Birch, birch sap, birch tears - these are the names of the same very valuable drink that has a beneficial effect on the entire human body as a whole.

In birch sap, the content of water with tritium and deuterium is sharply reduced, and it also contains a special liquid that has a certain structure, which is very useful for the human body. This is one of the reasons why birch sap is valuable not only because of its material composition, but because of this particular liquid with a special structure.

This structure is subject to change. And changes begin to occur from the moment the juice is extracted from the birch trunk and after a couple of hours, the structure changes dramatically. That is why it is recommended to use birch sap fresh, it cannot be stored, and even more so canned.

And what a pleasure to savor self-collected birch sap. It has a pleasant refreshing taste, and the drink also strengthens the human body. By the way, birch sap practically does not differ from plain water. This juice has long been valued for its healing properties, because it is the most natural, environmentally friendly, chemical-free drink with a pleasant taste and healing properties.

During the snowmelt period, about a month before the appearance of leaves and flowers, sticky leaves can be seen on the birch. At this time, the movement of sap begins, popularly called the “cry of the birch”. Within 1.5 - 3 weeks you can get this sweetish drink.

Birch sap that you collect in an industrial area or near busy roads will only cause harm. It is also useless to spend money on buying juice in a store; during canning, almost all useful substances are destroyed.

Let's try to figure out how to properly get juice from birch.

A small piece of the outer bark is cut out, cleaned, and then a shallow hole no more than 3–4 cm is made with a brace. A brisk stream will appear almost immediately. Juice can be collected in a container with gauze or a tin chute can be strengthened.

Upon completion of the collection, the incision should be tightly smeared with laundry soap, plasticine or wax. Such measures protect the tree from the penetration of fungi and bacteria. In ancient times, it was believed that juice should be collected in a special birch bark container, in which the juice retains all its beneficial qualities for a longer time. Now for the collection of juice mainly plastic or glass bottles are used.

It is important to be able to properly collect birch sap, while not harming the trees.

First rule.
Birch sap should be collected from trees with a diameter of more than 20 cm. Old trees and young thin birch trees are not suitable for collecting sap.

Second rule.
It is allowed to collect no more than a liter of juice from one birch at a time with an interval of 2 to 3 days. You can punch the bark on a tree with a chisel or a knife, the hole should not be deep. Insert a plastic or metal groove or tube into the resulting slot, through which the juice will flow into a fixed container. Having completed the collection of juice, it is imperative to either close the hole tightly with a piece of moss, or cover it with wax, plasticine or garden pitch.

You can use a more gentle way. A branch is cut off on a knot, on the stump of which you can hang a bottle. Using this method, it is permissible to hang several bottles on one tree at once. The cut branch should be let down a little. For convenience, the branch can be tied to a tree trunk or lower knot.

Remember that in the daytime, when the bright sun shines, the juice runs much faster. Remember this and do not forget to check the filling of the container.

The most favorable period for collecting birch tears is the period from 12 to 18 hours, it is during these hours that the sap movement is the most active.

The number of holes that can be made on the trunk of one tree depends on the diameter. So if the diameter of the birch does not exceed 25 cm, only 1 hole is allowed. With a diameter of 25 to 35 cm - 2, with a diameter of up to 0.4 m, no more than 3 holes can be made, but with a diameter of more than 0.4 m, up to 4 holes can be made.

Tips for collecting birch sap

The period of movement of sap at a birch depends on the weather. If during the March thaws the juice began to flow, then on frosty days its movement may stop for some time. As a rule, the movement of juice begins in the second decade of March, simultaneously with the active melting of snow, and at about the same time the buds swell. The collection of juice is completed when the leaves open, around mid-April.

Only clean forests are suitable for collecting "birch tears", because trees very easily absorb exhaust gases and harmful substances. A tree with a developed lush crown with a diameter of at least 0.2 m is ideal for collecting. A hole intended for collecting juice is usually made at a level of 20 - 25 cm from the ground. No need to make a deep hole, because the movement of juice occurs in the upper layers, located between wood and bark.

Store the collected juice should be no more than 48 hours in the refrigerator. The opinion that birch sap is stored without damage for up to 30 days is erroneous, during this time the juice loses almost all useful substances.

It is worth noting that, like any other juice, it is more useful to use birch juice fresh, within the first 2 hours after collection.

With a careful cut of the bark and layers of wood, little harm is done to the tree.
In the scientific literature, there is no mention of the death of birches due to the collection of sap, even on an industrial scale.

Juice productivity is one of the main indicators of the vital activity of a tree. If the amount of sap became less every year, then we could say that the collection of sap undermines the health of the trees. Over the course of five years, observations of tapping were carried out in the Middle Urals, which showed that juice productivity tends to increase.

Natural birch sap has long been valued by people for its miraculous properties.

