Are you interested to know what are the health benefits of birch sap, how to harvest birch sap, and how to use birch sap in home remedies? Continue reading the article and discover everything there is to know about birch sap.
In Eastern Slavic mythology, birch was considered a sacred tree due to its beauty and outstanding medicinal uses. For hundreds of years, Russian peasants have been using it as a cure for many diseases, using both its buds and inflorescences, as well as its leaves and sap. Birch sap is a unique natural therapeutic product. Due to its rich content in sugars, vitamins B6 and B12, trace elements, active substances, and minerals such as iron, calcium, and potassium, birch sap is an excellent tonic and detoxifier. Before we move to the health benefits of birch sap, let’s see what birch sap actually is and how to tap it.
In This Article You Will Find:
What is Birch Sap?
Birch sap is the “juice” inside the birch trunk that helps the tree come back to life for the warm season ahead. It is made of the starch reserves deposited over the winter in the roots and the trunk of the tree, that turn into sugar and dissolve in the water inside the trunk. This is why birch sap is mildly sweet in taste and crystal clear in color.
When to Tap and Collect Birch Sap?
Birch sap is set in motion during March, after the first thaw, when the snow begins to melt and the birch’s roots are “invaded” by life-giving water. The birch sap climbs all the way up from the roots to the branches, feeding the tree and getting it ready for new life. It continues to flow through the tree until the end of April when the first leaves appear. Birch sap is collected from late March and early April until the end of May.
How to Collect Birch Sap?
To collect birch sap, drill 4-8 cm deep in the trunk or, better, vigorous young branches, of the birch tree. When you see a clear liquid begins to flow, you know that the drill is enough. Use a small plastic hose or tubbing to direct the birch sap into a bottle. Tie the bottle around the tree to secure it in place while the birch sap is collected. Depending on the flow, it usually takes a few hours to fill up a 1/2 l bottle. Do this only with mature birch trees (20-30 cm in diameter), and leave the young ones be.
Very important! After collecting 250-500 ml of sap (1-2 cups), immediately plug the hole with resin or a small branch to stop the leakage, which would otherwise affect the vitality of the tree. Extract a maximum of two l in total from a single birch to prevent them from drying out and eventually dying.
How to Use Birch Sap for Health Uses
Immediately after the start of the sap of the tree, in March-April, drink a glass of fresh birch sap, four times a day. Important: drink the juice at a temperature of 35 degrees C and follow the treatment for at least 45 days, while the birch sap season lasts. Now that you know how to tap and collect birch sap, let’s see what are the most important health benefits of birch sap.
10 Health Benefits of Birch Sap with Use
1. Atherosclerosis
Drink a glass of birch sap, half an hour before the main meals, for a month and a half. Pause for two weeks and resume the treatment if needed. Birch sap helps cleanse the blood vessels of cholesterol, uric acid, and other residual substances. This is one of the main health benefits of birch sap.
2. Chronic Pancreatitis & Hepatitis
Another one of the top health benefits of birch sap is that it aids in chronic pancreatitis and chronic hepatitis. Here is how you can use it as a home remedy for these conditions. Pour 1.5 l of birch sap over 1 cup of washed oats in an enameled pot and keep in the fridge overnight. Next morning, bring to a boil over very low heat until the quantity is reduced by half. After cooling, strain and drink 100-150 milliliters (1/2 cup), half an hour before each meal.
3. Hypotension
Squeeze the juice of 6 lemons in a glass container and add a liter of birch sap on top. Place the bowl in the refrigerator for 36 hours. Then add half a kilogram of honey, mix well, and put back in the refrigerator for another 36 hours. Have 50 mg, half an hour before the main meals. Follow this treatment for hypotension during spring, for two months.
4. Viral Infections
One of the most important health benefits of birch sap is that it fights viral loads and infections. To make it even more powerful, add 1 tbsp of chopped calamus root to 3 cups of birch sap. Boil for 15 minutes, then take off the heat and cover with a towel to cool down gently. Strain and drink 1 cup before the meal, in total 3 cups a day. Sweeten with honey if you please.
5. Vitamins and Minerals Depletion
To replenish your body with much-needed vitamins and minerals follow a 3-day cure with birch sap. Drink one cup of this healing sap one hour before breakfast and another one before lunch. This is one of the main health benefits of birch sap.
6. Springtime Lethargy
Another one of the top health benefits of birch sap is that it helps invigorate the body and fight off symptoms related to springtime lethargy. Drink two glasses of birch sap daily. It has a strong refreshing effect, and it helps restore the physical and mental tone.
7. Kidney Stones & Colic
Birch sap also has very positive results in dissolving kidney stones, stimulating kidney activity, and thus diuresis. All you have to do to make the most of these health benefits of birch sap is drink up to 600 ml of fresh birch sap in the morning (between 8 am and 12 pm), for cures of at least 5 days.
8. Chronic Intoxications
Follow a one-week cure with birch sap, by drinking half a liter of sap a day, preferably in the morning, on an empty stomach. The procedure is also recommended, at the beginning of spring, for people suffering from gout, rheumatism, various dermatoses, and putrefaction colitis. This is one of the most important health benefits of birch sap.
9. Healthy Hair
In addition to the health benefits of birch sap for human health, there are also some beauty uses of birch sap. After washing the hair with a natural shampoo, rinse it with birch sap to strengthen the root, thicken the hair and remove excess sebum. Massage the scalp gently immediately after rinsing with birch sap for 5-10 minutes, then rinse again with water.
10. Cellulite & Weight Loss
Amongst the most important health benefits of birch sap is that it eliminates excess water, and toxins, stimulates digestion and intensifies metabolism. It helps reduce fat deposits, and also reduces cellulite and, in some mild cases, even makes it disappear completely. Drink one liter of birch sap per day for at least three weeks, portioned in between meals. In parallel, drink more water – at least 2.5 liters a day – and reduce the consumption of meat, sugar, and sugary products, foods that are too salty or very high in fat.
There Are More Health Benefits of Birch Sap
In the old Slavic medical texts books, it is mentioned that birch sap helps treat gastric and duodenal ulcers, liver, and gallbladder diseases, and also prevents and cures anemia, gout, and rheumatism, tuberculosis, and headaches. Birch sap has an invigorating effect, increases the body’s resistance to colds and allergies, and is a good diuretic, very beneficial against infections caused by intestinal worms.
Read More about Birch:
9 Health Benefits of Birch Buds with Remedies
9 Health Benefits of Birch Leaves & How to Use
3 Health Benefits of Birch Bark and How to Use
The Healing Trees – Birch Tree for Emotional Detox
Consumed regularly, birch sap helps eliminate kidney stones, purifies the blood, and stimulates metabolism. It is enough to drink a glass of birch sap two or three times a day to feel the fatigue and drowsiness over the winter start to fade out, and your soul getting ready to be reborn.
We hope that you’ve learned something new by the end of this article. If you’ve enjoyed the information here about the top health benefits of birch sap, share it on Facebook and Pinterest. Stay healthy, naturally!