BETULLA: what does it look like and what are its properties?

BETULLA: what does it look like and what are its properties?

How much do you know about birch? Let’s look together at some interesting facts about a plant that is as aesthetically beautiful as it is rich in beneficial properties!

Let’s get to know the birch tree!

When it comes to plants usually one question immediately arises: how do I recognize them? In fact, plants often look very similar, and for the non-expert it really becomes an epic feat to be able to tell them apart! Just in this regard–do you know what a birch tree looks like? It is actually very easy to recognize it, and no doubt you have seen one before! In fact, the birch tree is that tree characterized by its smooth white bark with dark fissures along the trunk: it is therefore an elegant-looking and extremely recognizable plant! It is most common in the temperate and Arctic areas of the Northern Hemisphere. In Italy we find it mainly in mountain and subalpine areas, sometimes descending to the Po Valley and the prealpine zone. Fun fact: Did you know that the birch tree is capable of reaching considerable heights, even reaching over 20 meters tall? All right, now you will surely be able to recognize a birch tree! The time has come to ask you another question: did you know that birch is traditionally known for its beneficial properties? Let’s go and see why!

Birch leaves: composition and beneficial properties

The main constituents of birch leaves are definitely flavonoids, especially hyperoside, and essential oil. Other relevant compounds include tannins, vitamin C, triterpene alcohols, and saponins. These compounds (particularly saponins and flavonic glycosides) give birch leaves a significant draining effect, which occurs directly on the renal epithelium and does not result in excessive loss of mineral salts. In fact, birch is known for its aquaretic function, where aquaretic precisely means a substance that facilitates renal elimination of water but without completely eliminating mineral salts and thus without altering the body’s electrolyte balance! This action makes birch leaves potentially very useful in promoting urinary tract wellness and fighting water retention! Speaking of water retention–we have already covered the topic of nature’s products that can help counteract it! If you missed the article, you can find it here. Several extracts of this plant also show anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and antibacterial activity, mainly due to its high polyphenol and tannin content. Birch is also able to exert beneficial effects on lipid and cholesterol metabolism by increasing bile fluidity and promoting physiological control of blood cholesterol!

Birch sap: what is it and how can it promote our well-being?

From the trunk of our beloved birch tree sap can be extracted. Do you have any idea how the sap extraction process works? First, it is practiced in late winter, thus around the first days of March, taking care to collect sap from adult birch trees growing in wooded areas. Fun fact: The amount of sap collected is greater when the plants grow at relatively high altitudes and when the incised birches are medium-sized! The sap is extracted by drilling holes in the trunk of the plants, approximately one meter above the ground; inside the holes are placed small tubes in which the sap will flow, thus reaching special collection vessels placed on the ground. After that, the sap is transported inside refrigerated trucks to specially equipped laboratories, where it is processed so that it can later be used for various purposes. How can we find it commercially? Birch sap can be taken pure or it can be used as a raw material for the production of dietary supplements and commercially available products and beverages. What is its composition and what are its properties? Like the leaves, the sap also contains many compounds that determine its potential and beneficial actions: these include numerous mineral salts, particularly potassium, calcium, magnesium, manganese, chromium, and selenium, vitamin C, several amino acids, sugars, malic acid, and heterosides (such as betuloside and monotropitoside). How is birch sap able to promote the well-being of our body? Due to the compounds it contains and particularly its high potassium content, birch sap can boast remarkable draining properties! In addition, heterosides are ascribed anti-inflammatory properties. Because of these actions, birch sap can prove to be a valuable aid in combating ailments such as water retention! To conclude… Now when you encounter birch forests on your way, in addition to admiring them (and finally being able to recognize them!!) you can also brag about knowing what their fabulous properties are! What is the next plant you would like to talk about?