Spreading and drooping birches are used to obtain medicines. Leaves, buds, juice, xylitol (sugar substitute), tar obtained by dry distillation of wood, activated carbon are used. All these medicines are widely used in medicine.

Salts, minerals and other biological compounds dissolved in the juice, as a result, form a drug with a fairly wide spectrum of action. Birch sap can contain up to 2% sugar. Birch sap contains various enzymes, plant hormones, tannins, acids, calcium, iron, potassium salts, glucose and phytoncides (substances with antibacterial activity)

Birch sap is an effective remedy in the treatment of stomach, lungs,
liver. Used for sciatica, arthritis, rheumatism. Juice is actively involved
in the destruction of urinary stones and helps to cleanse the body of harmful substances. Along with this, birch tears stimulate metabolism, have regenerating properties and are an excellent diet drink.

Birch sap is used during the treatment of anemia, beriberi, tuberculosis, colds, uterine cancer. In some cases it is acceptable to use
as a diuretic, antihelminthic, for gout, scrofula, some types of edema, for the prevention of caries and other diseases of the oral cavity.

Regular intake of this juice tones and strengthens the human body as a whole. Collected in the spring, birch sap is also used for various kinds of allergic diseases, anemia and scurvy. This juice is especially necessary for people suffering from chronic tonsillitis and tuberculosis.

In the scientific literature there are also references to the antitumor and antioxidant activity of birch sap.

Old recipes have survived to this day, in which birch sap is taken as the basis.

Below are several ways to prepare birch.

1 way

The bark of a large young birch is cut and a transverse hole is made. Next, a splint should be firmly inserted into it, under which a collection container is placed. From a young tree, you can get up to 40 liters of juice.

The collected juice is poured into a container, vodka, port wine, raisins and sugar are added. The contents of the container are thoroughly mixed to dissolve the sugar. The container is carefully closed, and cleaned in a cold place for at least 60 days. After this time, the drink is poured into containers, carefully corked and stored in the cellar, laid on its side.

For 5 liters of collected juice, you need to take 750 ml of port wine, 1/2 liter of vodka, 600 grams of raisins and 1.2 kg of sugar.

2 way

Pour birch sap into a container, and add port wine there, pour sugar and add crushed and seeded pulp and lemon peel. Remove the container in a cold place for a couple of months. After two months, the drink is bottled and stored in the cellar, laying the bottles on their side on the sand. After 3 weeks of such storage, the birch is ready for use. For every 5 liters of birch sap we use 1 liter of port wine, 1.6 kg of sugar and a couple of lemons.

3 way

Birch sap is poured into a container and sugar is poured, mixed thoroughly and boiled until the juice is reduced by 2/3. During the boil, remove the foam. Next, the container is removed from the fire and the resulting liquid is filtered. When the filtered liquid cools down to about 40 degrees, pour in a thick yeast solution, vodka, add lemons, cut into circles and pitted. The container must be full.

The container is left in a warm place for 12 hours, and then taken out to a cold place for 7 weeks. Next, the juice must be filtered again and only after cleaning, pour into champagne bottles. Seal tightly by attaching the cork to the bottle with wire. Bottles should be stored in a cool place.

It will take 5 liters of birch sap, a couple of medium lemons, 1 liter of vodka, about 20-30 grams of yeast and 1.6 kg of sugar.

BIRCH WATER
The collected birch sap is immediately poured into prepared bottles. In each put a few raisins, lemon zest and sugar. The bottles are carefully corked, having strengthened the cork with wire, and stored for 2-3 months in a cool place. An aged drink will foam well. If desired, before use, it is recommended to add sugar or honey.

For ½ liter of birch sap, you need to take ¼ lemon zest, 2 teaspoons of sugar and a few raisins.

VINEGAR based BIRCH JUICE
Birch sap is poured into a container, preferably a barrel, honey and vodka are added. The container is left in a warm place without closing it. After a couple of months, the vinegar will be ready. For 2 liters of birch sap, take 100 ml of vodka and 40 grams of honey.

Kvass from birch tears
The recipe for such kvass allows the juice to be stored for 2-3 months. If the storage conditions are observed, the acidity of kvass increases, while the taste remains at its best.

Juice is poured into glass bottles washed with hot water. And left to ferment. For every 0.5 liters of juice, add 1 tsp. sugar, 2 - 3 pcs. raisins and some lemon zest. The bottles are carefully closed, securing the cork with a bandage or wire. During the fermentation process, the pressure of carbon dioxide inside the bottle is quite high, so do not add more sugar than recommended in the recipe so that the glass does not burst.

After a few days, you will have a highly carbonated drink that tastes good.

Another fairly simple recipe for birch kvass.
An oak barrel is filled with juice, and a bag with heavily toasted crusts of rye bread is placed there. After about 48 hours, the fermentation process begins. Next, berries, cherry leaves, dill stalks or oak bark should be added to the barrel. After 14 days, kvass can be drunk.

