In addition to spiritual joy, birch bark, birch gave us another important product, probably known to everyone from childhood - birch sap. Useful properties of birch sap have been known to our ancestors, we will tell about these properties in this article.
In early spring, the birch begins to actively absorb water, which is in excess after the melting of snow. Getting through the root system, the water is enriched almost the entire table of Mendeleev. Of course, the last statement is exaggerated, but birch sap is a unique biological compound rich in vitamins, glucose, various salts and minerals. Juice contains organic acids, enzymes, tannins.
As a rule, the collection of birch sap begins with the appearance of the first heat and the descent of snow, approximately in the second half of March - April. Chemically, it looks like the dissolution in the filtered water of accumulated starch stocks, which turns into sugar and other useful elements. The process of the formation of juice, sometimes popularly called "weeping birch", will continue until the appearance of the first foliage. With the appearance of foliage, the abundance of birch sap is sharply reduced. By the time he becomes turbid and bitter and loses most of the substances and compounds useful to man. "The birch weeping lasts for two to three weeks, depending on the weather conditions.It is noted that if the weather was sunny, then the birch juice will be sweeter.In addition, to get juice it is better to choose trees that grow on the hills and have greater access to the light.
Birch juice, having unique characteristics, has almost no contraindications. Its useful properties allow you to get rid of urinary stones. Birch juice is also recommended for the treatment of stomach ulcers, liver, duodenum, gall bladder, scurvy and many, many other diseases, including chronic ones. Juice, possessing good diuretic properties, removes harmful substances from the body.
Some use birch sap for skin diseases and various inflammatory processes.
The ability of birch sap to improve metabolism, to positively influence the formation of new blood cells is known relatively long ago. More recently, birch juice has also been recommended for people with erection problems, and in the climax period that, in principle, is not surprising, if you carefully read about the properties of the juice. Also, birch sap can act as a biologically active additive, having excellent dietary properties. One glass of juice will save you from irritability, a feeling of fatigue, drowsiness.
The periodic intake of birch juice has a toning and restorative effect. Fresh birch juice helps with beriberi.
In addition to traditional areas of application of birch sap, it is used in cosmetics, and more recently, in the prevention of dental diseases and caries.
Paradoxically, the fact that sweet syrups, obtained from birch sap, can be not only preventive, but also a means that stops the development of caries. Hence the image of the birch, its kidneys on various toothpastes, and dentists recommend birch sap, syrups and lollipops for the prevention of dental disease in children and adolescents.
Birch juice has a sweetish taste, and the syrup from it is obtained by evaporation. Thus, "excess" water evaporates and a thick concentrate remains, which contains up to 60% of sugar. However, this can be called a sugar conditionally. More suitable designation "sugar content". The fact is that the sugar in birch syrup and in the sugar bowl has a completely different structure, the degree of digestibility and "usefulness." A syrup of birch juice has a yellowish tint, and in density it can be compared with flowing honey.
The syrup has a longer shelf life than fresh juice. However, having subjected the juice to minimal processing, it is possible to increase the storage time at times. To do this, the juice is poured over cans (sometimes a little sugar, lemon is added to each jar) and placed in a cool and dark place. Some, at home, add a little aspirin to a can of birch juice. In industrial production, 125 kilograms of sugar and 5.5 kilograms of sugar are added per 1 ton of birch sap. citric acid. After that, they mix, filter, pour into cans, pasteurize and tighten with lids.
But the most useful properties are in fresh birch sap. Freshly picked juice is recommended to be stored in the refrigerator for no more than two days, and take one glass three times a day before meals (15-20 minutes) for at least two weeks.
In principle, the same regimen of juice intake is recommended for other diseases. And if they are accompanied by a high temperature, then the amount of juice used can be increased.
Widespread, both in the food industry and at home, have received blends of birch sap with blueberry, cowberry, and black chokeberry juice. The last mix is the most common. Less often birch sap insists on various herbs (chamomile, thyme, linden flowers, caraway seeds, hips). Sometimes add tinctures of herbs: lemon balm, mint, St. John's wort. And very rare cases of adding birch sap to tinctures on pine needles, cherry juice, apples, currants and other fruits and berries.
A truly popular drink is kvass on birch sap. He could stay in the cellars for a long time and was used on hayfields. Kvass on birch sap has a bitter taste, but it quenches thirst perfectly, for children sugar was added to it, immediately before consumption.
Note that birch juice, which is sold in stores, mainly in three-liter cans, is similar to natural, but does not represent any health value. Preservatives necessary for preserving the juice neutralize and nullify all the useful properties of the juice.
In addition to juice, birch is known to pharmacists as a source of a beneficial effect on the intestinal-digestive tract. This is a birch pollen, which is collected in late April - early May. Birch pollen helps with constipation, diarrhea, general exhaustion and some infectious diseases.
And anyway, the whole birch is used by folk medicine: leaves, bark, kidneys and even outgrowths on birches, called in common parlance "birch fungus".
In this article there are not mentioned a few other useful things that the birch gives us and about which we forget: a broom for a bath and vodka on birch buds.