Betula populifolia (Gray Birch) has been naturalized here.
Of these, four varieties grow in my aera: Betula alleghaniensis (Yellow Birch), Betula cordifolia (Mountain Paper Birch), Betula lenta (Sweet Birch, Black Birch, Cherry Birch), Betula nigra (River Birch)
Birch has long use both in herbal medicine and as a beverage. The tips of birch twigs and the bark can be gathered in the spring and used to make Birch Beer, that was very popular in early America. It has a wintergreen-like flavor. Birch can also be tapped like Maple, to gather the sweet sap as it rises. This quality made Birch a veritable beer plant, as it supplied its own water, sugar and flavoring. All that was needed to turn it into beer was yeast, and wild yeasts are not only in the air, but would be on the birch twigs themselves. In a time when clean, drinkable water was scarce, such low alcohol beers and wines were essential to survival.
Bark, leaves, twigs, buds and shoots of Birch are used medicinally. Birch is anti-inflammatory and helps break a fever. It stimulates bile. The bark is astringent. The sap is diuretic. The shoots are laxative. Birch has been used for fevers and colds, as an aid in digestion, for skin conditions such as eczema and psoriasis, rheumatism and arthritis, gout, fluid retention, kidney stones, wounds and sores.
Gerard wrote of Birch:
Concerning the medicinable use of the Birch tree, or his parts, there is nothing extant either in the old or new writers.
This tree, saith Pliny in his 16th book, 18th chapter, Mirabili candore & tenuitate terribilis magistratum virgis:["Wonderfully white, and striking fear as the flogging-canes of the magistrates"] for in times past the magistrates' rods were made hereof: and in our time also the schoolmasters and parents do terrify their children with rods made of Birch.
It serveth well to the decking up of houses, and banquetting rooms, for places of pleasure, and beautifying of streets in the cross or gang week, and such like.
Culpepper, in his unique style said:
Government and virtues. It is a tree of Venus, the juice of the leaves, while they are young, or the distilled water of them, or the water that comes from the tree being bored with an auger, and distilled afterwards; any of these being drank for some days together, is available to break the stone in the kidneys and bladder and is good also to wash sore mouths.
Mrs. Grieves tells us:
Various parts of the tree have been applied to medicinal uses. The young shoots and leaves secrete a resinous substance having acid properties, which, combined with alkalies, is said to be a tonic laxative. The leaves have a peculiar, aromatic, agreeable odour and a bitter taste, and have been employed in the form of infusion (Birch Tea) in gout, rheumatism and dropsy, and recommended as a reliable solvent of stone in the kidneys. With the bark they resolve and resist putrefaction. A decoction of them is good for bathing skin eruptions, and is serviceable in dropsy.
The oil is astringent, and is mainly employed for its curative effects in skin affections, especially eczema, but is also used for some Internal maladies.
The inner bark is bitter and astringent, and has been used in intermittent fevers.
The vernal sap is diuretic.
Moxa is made from the yellow, fungous excrescences of the wood, which sometimes swell out from the fissures
An Irish herbal states:
The liquid that is drained off this tree in the springtime is good for dispelling urinary disorders, like stones, pains and bleeding. A decoction of the leaves, when drunk, is considered good for scurvy.
Brother Aloysius wrote of Silver Birch:
The bark is bitter and astringent; the leaves are hot, desiccative, solvent, and stimulative to the appetite. It is recommended for dropsy. The decoction of the leaves, bark and thin twigs is ½ to 1 cup per 2 cups water. People who suffer from nerves or dropsy should take 1 to 2 cups per day.
Fr. Künzle wrote of Birch:
The man from icy land particularly liked the birch with its fine, delicate foliage, which playfully
moved in the wind. The Dane explained to him that there are forests full of birch where it is very
healthy to sojourn, the leaves are a delicious medicine for urine ailments, the sap of the tree is a
useful drink against edema…. Continued consumption of birch leaves (Betula alba), boiled with wine, drunk in the morning and evening helps against edema.
… if your rheumatism has not appeared all of a sudden, but has already been there for years, or if you are 60 or more years old yourself, take the full herbal bath on one day, take the juniper on the next day, drink daily tea from birch leaves, Meadowsweet, Spiny restharrow and Lady’s bedstraw, take a sip about every hour, then you can be cured in three to six weeks, depending on the depth and length of your illness. I have seen 70-year-old people suffering and distorted from gout got cured after having undergone this treatment in the spa building “Wangs” near Sargans (Switzerland).