Quite often there is such a recipe for kvass. In birch sap heated to 35 ° C, add 20 gr. yeast per liter of juice. The resulting sourdough is left for a couple of days in a cool place. Then the resulting drink is bottled and canned.

Recipe for golden birch kvass
Kvass prepared according to this recipe turns out to be a beautiful golden color, and if you leave the drink to ferment a little, then the kvass will acquire a pleasant aroma and it will be pleasant to pinch your tongue.

Dried apples, dried lemon balm sprigs and roasted barley grains are added to birch sap. The resulting mixture is infused for several days in a cold place, it is advisable to store the finished drink in the cold too.

For 20 liters of birch sap we take about ½ kilogram of barley. The container is removed to the cellar for a week and a half. After this time, you will get an excellent drink that can be stored for up to 6 months in a cool place.

From freshly picked birch sap, try to cook syrup , very tasty and healthy drink. It can be mixed with water or added to tea to taste.

Birch sap is evaporated over low heat. In the finished product, the sugar concentration can reach 70%. The syrup turns out to be quite thick, resembling honey in consistency. Scientists have proven that the use of this syrup prevents and stops the development of caries.

For comparison, Canadian maple sap is 4 times sweeter than birch sap. Therefore, birch syrup is not so common.

You can use a very simple method juice canning . Required: 1 liter of birch sap, 5 gr. citric acid and 125 gr. Sahara. All ingredients are mixed, filtered, poured into prepared containers and pasteurized

When mixing birch sap with the juice of other berries, vegetables and fruits, healthy drinks are obtained. Birch sap is also insisted on thyme leaves, mint, rose hips, linden blossom and lingonberries.

No wonder the birch was revered by the ancient Slavs, they already in those distant times knew the unique healing properties of birch. The Slavs believed that birch is able to take away all ailments and hardships, and in return bring happiness.

After conducting sacred rituals, birch branches and leaves were used as a powerful magical symbol and a talisman at home. It was believed that birch drives away evil spirits and protects against natural disasters.

A few more important tips:

• when choosing a tree, preference should be given to larger birches;
• strengthen the container for collecting juice on the north side of the tree, otherwise the juice will begin to ferment in the sun;
• do not collect juice "to the last". Better collect sap from several trees;
• Please note that there is no anthill under the birch. Otherwise, insects will "capture" your juice ...

Recipes based on birch sap
The best recipe is to do nothing with birch sap. Just immediately after collecting it, drink it until all the beneficial substances contained in it have been destroyed.

birch kvass
In 5 liters of juice, add the juice of 2 lemons, 25 gr. yeast, 20 g of sugar or honey. All ingredients are carefully moved, the drink is bottled. Add a couple of raisins to each bottle. Next, the bottles are tightly closed and sent for storage in the cellar. The drink will be ready in a few days. You can store such kvass for up to 4 months, checking the integrity of the bottle.

Another kvass recipe. Fresh birch sap is poured into containers, having previously placed crusts of rye bread in each. The containers are closed and cleaned in a dark place.

Made from birch sap wine
To do this, take 6 liters of birch sap and 350 grams of sugar, boil over low heat to 5.5 liters. In this case, it is important to constantly remove the foam. Pour 1 liter of white wine into the prepared container, put a couple of slices of lemon and pour birch sap into the same container. The mixture should be cooled to room temperature, add ½ teaspoon of dry yeast and leave for a few days. Next, the container should be carefully closed and removed for another half a month. After 2 weeks the wine will be ready to drink.

Various medicinal drinks are also prepared on the basis of birch sap.

Juice and oat drink
Mix 1.5 cups of juice with 1 cup of well-peeled oats. Leave the mixture for 12 hours in the refrigerator, then bring to a boil over low heat and cook until half boils away. Next, the mixture must be filtered.

The drink is taken before meals, 100 - 150 ml three times a day for 30 days. Such a drink is useful for people suffering from diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, hepatitis and pancreatitis.

Birch-lingonberry drink
Separate the juice of 150 grams of cranberries. The resulting cake is poured with 1 liter of birch sap and boiled over low heat for about 5 minutes. The broth is filtered and cooled to room temperature. Next, add the juice squeezed from lingonberries and honey. The resulting drink should be drunk within 2 days. The remedy is useful as a diuretic for edema, arthritis and gout.

Birch-wheatgrass drink
For 1 liter of birch sap, 100 g of dried couch grass roots will be required. The mixture is boiled over low heat in a closed container until it is reduced by half. The broth is filtered. For urolithiasis, use 1 tablespoon every hour. For cholelithiasis, take 1 glass three times a day half an hour before meals.

