbs. We emphasize that phytotherapy for diabetes mellitus gives a positive therapeutic effect, but only under the supervision of a doctor, with a number of laboratory studies. Depending on the type of diabetes, the dosage and course of treatment are prescribed. Since the juice is low in calories and stimulates all metabolic processes in the body, it is drunk for weight loss.
• Anemia. With anemia, it is recommended to drink juice 2-3 glasses a day before meals.
• Avitaminosis. Birch sap contains half of the periodic table. It is prescribed for spring beriberi, weakened immunity, after serious illnesses, for the prevention of acute respiratory viral infections, influenza.
• Intoxication. The drink helps well in case of poisoning (gives energy and reserves of lost fluid), cleanses the body of toxins, restores the water-salt balance, helps to lower the temperature and acts as a diaphoretic in combination with rosehip decoction and lemon juice. The drink also helps with a hangover, relieving discomfort in the stomach.
• Outdoor use. The tool can be used to gargle, rinse the nose, drink to disinfect the oral cavity with stomatitis, gingivitis, periodontal disease. They also wipe the skin with scabies, psoriasis, neurodermatitis, eczema, ulcers. Good for non-healing wounds.

This healing drink has few contraindications: individual intolerance and an allergic reaction. It is important to remember that with exacerbation of gastric and duodenal ulcers, as well as in the acute form of urolithiasis, self-treatment with juice can lead to an even greater exacerbation. Therefore, medical supervision and supervision is so important. Due to the high content of glucose, birch sap can harm the body if the dosage and dilution are incorrect.

Features of the preparation and use of birch sap

Despite all the harmlessness and undoubted usefulness of this forest drink, it is recommended to consult a doctor before taking it. If any side effects appear (primarily from the digestive system - diarrhea), treatment should be discontinued and a doctor should be consulted.

How to use

How much juice can you drink per day?

• A glass 3 times a day is the "universal" dosage.
• Some herbalists recommend drinking diluted juice, especially if there are exacerbations and diabetes.
• For preventive purposes, you can drink for a long time, but little by little.
• The treatment course may be shorter, but with a higher dosage, in which case a break in therapy is required.

cooking recipes

Recipes for harvesting birch sap are impressive in their diversity. You can prepare pure raw, or you can prepare sedative infusions from it with the addition of mint, fortified - with blackcurrant and rose hips. Also, raw birch produces delicious kvass, wine, low-alcohol drinks, syrup.

• Kvass. Birch sap has high fermentation properties. Therefore, kvass from birch sap is prepared without yeast. But there are also recipes for its preparation with yeast.
• syrup. It is curious that today in the world there are no more than two dozen manufacturers of this delicacy. Birch syrup is prepared according to the same principle as the famous maple syrup. To get 1 liter of product, you need to evaporate 100 liters of juice! The syrup is similar to honey in consistency and taste, but there is a woody bitterness in it. In Russia, there is a community of lovers and connoisseurs of this product, which also produces natural birch sap, sauce, kvass, and chaga. You can buy frozen cheese here.
• Wine. In the USSR, the production of birch wines was established, but now it is a rarity. From raw birch, high-quality sparkling (carbonated) wine was obtained. It can be prepared at home according to old Russian recipes.

carbonated drink recipe

1. Pour raw birch into a three-liter jar and keep warm for 2 days.
2. Put in a jar 6 tsp. Sahara.
3. Add some raisins and lemon zest.
4. Close the lid and hold for 2 days.

It turns out a pleasant carbonated drink with sourness (essentially - kvass). If the fermentation process is active, you need to slightly open the lid or use a lid with a hole. To reduce fermentation processes, the drink is stored in the refrigerator.

Recipe for birch kvass with yeast

1. Heat raw birch to 35°C.
2. Add 15 g of yeast (per 1 liter of juice), some raisins, lemon zest.
3. Close with a tight lid.
4. Withstand 7 days.

Kvass perfectly quenches thirst, normalizes digestion.

Recipe for birch kvass without yeast

1. Pour raw birch into a three-liter jar.
2. Put pieces of dried rye bread in it.
3. For flavor, put currant and cherry leaves.
4. Cover the jar with gauze, soak for 14 days.