Jolanta Wittib wrote in her commentary on Fr. Künzle’s book:
I love birch trees. They are so beautiful with their white trunks and the shade they cast is light,
shivering of the leaves in the light breeze on a hot summer day. It is a very robust tree. A
pioneer tree - one of the first ones to start growing after avalanches, mud slides, volcano
eruptions. Birch is so generous and we are given so much from the birch: sap, buds, leaves. Sap is my favorite. Every second spring I am waiting for that moment, when I can drill a small hole into the body of my birch, insert a straw into it and then enjoy the sap - cold, slightly sweet. I take a few Liters from the tree during a period of 5-7 days and then I close the hole, so that the leaves have enough water and minerals.
My day’s portion is about 50 Grams on an empty stomach as I want to get the most of it. The
rest I keep in the fridge. It would stay fresh for a day, but then it starts fermenting. I freeze the
rest - it will be for the next year, when I do not exploit my tree.
I use birch water for boosting my immune system, for more energy, which I sometimes lack in
spring. Birch water has many useful minerals. It is also used for the skin and hair. Every man in
German speaking countries would know birch water against hair loss and dandruff.
I collect birch buds round the same time, when I enjoy sap. The right time is when the tops of
the buds turn green. I cut a few twigs, dry them, brush off the buds, powder them in a coffee
grinder and store them in a jar. The powdered buds land on my salad, soup, on bread or are
added to my morning herbal infusion. I use the buds for strengthening my immune system, for
detoxification.
And then come the soft spring leaves. They are part of my salad, or I just eat a few leaves now
and then when I pass a birch tree.
Towards summer, I collect birch leaves - the young and healthy ones. These I dry for my detox
mixtures (they are mild diuretic) and for anti-inflammatory mixtures. And then I leave my birch
in peace, until next spring.
The Thomsonian System of Medicine states of Black Birch:
BLACK BIRCH BARK. Betula Lenta. (Dr. Thomson.)
A tea made of this bark is useful in curing all complaints of the bowels and to remove obstructions. It is also of use in dysentery. This tea, with peach meats or cherry-stone meats, made into a syrup, is an excellent article to restore patients after having been reduced by that disease, and to promote the digestion. It is good for canker and all complaints of the bowels.
The leaves can also be used as medicine and are more diuretic and are very soothing to the entire urinary apparata in cases of renal and cystic irritation or inflammation. The dose of the tincture is from 15 to 45 minims. Can be taken in hot or cold water. In hot water it acts the same as an infusion and is a diaphoretic.
King's American Dispensatory, 1898 tells us of Birch:
Action, Medical Uses, and Dosage.—Gently stimulant, diaphoretic, and astringent. Used in warm infusion wherever a stimulating diaphoretic is required; also in diarrhoea, dysentery, cholera infantum, etc. In decoction or syrup it forms an excellent tonic to restore the tone of the bowels, after an attack of dysentery. Said to have been used in gravel and female obstructions. Oil of birch will produce a drunken stupor, vomiting, and death. It has been used in gonorrhoea, rheumatism, and chronic skin diseases. Dose, 5 to 10 drops.
Native Plants, Native Healing states:
The same chemical actions are found in white, black, sweet or river birch trees. It has layers of bark that resemble the skin, but it is the inner bark that is medicinal. It is best gathered in the wintertime, when the sap is flowing and the bark is thicker. There is less chance at this time of the bark having insect or fungal damage. As with other barks, it is best gathered when the first days of 40 degrees F or higher weather makes the sap rise. This timing varies according to droughts and is dependent on water levels and also the phases of the moon. The bark comes off easier if there is a full moon, or close to the full moon as the moon is coming up.
This signature of this plant is the skin like payers of the bark. This shows that the tea made from the inner bark is good for skin problems. The oils found in birch bark are very similar to those found in human skin. This makes it very soothing to rough, itchy and sensitive skin, when made into a water-based wash. It is used externally to ease skin problems.