Birch and lemon juice drink
6 lemons washed, peeled and chopped. The resulting lemon mixture is poured with 1 liter of birch sap. Within 36 hours, the drink is infused in the refrigerator. Next, add 500 ml of honey, and leave for another 36 hours. Hypotension patients are advised to take this drink three times a day before meals, 50 ml each.

Birch-calamus drink
Pour 3 cups of birch sap into a container and put 1 tbsp. a spoonful of crushed calamus roots. This decoction should be boiled over low heat for at least 15 minutes. Insulate the container and leave for 2 hours. As an expectorant and anti-febrile agent, it is recommended to take ½ cup half an hour before meals three times a day. Honey can be added to the drink if desired. collection of birch sap

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The benefits and harms of birch sap were well known to our ancestors. More precisely, they knew more about its beneficial, healing properties. They also knew when and how to collect this medicine, how to prepare it correctly in order to preserve the healing substances as much as possible. This forest drink has few contraindications, but still they are, and they were established by traditional medicine after a series of observations on patients suffering from urolithiasis and stomach ulcers.

For representatives of the current generation, birch sap is a kind of antiquity, a true story, a natural product from the times of the USSR, which has gone into the past along with the realities of life. There is some truth in this, because the value of this drink, the methods of its collection and preparation are gradually forgotten. Yes, and the volume of its industrial procurement has decreased significantly. However, there are keepers of traditions, there are many recipes in folk herbalists and a lot of evidence that this drink is not just a symbol of Russia. It is also a valuable medicine that can be prepared at home.

Features of medicinal raw materials

Birch sap is pleasant, sweetish, with a specific delicate aroma. For what diagnoses is it recommended? Does it have contraindications? When to start collecting, in what ways to harvest juice yourself?

Preparation of birch sap

Industrial collection and conservation of birch sap are carried out mostly in Belarus, less - in Russia and Ukraine. This drink was especially popular during the Soviet era. The older generation remembers very well how, in the era of shortages, three-liter cans of this drink filled empty shelves. It can also be seen on modern counters (in three-liter, one-and-a-half-liter jars and tetra-packs), but its production has noticeably decreased.

• When to collect? Harvesting is carried out in early spring, when the juices begin to rise from the root up the tree trunk. With a thaw, sap flow can begin earlier - in February. The juice is collected until the buds on the birch have blossomed, which also depends on the weather and climatic conditions. It is also better to collect liquid during daylight hours, because at night the trees “sleep” and the movement of sap stops.
• How to collect birch sap? There are several rules to follow: do not use young trees; after collection, cover the hole or slot with wax, laundry soap or a special garden var, which prevents various lesions and wood decay. In extreme cases, the hole is tightly closed with moss or a twig is stuck into it, it is saturated with liquid, swells and prevents it from flowing out. This forest food resource (namely, as it is called in the legislation) can be obtained in different ways. The first is to make an incision (notch) on the bark, substitute a groove and fix it, hang a container where the juice will drain. The second is to drill a hole in the barrel to a depth of 5 cm, insert a plastic tip from the dropper system into it, and lower its other end into a container. The third is to cut off young branches, wrap them in a plastic bag, where the liquid flows. Sometimes the juice is collected from stumps after sanitary cutting of a forest area.
• Some "tricks" of collecting. You need to start collecting in the southern parts of the grove, and as the snow melts and warms up, move deeper into the forest. They try to make incisions on the north side of the trunk - there is more juice here. A cut or hole is made at a height of approximately 50 cm from the ground. Don't make a deep hole. First, it is dangerous for the life of the tree. Secondly, the juice moves between the bark and the wood, it is enough just to pass through the bark layer.
• How to store birch sap at home? Raw birch is best collected and stored in glass containers. If it is collected in plastic bottles, then after filling it must be immediately poured into glassware. Raw can be stored in the refrigerator for no more than 3 days. It is desirable to drink it by this time, then it becomes cloudy, bubbles appear in it, and fermentation processes begin. Then you can already make kvass or wine from it. For long-term storage, fresh juice is canned and frozen in small portions.

One large tree can produce up to 7 liters of valuable liquid per day, a small tree - up to 3 liters. On a tree with a diameter of up to 20 cm, only one hole is allowed, with a diameter of up to 25 cm - two holes can be made, up to 35 cm - three, and over 40 cm - no more than four. Despite the fact that birch roots go deep into the ground and take nutrients from clean soil, it is better to choose birch trees in groves, and not in plantings along roads. Wood also has the ability to absorb harmful substances from the air.

Healing properties and pharmacological action

The chemical composition of birch sap includes:

• invert sugar (with equal parts of glucose and sucrose);
• organic acids;
• proteins;
• carbohydrates;
• essential oil;
• phytohormones;
• phenols;
• urea derivatives;
• saponins;
• tannins;
• group of vitamins B;
• vitamin C;
• rich composition of trace elements (copper, potassium, sodium, manganese, magnesium, iron, silicon).

