Skip to main navigation menu Skip to main content Skip to site footer
Baner text

Vol. 29 No. 4 (2019)

Articles

Birch in folk medicine

DOI: https://doi.org/10.24326/ah.2019.4.1
Submitted: November 21, 2019
Published: 2019-12-29

Abstract

Birch raw materials are easily accessible due to the prevalence of this tree in Poland. This plant delivers many different raw materials used in both folk phytotherapy and conventional phytotherapy. In traditional communities these raw materials were applied in a much wider  range. The aim of this work was to introduce the use of birch raw materials in traditional medicine as the basis for future research on the healing properties of this plant. In this work the use of two commonly used species: silver birch (Betula pendula Roth.) and downy birch (Betula pubescens Ehrh.) was analyzed as they are used to acquire raw materials in Poland. These raw materials were used fresh and dried in the form of infusion, decoction, extract in ethanol or in water in traditional folk medicine of numerous countries of the world. In traditional communities these raw materials have found application in the treatment of many diseases, among which urinary tract diseases, rheumatism, gastrointestinal, dermatological and cardiological diseases, weakness and colds were most often mentioned. These raw materials were used even in the treatment of infectious diseases (dysentery, exanthematous typhus, tuberculosis) and cancers.

References

  1. Achrem-Achremowicz J., 2007. Cytotoksyczność półsyntetycznych pochodnych betuliny. Rozprawa doktorska, Kat. Farmakognozji, Wydz. Farmaceutyczny UJ CM, Kraków.
  2. Agelet A., Vallès J., 2003. Studies on pharmaceutical ethnobotany in the region of Pallars (Pyrenees, Catalonia, Iberian Peninsula). Part II. New or very rare uses of previously known medicinal plants. J. Ethnopharmacol. 84, 211–227.
  3. Bańkowski C., Kuźniewski E., 1980. Ziołolecznictwo ludowe. PWN, Warszawa.
  4. Dajić Stevanović Z., Petrović M., Aćić S., 2004. Ethnobotanical knowledge and traditional use of plants in Serbia in relation to sustainable rural development. W: A. Pieroni, C.L. Quave (red.), Ethnobotany and Biocultural Diversities in the Balkans, 229–252. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-1492-0_12 2014
  5. Eddouks M., Maghrani M., Lemhadri A., Ouahidi M.L., Jouad H., 2002. Ethno-pharmacological survey of medicinal plants used for the treatment of diabetes mellitus, hypertension and cardiac diseases in the south-east region of Morocco (Tafilalet). J. Ethnopharmacol. 82, 97–103.
  6. Fijałkowski D., Chojnacka-Fijałkowska E., 2009. Rośliny lecznicze na Lubelszczyźnie. LTN, Lublin.
  7. Gilca M., Sorin Tiplica G., Salavastru C.M., 2018. Traditional and ethnobotanical dermatology practices in Romania and other Eastern European countries. Clin. Dermatol. 36, 338–352. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clindermatol.2018.03.008.
  8. Hildegarda z Bingen, św., 2014. Physica. Uzdrawiające dzieło stworzenia. Naturalna siła oddziaływania rzeczy. Polskie Centrum św. Hildegardy, Legnica.
  9. Jalali H., Mozaffari Nejad A.S., Ebadi A.G., Laey G., 2009. Ethnobotany and Folk Pharmaceutical Properties of Major Trees or Shrubs in Northeast of Iran. Asian J. Chemistry, 21(7), 5632–5638.
  10. Jarić S., Mitrović M., Pavlović P., 2014. An ethnobotanical and ethnomedicinal study on the use of wild medicinal plants in rural areas of Serbia. W: A. Pieroni, C.L. Quave (red.), Ethnobotany and biocultural diversities in the Balkans. Springer, New York–Heidelberg–Dordrecht–London, 87–112.
  11. Kaczmarczyk P. 2016. Czaga – hubka, herbata, mydło i kadzidło... Panacea 3(56), 13–15.
  12. Kohlmünzer S., 2000. Farmakognozja. Podręcznik dla studentów farmacji. Wyd. Lek. PZWL, Warszawa.
  13. Fiszer A., 2016. Brzoza. W: M. Kujawska, Ł. Łuczaj, J. Sosnowska, P. Klepacki, 2016. Rośliny w wierzeniach i zwyczajach ludowych. Słownik Adama Fischera. Prace Mat. Etnograf. 37, 98–103.
  14. Lamer-Zarawska E., Kowal-Gierczak B., Niedworok J., 2007. Fitoterapia i leki roślinne. PZWL, Warszawa.
  15. Lumpert M., Kreft S., 2017. Folk use of medicinal plants in Karst and Gorjanci, Slovenia. J. Ethnobiol. Ethnomed., 13, #16. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13002-017-0144-0
  16. Marc E.B., Nelly A., Annick D.D., Frederic D., 2008. Plants used as remedies antirheumatic and antineuralgic in the traditional medicine of Lebanon. J. Ethnopharmacol. 120, 315–334. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jep.2008.08.024.