The birch water is used as a skin wash for any type of rash, dermatitis, insect bite or sting. It is also used as a wash for sunburn and hemorrhoids. It is good for cradle cap in children or dandruff and scaly scalp of any kind. It is also useful for dogs with mange or dry skin problems, and sebaceous adenitis symptoms of itching, and rough scaly skin, even resulting in hair loss. The water can be used… as an aftershave… It is used on elderly people who develop thing, paper-like skin. It is used once a month on invalids and the elderly as a preventative to keep the skin toned. It can be used for poison ivy and other itchy rashes.
The leaves and bark are made into a tea together. …This tea is used internally, in 1 cup doses as a mild calmative and diuretic. It is used to induce sleep and calm stress, and is very good during menses and for PMS. The tea is also taken to calm the lower back nerves during bouts of sciatica.
A mixture of sassafras, ginseng and birch is used for muscle regrowth, even where the muscle has been severed.
Plants for A Future lists Birch as:
Anti-inflammatory, cholagogue, diaphoretic. The bark is diuretic and laxative. An oil obtained from the inner bark is astringent and is used in the treatment of various skin afflictions, especially eczema and psoriasis. The bark is usually obtained from trees that have been felled for timber and can be distilled at any time of the year. The inner bark is bitter and astringent, it is used in treating intermittent fevers. The vernal sap is diuretic. The buds are balsamic. The young shoots and leaves secrete a resinous substance which has acid properties, when combined with alkalis it is a tonic laxative. The leaves are anticholesterolemic and diuretic. They also contain phytosides, which are effective germicides. An infusion of the leaves is used in the treatment of gout, dropsy and rheumatism, and is recommended as a reliable solvent of kidney stones. The young leaves and leaf buds are harvested in the spring and dried for later use. A decoction of the leaves and bark is used for bathing skin eruptions.
The Rodale Herb book states:
Beer is often made from the sap of sweet birch. A type of oil of wintergreen is distilled from the inner bark and twigs. It is also used for remedies to purify the blood, rheumatism and to expel worms. Applied externally, it is useful for boils and sores.
Rodale’s Illustrated Encyclopedia of Herbs states:
Birch contains methyl salicylate, which has counter irritant and analgesic properties. Thus there may be some validity to the folk medicine use of birch to relieve the ache of rheumatism. Try making a tea from the leaves or a decoction of the bark and catkins to apply externally. The skin absorbs methyl salicylate. A poultice can also be used on skin irritations and minor wounds.
Amy Stewart writes of Birch in The Drunken Botanist:
Starting in the early 17th century, several scientists wrote of the use of birch sap in medicinal, or purely recreational, liquors. Flemish physician Johannes Baptista van Helmont wrote that birch sap could be collected in the spring and poured “into the Ale, after the greatest settlement of its boiling or working… He recommended this naturally fermented sap as a treatment for ailments of the kidneys, urinary tract and bowels.
Euell Gibbons gives us a recipe for Birch Beer in his classic work, Stalking The Wild Asparagus:
Measure 4 quarts of finely cut twigs of sweet birch into the bottom of a 5 gallon pot. In a large kettle stir in one gallon of honey into 4 gallons of birch sap and boil this mixture for 1o minutes, then pour over the chopped twigs. When cool, strain to remove the now expended twigs and return the liquid to the crock. Spread 1 cake of soft yeast on a slice of toasted rye bread and float this on top of the beer. Cover with a cloth and let it ferment until the cloudiness just starts to settle. This will usually take about a week, but it depends somewhat on the temperature. Bottle the beer and cap it tightly. Store in a dark place, and serve it cold before meals after the weather gets hot. It has a reputation for stimulating the appetite. More than a glass or two at a time is likely to stimulate other things, for this beer has a kick like a mule.
Gibbons’ Birch beer is a traditional and rustic recipe. You may wish to experiment with more modern brewing techniques such as specific yeasts and fermentation air locks to ensure the beer does not spoil. Traditional “soft drink” techniques can also be used to make a naturally fermented carbonated beverage that has only tiny amounts of alcohol. However, the higher alcohol, traditional Birch beer may be stronger medicinally. Either way, it is a very pleasant way to take your medicinal herbs and a fine reason to toast, “To your health!”