Pharmachologic effect:

• diuretic;
• secretory;
• anti-inflammatory;
• tonic;
• restorative;
• blood-purifying;
• antioxidant.

Increasingly, they talk about the antitumor properties of raw birch, although there is no scientific evidence for this. It can be prescribed for rehabilitation, recovery of the body after severe procedures in oncology.

What diseases are indicated

• Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. It relieves spasms, gastric and intestinal colic, treats diseases of the stomach, liver, gallbladder, acts as a mild analgesic, anti-inflammatory medicine. Restores microflora, appetite, digestion.
• urinary system. One of the effective folk remedies for urolithiasis. It is advisable to drink fresh 6 glasses a day. Juice promotes crushing of stones in kidneys and their removal. The course of treatment is carried out under the strict supervision of a doctor, painful conditions are likely.
• Rheumatic diseases. Effective remedy for gout, articular arthritis, atherosclerosis. They are taken internally and externally.
• Respiratory system . As a tonic with an expectorant effect, it is prescribed for inflammatory processes in the bronchi and lungs, including the treatment of tuberculosis.
• Metabolic disorders. In diabetes, blended birch sap is useful in complex treatment and with a strict diet. On its basis, a medicinal drink is prepared, it contains 35% juice of raspberries, currants, blackberries, blueberries, elderberries. It is also taken with decoctions of wild rose, lingonberry leaves, buckthorn, nettle and other medicinal herbs. We emphasize that phytotherapy for diabetes mellitus gives a positive therapeutic effect, but only under the supervision of a physician, with a number of laboratory studies. Depending on the type of diabetes, the dosage and course of treatment are prescribed. Since the juice is low in calories and stimulates all metabolic processes in the body, it is drunk for weight loss.
• Anemia. With anemia, it is recommended to drink juice 2-3 glasses a day before meals.
• Avitaminosis. Birch sap contains half of the periodic table. It is prescribed for spring beriberi, weakened immunity, after serious illnesses, for the prevention of acute respiratory viral infections, influenza.
• Intoxication. The drink helps well in case of poisoning (gives energy and reserves of lost fluid), cleanses the body of toxins, restores the water-salt balance, helps to lower the temperature and acts as a diaphoretic in combination with rosehip broth and lemon juice. The drink also helps with a hangover, relieving discomfort in the stomach.
• Outdoor use. The tool can be used to gargle, rinse the nose, drink to disinfect the oral cavity with stomatitis, gingivitis, periodontal disease. They also wipe the skin with scabies, psoriasis, neurodermatitis, eczema, ulcers. Good for non-healing wounds.

This healing drink has few contraindications: individual intolerance and an allergic reaction. It is important to remember that with exacerbation of gastric and duodenal ulcers, as well as in the acute form of urolithiasis, self-treatment with juice can lead to an even greater exacerbation. Therefore, medical supervision and supervision is so important. Due to the high content of glucose, birch sap can harm the body if the dosage and dilution are incorrect.

Features of the preparation and use of birch sap

Despite all the harmlessness and undoubted usefulness of this forest drink, it is recommended to consult a doctor before taking it. If any side effects appear (primarily from the digestive system - diarrhea), treatment should be discontinued and a doctor should be consulted.

How to use

How much juice can you drink per day?

• A glass 3 times a day is the "universal" dosage.
• Some herbalists recommend drinking diluted juice, especially if there are exacerbations and diabetes.
• For preventive purposes, you can drink for a long time, but little by little.
• The treatment course may be shorter, but with a higher dosage, in which case a break in therapy is required.

cooking recipes

Recipes for harvesting birch sap are impressive in their diversity. You can prepare pure raw, or you can prepare sedative infusions from it with the addition of mint, fortified - with blackcurrant and rose hips. Also, raw birch produces delicious kvass, wine, low-alcohol drinks, syrup.

• Kvass. Birch sap has high fermentation properties. Therefore, kvass from birch sap is prepared without yeast. But there are also recipes for its preparation with yeast.
• syrup. It is curious that today in the world there are no more than two dozen manufacturers of this delicacy. Birch syrup is prepared according to the same principle as the famous maple syrup. To get 1 liter of product, you need to evaporate 100 liters of juice! The syrup is similar to honey in consistency and taste, but there is a woody bitterness in it. In Russia, there is a community of lovers and connoisseurs of this product, which also produces natural birch sap, sauce, kvass, and chaga. You can buy frozen cheese here.
• Wine. In the USSR, the production of birch wines was established, but now it is a rarity. From raw birch, high-quality sparkling (carbonated) wine was obtained. It can be prepared at home according to old Russian recipes.

carbonated drink recipe

1. Pour raw birch into a three-liter jar and keep warm for 2 days.
2. Put in a jar 6 tsp. Sahara.
3. Add some raisins and lemon zest.
4. Close the lid and hold for 2 days.

