2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38
In winter, those who are familiar with the secrets of traditional medicine collect alder cones. So it is possible not to postpone harvesting seed fruits until the spring months, although this can be done in the spring, at the same time as collecting the bark. But it is impossible to stock up on alder leaves. They should be green and only used fresh. What ailments does this medicinal raw material help with?
Where to look for medicinal alder?
Since ancient times, alder has been revered by our ancestors as a medicinal plant, as well as a building material. Settlements arose not only where water bodies were located, but also in those places where alder thickets were present. It is now a city dweller who is engaged in the procurement of medicinal raw materials or goes to the pharmacy for medicine. And before that everything was at hand - and cones, and bark, and alder leaves. And love for this tree is reflected in folklore.
For medicinal purposes in folk medicine, both black alder (or sticky) and gray alder are used. The plant develops in the form of a tree or bush. Black alder is more common than its gray relative. It is a large tree, up to 25 m tall. The plant got its name from the peculiarity of the leaves - while they are young, the leaf plate remains sticky. Having aged, the surface of the leaves becomes glossy and shiny and acquires a bright green tint. In addition, sticky alder can be distinguished by the characteristic shade of its bark. Young trees have a gray-brown hue, and mature plants darken over the years, becoming almost black. You can find black alder in places with high humidity - near swamps, on the banks of rivers.
Gray alder grows more slowly than black alder and is approximately 5-15 m tall. It is not as common as sticky alder, it loves moist forests and the banks of water bodies, it is common in forests and ravines, near springs. But in those areas where there is a lot of black soil, it is rarely found. A characteristic feature of gray alder is a silvery-gray bark with a slight sheen. Its leaves, unlike a close relative, have a pointed shape and are not sticky. The leaf plate has a smooth surface on top, and the back side is strewn with fine hairs. For medical purposes, more gray alder is harvested.
Alder cones recipes
Water decoction of gray alder cones helps with pain in the stomach, prolonged diarrhea. It is also used to treat dysentery. To do this, take 1 liter of water for 50 g of raw materials and bring to a boil. Drink the broth hot, the dosage is 3 glasses a day. For the same purpose, another medicine is being prepared. According to the recipe, you will need 3 tables. l. seed fruit for 0.5 liters of boiling water. The boiled cones are left on low heat for 20 minutes. Then the stove is turned off and the volume of the drug obtained is brought to the original with boiled water. This broth is drunk for 2 tables. l. half an hour before meals 5-6 times a day. The course of treatment in this way for enterocolitis, accompanied by diarrhea, is one and a half to two months.
Alder cones are also used in harvesting. To do this, young seedlings, which were collected even before cracking the bumps, are mixed in equal proportions with crushed roots of Potentilla and stinging nettle. For 1 liter of water, take 50 g of the mixture. The collection is poured with water and left to infuse overnight. And in the morning the infusion is boiled for 10 minutes. And immediately they drink a glass of medicine on an empty stomach. What is left is consumed 4 times during the day.
In addition to gastrointestinal diseases, decoctions of alder cones are used to relieve symptoms of rheumatism, colds, bleeding, burns and dermatitis. They are washed with purulent wounds.
The benefits of fresh leaves
Alder leaves have found their use as a diaphoretic. For this, the patient is laid on a layer of fresh foliage, and covered with it from above, then wrapped in a blanket. This folk remedy is used for such ailments as rheumatism, arthritis, gout. It is suitable for those who have heart disease.
And also fallen alder leaves quickly rot and enrich the soil with nitrogen. It is useful to know about this property for those who are engaged in the maintenance of personal farming.
In the medical literature, one can find a statement that there are no contraindications to the treatment with alder. Nevertheless, before using this or that medicine, it is always better to first consult with a doctor, who will certainly take into account all the nuances of his patient's health. This is especially true for complex fees.
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