Recipe for kvass from malt

1. Pour 5 liters of raw birch into a large bottle.
2. Keep 2 days.
3. Put 30 g of barley malt.
4. Keep at least 10 days.

Earlier in Rus', kvass was prepared in large barrels. It was one of the most popular drinks at holiday feasts. To keep kvass for a long time, honey and oak bark were placed in barrels. Herbs were also added - thyme, cumin, linden, chamomile, lemon balm, St. John's wort. Blended low-alcohol drinks were made with the addition of mountain ash, rose hips, cherries, blueberries, and apples.

canned birch sap recipe

1. Take 3 liters of fresh juice.
2. Add 100 g sugar and 1 medium lemon, cut into wedges.
3. Boil over low heat in an enamel bowl for 5 minutes.
4. Pour into a sterilized jar, roll up.

Orange can be used instead of lemon. A sprig of mint or lemon balm will add a pleasant taste to the juice. Previously, there was an opinion that industrial birch sap is diluted with citric acid and water. Too much of it was produced in the USSR. In fact, a little lemon can be added to the recipe drink as a preservative.

Birch sap for women and children

• Pregnancy. There is no information that juice can harm the body during pregnancy. However, a doctor's consultation should be mandatory, especially if a woman has chronic diseases of the stomach and kidneys. This low-calorie drink quenches thirst well, normalizes metabolic processes, blood pressure, reduces nausea and vomiting during toxicosis.
• lactation. It is believed that birch sap is useful for breastfeeding, stimulates lactation. There is no scientific evidence for this. However, it can be useful for a nursing mother with its rich composition. It should be taken in reasonable portions. To begin with, it is recommended to drink 100 g of juice and observe the reaction of the baby.
• Childhood . The question arises: is it possible for children to drink birch sap? Pediatricians do not recommend giving it to babies under 1 year old in any form. After a year, you can offer canned juice, but in small portions, first diluted. Later, you can try to introduce raw into the diet, also in small doses. Juice is valuable for children with glucose, phytoncides, organic acids, unique compositions of micro and macro elements, vitamins. Needless to say, children should be given only a high-quality, proven product, without additives.

Cosmetology

Birch sap is widely used in cosmetology due to its tonic, antiseptic, anti-inflammatory effect. How is it used?

• Like lotion and hair mask. It strengthens the roots well, eliminates dandruff, increased fat content. Pure juice is rubbed into the scalp and hair. Also, masks are made from it with the addition of castor oil and honey.
• For skin problems. Undiluted juice wipe the skin in the morning and evening with furunculosis, acne, age spots, lichen.
• Reception inside. For skin diseases, it is used not only externally, but also internally. Birch sap acts as a blood purifier, helps with furunculosis, acne, acne, eliminates the cause of the disease "from the inside".
• cosmetic ice. In addition to lotions and masks, cosmetic ice from birch sap is used. To do this, it is poured into small molds, frozen, rubbed daily with pieces of ice.

What are the main medicinal properties of birch sap? First of all, it is a mild diuretic and choleretic agent. Also, the drink has a tonic, blood-purifying, tonic, antiseptic properties. It is used to treat skin diseases, metabolic disorders, anemia, vitamin deficiency, intoxication, and is actively used in cosmetology.

While snow is lying around and snowstorms are noisy, but soon the sun will begin to warm up, thawed patches will appear and it will be time to collect birch sap. Since ancient times, birch sap has been collected in spring. Why is he so useful? And how to assemble it correctly?

Collecting birch sap is not an easy task, requiring certain knowledge, experience and skill.

The best time to collect juice is from mid-March, when the snow has not yet left the ground, and until the beginning of May, when the buds begin to swell on the birch and the first leaves bloom. During this period of time, the movement of juice in the tree trunk is considered the most active. Usually, from 2 to 5 liters of juice can be collected from one adult tree.

Knowledgeable people say that if there is still snow in the forest, but the circles around the trees have already melted, then it's time to go for the juice!

You need to choose a tree located away from highways and industrial enterprises.

After they decide on the object from which the juice will be extracted, a hole is drilled in its bark (preferably from the south side) to a depth of 3 cm and at a height of no more than 0.5 m from the ground. A plastic tube or a small groove is inserted into this hole, through which the juice will flow. Below is a collection container.

When the sap is collected, it is very important to seal the remaining hole with wax to prevent dehydration and drying of the tree.

It is advisable to collect all the juice not from one tree, but to distribute the collection (1-1.5 liters each) from different trees. Thus, a healing drink can be obtained in the required volume, and not harm the trees.

Fresh birch sap is perfectly stored in the refrigerator for no more than three days. In the future, it is recommended to preserve and pour into small containers. Also, this healing drink perfectly retains all its properties even when frozen.