It turns out a pleasant carbonated drink with sourness (essentially - kvass). If the fermentation process is active, you need to slightly open the lid or use a lid with a hole. To reduce fermentation processes, the drink is stored in the refrigerator.

Recipe for birch kvass with yeast

1. Heat raw birch to 35°C.
2. Add 15 g of yeast (per 1 liter of juice), some raisins, lemon zest.
3. Close with a tight lid.
4. Withstand 7 days.

Kvass perfectly quenches thirst, normalizes digestion.

Recipe for birch kvass without yeast

1. Pour raw birch into a three-liter jar.
2. Put pieces of dried rye bread in it.
3. For flavor, put currant and cherry leaves.
4. Cover the jar with gauze, soak for 14 days.

Recipe for kvass from malt

1. Pour 5 liters of raw birch into a large bottle.
2. Keep 2 days.
3. Put 30 g of barley malt.
4. Keep at least 10 days.

Earlier in Russia, kvass was prepared in large barrels. It was one of the most popular drinks at holiday feasts. To keep kvass for a long time, honey and oak bark were placed in barrels. Herbs were also added - thyme, cumin, linden, chamomile, lemon balm, St. John's wort. Blended low-alcohol drinks were made with the addition of mountain ash, rose hips, cherries, blueberries, and apples.

canned birch sap recipe

1. Take 3 liters of fresh juice.
2. Add 100 g sugar and 1 medium lemon, cut into wedges.
3. Boil over low heat in an enamel bowl for 5 minutes.
4. Pour into a sterilized jar, roll up.

Orange can be used instead of lemon. A sprig of mint or lemon balm will add a pleasant taste to the juice. Previously, there was an opinion that industrial birch sap is diluted with citric acid and water. Too much of it was produced in the USSR. In fact, a little lemon can be added to a recipe drink as a preservative.

Birch sap for women and children

• Pregnancy. There is no information that juice can harm the body during pregnancy. However, a doctor's consultation should be mandatory, especially if a woman has chronic diseases of the stomach and kidneys. This low-calorie drink quenches thirst well, normalizes metabolic processes, blood pressure, reduces nausea and vomiting during toxicosis.
• lactation. It is believed that birch sap is useful for breastfeeding, stimulates lactation. There is no scientific evidence for this. However, it can be useful for a nursing mother with its rich composition. It should be taken in reasonable portions. To begin with, it is recommended to drink 100 g of juice and observe the reaction of the baby.
• Childhood . The question arises: is it possible for children to drink birch sap? Pediatricians do not recommend giving it to babies under 1 year old in any form. After a year, you can offer canned juice, but in small portions, first diluted. Later, you can try to introduce raw into the diet, also in small doses. Juice is valuable for children with glucose, phytoncides, organic acids, unique compositions of micro and macro elements, vitamins. Needless to say, children should be given only a high-quality, proven product, without additives.

Cosmetology

Birch sap is widely used in cosmetology due to its tonic, antiseptic, anti-inflammatory effect. How is it used?

• Like lotion and hair mask. It strengthens the roots well, eliminates dandruff, increased fat content. Pure juice is rubbed into the scalp and hair. Also, masks are made from it with the addition of castor oil and honey.
• For skin problems. Undiluted juice wipe the skin in the morning and evening with furunculosis, acne, age spots, lichen.
• Reception inside. For skin diseases, it is used not only externally, but also internally. Birch sap acts as a blood purifier, helps with furunculosis, acne, acne, eliminates the cause of the disease "from the inside".
• cosmetic ice. In addition to lotions and masks, cosmetic ice from birch sap is used. To do this, it is poured into small molds, frozen, rubbed daily with pieces of ice.

What are the main medicinal properties of birch sap? First of all, it is a mild diuretic and choleretic agent. Also, the drink has a tonic, blood-purifying, tonic, antiseptic properties. It is used to treat skin diseases, metabolic disorders, anemia, vitamin deficiency, intoxication, and is actively used in cosmetology.

Folk healers and many doctors believe that birch sap for pancreatitis is one of the most beneficial drinks for an inflamed pancreas. Often, in chronic diseases, attacks occur in early spring, when the snow melts, and fresh and tasty juice can be obtained from a birch. This should be used by those suffering from illness, because such a medicine will really improve the condition and favorably affect the diseased organ.

What are the benefits of juice for pancreatitis

The beneficial properties and vitamins of birch sap have been known to everyone for a long time. It is especially useful in pancreatitis. It contains a lot of iron, fructose, sucrose, potassium, magnesium, calcium. And the content of organic acids and minerals exceeds its quantity. It contains vitamins of groups B and A, as well as C, D, R.

