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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.

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