Sacred and Healing Herbal Beers tells us about Birch:
Methyl salicylate, the main active constituent of birch sap and the herb wintergreen, has the delicious and easily recognizable taste we call “wintergreen.” Methyl salicylate is similar to aspirin. It is strongly analgesic and anti-inflammatory, being therefore of use in decoction for treating arthritic and rheumatic conditions.
Peterson Field Guides Eastern and Central Medicinal Plants tells us :
Black Birch: our most fragrant Birch was widely used by American Indians, inner bark tea for fevers, stomach aches, lung ailments, twig tea for fever. Essential oil methyl salicylate distilled from bark was used for rheumatism, gout, scrofula, bladder infection, neuralgia; anti-inflammatory, analgesic. To alleviate pain or sore muscles, the oil has been applied as a counter irritant. Essential oil was formerly produced in Appalachia, But now methyl salicylate is produced synthetically using menthol as the precursor. Warning: essential oil toxic. Easily absorbed through the skin period. Fatalities reported
Botany In a Day states:
A tea of the leaves or twigs can be used externally as an astringent wash, or internally for diarrhea or boils. A tea of the twigs is also somewhat anthelmintic. The birches also contained some amount of methyl salicylate oil (like willow and aspirin) making them both diaphoretic an analgesic. The bark and twigs are chopped, then simmered overnight and distilled; it is commonly substituted for Wintergreen oil. A strong tea of the bark or leaves can be used externally as a wash for Poison Ivy or acne, or internally as a mild sedative. A compound called betulinic acid, derived from the bark is being tested on some types of skin cancer.
The Physicians Desk Reference for Herbal Medicine tells us:
Affects of birch leaf: Birch leaves have a mild saluretic effect an are anti pyretic. In animal tests, they have shown to increase the amount of urine.
Unproven Uses: The leaves are used in flushing out therapy for bacterial an inflammatory disease of the urinary tract and for kidney gravel. They are also used in adjunct therapy for rheumatoid arthritis, for increasing amount of urine. In folk medicine the leaves are used as a blood purifier, and for gout and rheumatism. Externally the leaves are used for hair loss and dandruff. No health hazards or side effects are known in conjunction with proper administration of designated therapeutic dosages.
This article is an excerpt from The Medicinal Trees of the American South, An Herbalist's Guide: by Judson Carroll
His New book is:
Growing Your Survival Herb Garden for Preppers, Homesteaders and Everyone Else
Read About Growing Your Survival Herb Garden for Preppers, Homesteaders and Everyone Else: http://southernappalachianherbs.blogspot.com/2022/04/growing-your-survival-herb-garden-for.html
Available for purchase on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09X4LYV9R
His other works include:
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Available for purchase on Amazon: www.amazon.com/dp/B09V3WCJM5
Christian Medicine, History and Practice:
https://southernappalachianherbs.blogspot.com/2022/01/christian-herbal-medicine-history-and.html
Available for purchase on Amazon: www.amazon.com/dp/B09P7RNCTB
Herbal Medicine for Preppers, Homesteaders and Permaculture People
southernappalachianherbs.blogspot.com/2021/10/herbal-medicine-for-preppers.html
Also available on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09HMWXL25
Look Up: The Medicinal Trees of the American South, An Herbalist's Guide
http:///www.amazon.com/dp/1005082936
The Herbs and Weeds of Fr. Johannes Künzle:
https://southernappalachianherbs.blogspot.com/2021/05/announcing-new-book-herbs-and-weeds-of.html
Author: Judson Carroll. Judson Carroll is an Herbalist from the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina.
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Disclaimer
The information on this site is not intended to diagnose or treat any disease or condition. Nothing on this site has been evaluated or approved by the FDA. I am not a doctor. The US government does not recognize the practice of herbal medicine and their is no governing body regulating herbalists. Therefore, I'm just a guy who studies herbs. I am not offering any advice. I won't even claim that anything I write is accurate or true! I can tell you what herbs have "traditionally been used for." I can tell you my own experience and if I believe an herb helped me. I cannot, nor would I tell you to do the same. If you use any herb I, or anyone else, mentions you are treating yourself. You take full responsibility for your health. Humans are individuals and no two are identical. What works for me may not work for you. You may have an allergy, sensitivity or underlying condition that no one else shares and you don't even know about. Be careful with your health. By continuing to read my blog you agree to be responsible for yourself, do your own research, make your own choices and not to blame me for anything, ever.