Juice Harvest Video

Beneficial features

Birch sap is undoubtedly a very tasty and healthy drink. In the heat, it replenishes the loss of moisture and perfectly quenches thirst, replenishes the composition of minerals that the body loses with sweat.

The composition of birch sap can be called unique. Its sweet taste is provided by the content of vegetable sugar fructose, the content of which reaches 2%. This drink is refreshing and low-calorie, the calorie content is only 8 kcal.

Also, birch sap contains a lot of useful substances:

• trace elements (manganese, potassium, iron, magnesium, silicon, etc.)
• vitamins (especially large amounts of vitamin C);
• tannins;
• essential oils
• phytoncides;
• saponins.

Saponins provide a lot of useful properties of birch sap. They are organic substances of natural origin that have surface activity, form stable thick foam when agitated, have hemolytic activity, and are also capable of binding cholesterol. In this regard, they are widely used to treat many diseases.

Birch sap can be consumed both in pure form and mixed with other drinks. From it you can make excellent, healthy and thirst-quenching birch kvass in the heat by adding lemon peel and raisins to the juice.

It is known that birch sap speeds up metabolism, removes toxins and carcinogens from the body.

Medicinal properties of juice

This healing natural drink helps to cope with many ailments:

1. With urolithiasis helps break down stones in the kidneys and ureters. But we must remember that the juice has a diuretic effect, and therefore, without consulting a doctor, you should not take it with urolithiasis.
2. Promotes healing ulcerative and erosive lesions of the gastrointestinal tract.
3. Accelerates the motility of the digestive tract, contributing to elimination of constipation.
4. It has anti-inflammatory properties and is used to treat pharyngitis, angina. It is enough to gargle with juice several times a day.
5. For treatment bronchitis birch sap should be slightly warmed up, mixed with starch and milk, and taken 2 times a day in a glass.
6. Useful with blood diseases anemia, etc.)
7. Promotes regeneration of skin lesions. It also treats many skin diseases (boils, eczema, etc.)
8. Fights great colds.
9. Helps overcome headache.
10. Eliminates avitaminosis and helps with spring depression.
11. Increases the body's defenses in the fight against viral and bacterial infections.
12. Has excellent cleansing properties. Every morning before breakfast, it is recommended to drink a glass of pure fresh birch sap for a month.
13. Used in the composition for weight loss as part of hypocaloric diets.

Birch sap for beauty

Birch sap has found its application in cosmetology. It is known to actively fight the signs of skin aging. To do this, it is used as part of various masks.

Different ways to collect juice

Mask for problem skin

Also, the juice is very effective in the fight against acne as part of a special mask. For its preparation, birch sap, egg white and honey are used. To keep the masks longer, you can freeze them in the refrigerator, and then rub the skin daily with the resulting ice cubes.

To strengthen hair

The positive effect of birch sap on the hair and scalp was noted. It helps to strengthen and increase the elasticity of the hair, and also has a beneficial effect on the condition of the scalp, normalizing its fat content and helps get rid of dandruff. To do this, after washing your hair, it is recommended to rinse them with birch sap.

From dandruff

To get rid of dandruff, it is advisable to use a lotion made from birch sap and honey. For hair loss, use a lotion of birch sap, decoction of burdock and a small amount of cognac. This composition is rubbed into the hair roots, and left for 20 minutes. Then everything is thoroughly washed off with warm water.

Contraindications

But despite the mass of positive and beneficial properties of birch sap, the use of this drink can have an ambiguous effect on the body. First of all, it depends on the human body itself, on its individual characteristics. First of all, we are talking about an allergic mood. When consumed, this drink can cause individual intolerance and an allergic reaction. Therefore, you need to drink juice very carefully, trying it first in the form of a very small portion.

It is also worth being careful for people with exacerbation of gastric ulcer and urolithiasis.

In total, the negative impact of birch sap on the body is regarded as very weak.

But it can cause undoubted harm if it is collected from trees growing in unfavorable ecological regions (near highways and factories). In this case, the juice may include all kinds of toxins and salts of heavy metals.

You also need to be wary of birch sap offered in stores. It may have an unnatural composition, include enhancers, flavor substitutes and preservatives.

How to preserve birch

A person will get much more benefit and pleasure if he collects natural birch sap on his own, and at the same time, once again communicates with nature and breathes fresh air!