Its wonderful properties lie in the fact that it is able to restore health and strengthen the immune system. It has a very positive effect on the digestive organs, especially on the pancreas. Restores, strengthens and envelops, preventing inflammation from developing.

If a person suffers from pancreatitis, then he should drink healing juice every spring during exacerbations. The disease will become easier to tolerate, and after that it will completely stop tormenting the patient.

Juice helps to quickly secrete gastric juice, digest food, and speeds up metabolism. It removes toxins and toxins, and also fights bacteria that can provoke the development of the disease.

How to use it

It is best to get a drink in distant forests that are not near the highway. So there will be more likelihood that it is really clean and useful.

The season is early spring, it can be the end of March or the beginning of April. Best during the daytime. It is not necessary to pick the tree strongly, otherwise it may die.

It is best to drink juice fresh during the day. Cannot be preserved for the effective treatment of pancreatitis. If the drink remains, then it is better to store it in a glass dish in the refrigerator for no more than two days. Close the container with a lid.

Do not add sugar to the juice, or dilute it with water. It's ready to eat right out of the wood. Moreover, it is already quite sweet and rich. There is a recipe for an oatmeal drink with birch sap, which is also useful for pancreatitis.

You need to take half a glass of oatmeal per liter and put them in the refrigerator for half a day. Then, when the mixture is infused, you need to cook it a little over low heat. Then strain. Get a healing cocktail. You can add sugar or honey. It is recommended to drink it at 150 grams half an hour before meals. This drink will help soften the inflammation and irritation of the diseased organ.

Berezovitsa, differs from water in the structure of the liquid. It, like water, consists of H2O molecules. But the fact is that in birch sap there are almost no compounds of heavy forms of hydrogen - deuterium and tritium, which are present in ordinary water. These forms are harmful to the human body, so birch sap is useful not only for the substances dissolved in it, but also for the structure of its liquid.

However, just a couple of hours after collection, the life-giving structure of the juice changes, so it should be drunk as soon as possible.

Properties of birch sap

By their own healing properties birch sap surpasses all other parts of the plant, because in order to give life to new foliage and inflorescences, the tree accumulates useful substances in it for almost a year.

It is especially rich in vitamin C, organic acids, sugars, tannins and mineral elements. The biologically active components contained in it (and plant hormones) make birch a powerful immunostimulant.

Birch sap in medicine

Birch has antitumor, anthelmintic, diuretic, stimulating and restorative properties. Regular consumption of this juice will relieve symptoms and facilitate the course of the following diseases and conditions:

• general weakness,
• avitaminosis,
• chronic fatigue,
• angina,
• bronchitis, pneumonia, tuberculosis,
• blood diseases, anemia,
• sciatica, arthritis, rheumatism,
• low acidity, ulcer,
• edema,
• gout,
• metabolic disease,
• eczema.

But the birch tree received the widest fame due to its ability remove stones from the body with urolithiasis.

It's important to know!
Birch sap is contraindicated for those who suffer from allergies caused by birch pollen!

Otherwise birch contraindications coincide with those set out in ours and apply to all medicinal birch raw materials.

For medicinal purposes, birch sap you should drink only freshly harvested (no more than 2 days from the moment of collection) in the form of 3 glasses a day half an hour before meals for 3 weeks. The juice should be stored in the refrigerator! This dose is calculated for the treatment of skin diseases and inflammatory processes accompanied by fever, arthritis, gout, rheumatism. In the same dose they drink juice with a weakened body.

For the treatment of such diseases and conditions as tuberculosis, anemia, edema due to disorders in the work of the heart, atherosclerosis, scrofula, helminth infestation, juice is drunk for a month 3 times a day on an empty stomach from half to a glass.

For colds, accompanied by inflammation of the throat and nose, it will be useful to make warm rinses with birch sap. And for chronic diseases of the nasopharynx, drink a glass of fresh birch every morning before meals. In the same dose, juice should be taken if you want to get rid of stones and sand in the kidneys, in the bladder. But keep in mind that birch sap dissolves only carbonate and phosphate stones, but it has no effect on oxalate and uric acid stones.

Using birch to solve sexual problems

With impotence and menopause, even one glass of birch sap a day will give you energy, reduce drowsiness, irritability, fatigue and other phenomena that accompany these problems.

Birch sap and caries

Finnish dentists and confectioners have developed sweet-tasting syrups and candies based on birch sap for children, which can not only prevent the development of caries, but also block its growth on affected teeth. However, in order to prevent this disease, you do not need to go to Finland for candy at all, it is enough to drink a glass of birch for a month.

birch sap and mushrooms

If the skin is affected by fungal diseases, it is recommended to drink a glass of birch sap a day on an empty stomach and make lotions, rinses or compresses on the affected areas from it.