  17. Marczewska M., 2002. Drzewa w języku i kulturze. Wyd. Akademii Świętokrzyskiej, Kielce.
  18. Mustafa B., Hajdari A., Krasniqi F., Hoxha E., Ademi H., Quave C.L., Pieroni A., 2012. Medical ethnobotany of the Albanian Alps in Kosovo. J. Ethnobiol. Ethnomed. 8, #6.https://doi.org/10.1186/1746-4269-8-6
  19. Mustafa B., Hajdari A., Pieroni A., Pulaj B., Koro X., Quave C.L., 2015. A cross-cultural comparison of folk plant uses among Albanians, Bosniaks, Gorani and Turks living in south Kosovo. J. Ethnobiol. Ethnomed. 11, 1–26. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13002-015-0023-5
  20. Ożarowski A. (red.), 1982. Ziołolecznictwo. Poradnik dla lekarzy. PZWL, Warszawa.
  21. Paluch A., 1984. Świat roślin w tradycyjnych praktykach leczniczych wsi polskiej. Wyd. UW, Wrocław.
  22. Papp N., Bartha S., Boris G., Balogh L., 2011. Traditional uses of medicinal plants for respiratory diseases in Transylvania. Nat. Product Commun. 6(10), 1459–1460.
  23. Papp N., Birkás-Frendlb K., Bencsika T., Stranczingerc S., Czégényid D., 2014a. Survey of traditional beliefs in the Hungarian. Rev. Bras. Farmacogn. 24, 141–152. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bjp.2014.03.005
  24. Papp N., Czégényi D., Hegedűs A., Morschhauser T., Quave C.L., Cianfaglione K., Pieroni, A., 2014b. The uses of Betula pendula Roth among Hungarian Csángós and Székelys in Transylvania, Romania. Acta Soc. Bot. Pol. 83, 113–122. https://doi.org/10.5586/asbp.2014.011
  25. Pietraszewska O., 2015. Dziegieć w kosmetykach – fakty i mity, www.triny.pl, https://triny.pl/blog/dziegiec-brzozowy-zapomnij-o-zapachu-i-sprawdz-jego-dzialanie/ [dostęp: 6.06.2018].
  26. Pranskuniene Z., Dauliute R., Pranskunas A., Bernatoniene J., 2018. Ethnopharmaceutical knowledge in Samogitia region of Lithuania: where old traditions overlap with modern medicine. J. Ethnobiol. Ethnomed. 14, 70. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13002-018-0268-x
  27. Rastogi S., Pandey M., Rawat A., 2015. Medicinal plants of the genus Betula – Traditional uses and a phytochemical pharmacological review. J. Ethnopharmacol. 159, 62–83. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jep.2014.11.010
  28. Rocznik Statystyczny Leśnictwa, 2018. GUS, Warszawa.
  29. Sak K., Jürisoo K., Raal A., 2014. Estonian folk traditional experiences on natural anticancer remedies: From past to the future. Pharm. Biol., 52(7), 855–866. https://doi.org/10.3109/13880209.2013.871641
  30. Šarić-Kundalić B., Dobeš C., Klatte-Asselmeyer V., Saukel J., 2010. Ethnobotanical study on medicinal use of wild and cultivated plants in middle, south and west Bosnia and Herzegovina. J. Ethnopharmacol. 131, 33–55. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jep.2010.05.061
  31. Šarić-Kundalić B., Dobeš C., Klatte-Asselmeyer V., Saukel J., 2011. Ethnobotanical survey of traditionally used plants in human therapy of east-north and north-east Bosnia and Herzegovina. J. Ethnopharmacol. 133, 1051–1076. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jep.2010.11.033
  32. Sezik E., Yesilada E., Shadidoyatov H., Kulivey Z., Nigmatullaev A.M., Aripov H.N.,Takaishi Y., Takeda Y., Honda G., 2004. Folk medicine in Uzbekistan. I. Toshkent, Djizzax, and Samarqand provinces. J. Ethnopharmacol. 92, 197–207. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jep.2004.02.016
  33. Sõukand R., Pieroni A., 2016. The importance of a border: medical, veterinary, and wild food ethnobotany of the Hutsuls living on the Romanian and Ukrainian sides of Bukovina. J. Ethnopharmacol. 185, 17–40. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jep.2016.03.009
  34. Stryamets N., Elbakidze M., Ceuterick M., Angelstam P., Axelsson R., 2015. From economic survival to recreation: contemporary uses of wild food and medicine in rural Sweden, Ukraine and NW Russia. J. Ethnobiol. Ethnomed. 11, 53. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13002-015-0036-0
  35. Szczepkowski A., Piętka J., Grzywacz A., 2013. Biologia i właściwości lecznicze błyskoporka podkorowego Inonotus obliquus (Fr.) Pilát. Sylwan 157(3), 223−233.
  36. Tylkowa D., 1989. Medycyna ludowa w kulturze wsi Karpat Polskich. Tradycja i współczesność. Biblioteka Etnografii Polskiej, 42.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Most read articles by the same author(s)

<< < 1 2 

Similar Articles

1 2 3 > >> 

You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.