Health Drink Recipes

Birch-oat (diseases of the gastrointestinal tract)

Take 1 glass of oats, wash thoroughly, pour one and a half liters of juice there. The mixture should be insisted in the refrigerator for 12 hours, then placed on fire, boiled at minimum power to half the initial volume, strain. The drink is taken a month half an hour before a meal, 100-150 gr.

Birch-lingonberry (arthritis, gout, rheumatism, edema (as a diuretic))

Squeeze the juice of 150 g of washed lingonberries, add a liter of birch sap to the pomace, boil for 5 minutes on minimum heat, strain, cool, add the squeezed lingonberry juice (150 g). Drink within a day or two.

Birch-wheatgrass (cholelithiasis)

Take crushed couch grass roots (100 g), birch sap (1 l), mix, put on fire, simmer over low heat until evaporated to half the volume, strain, take three times a day half an hour before meals.

Birch-lemon mixture for hypertension

After washing and removing the seeds, medium lemons (6 pcs.), Pass through a meat grinder, put in a three-liter bottle, add a liter of birch sap there. Close tightly and place in the refrigerator for 2.5 days. Then add 0.5 kg of any honey to the mixture, mix the ingredients well and place again in a cold place for 2.5 days. Take half an hour before meals three times in knocks of 50 ml.

Birch-calamus (fever and cough)

For 3 glasses of juice, take 1 tbsp. , boil in a covered enamel pan over low heat for 15 minutes. Removed from heat, wrapped, leave for 2 hours, strain, take, adding honey to taste, half a cup three times a day 0.5 hours before meals.

Birch sap in cosmetology

For cosmetic purposes you can use not only fresh birch, but also canned juice, which can be purchased at the store. Also, for this, you can prepare birch sap yourself, and, having frozen it in containers, stock up on it until next spring.

Regular rinsing of hair with birch sap will relieve you of dandruff, have a beneficial effect on the scalp, enhance hair growth and make them silky and shiny.

Birch sap mask recipe

Take 2 tbsp. juice, 1 tbsp. sour cream and 1 tsp. honey, thoroughly mixing the ingredients, apply on the skin of the face and hold for a quarter of an hour, then rinse thoroughly with softened warm water. The birch mask moisturizes, nourishes and gives the skin a matte finish.

Tonic Recipe

Take 40 ml of ginseng tincture and 200 g of juice, mix, and wipe the skin of the face with the product before applying the evening and morning cream on it. It is not necessary to cleanse the skin before this. Such a tonic is especially effective for women after 40 years.

Instead of ginseng, other tinctures can be used, such as Japanese Sophora, Eleutherococcus, or Radiola rosea. All of them, paired with juice, allow you to keep your skin in excellent condition, slowing down the aging process.

When to start harvesting birch

A month before the appearance of new sticky leaves on the branches of birches, the tree begins sap flow process which is popularly called " weeping birch". Immediately after the snow melts, birch trees give us a sweetish-tasting, refreshing healing drink for 2-3 weeks.

In central Russia, this period begins in mid-March and ends in mid-April. If frost hits at this time after a thaw, then sap flow may stop, but with the onset of heat, it will necessarily resume.

It's important to know!
Canned juice, which is sold in stores, is devoid of almost all useful components, so decide for yourself whether to drink it or not.

Preparation of birch sap

Birch perfectly absorbs all human waste products emitted into the atmosphere. Therefore, the juice of trees growing in industrial areas, cities or along busy roads cannot be drunk, do not expect any benefit from it. It is best to collect juice in birch forests prepared for felling.

Best for collection middle aged trees, whose diameter is not less than 25-30 cm. In a tree with a thin trunk up to 30 cm, only one hole can be drilled, in a tree with an average trunk up to 35 cm, two holes can already be made, in a tree with a thick, over 40 cm, trunk, 4 holes.

From one tree in 2-3 days you can not take more than a liter of juice. So you do the least harm to the birch. It is best to start collecting during the daytime from noon to 18-00.

How to take birch sap (step by step instructions)

1. For collection, you should stock up on the following devices:

• drill or chisel,
• rubber or plastic tubes of small diameter,
• hammer,
• drill for tube diameter
• containers (previously, special birch bark tubes were made for this, now for this it is best to take plastic bottles with handles on the neck).

2. Choose a suitable tree for this and make on the north side of the trunk using a drill hole. If you make a hole on the south side, you run the risk of getting the juice fermented under the influence of direct sunlight. Before drilling, make sure that there is no anthill near the tree, otherwise small, but multiple competitors may run into your sap.

Do not drill deep as sap flow mainly occurs between the outer layer of wood and the bark. A hole is enough to hold the tube on which the bottle will be hung. During drilling, the juice will already begin to flow through the drill.

3. Clean the hole from small particles of bark and sawdust.

4. Using a hammer, drive the tube into the bore of the barrel.

5. Put the neck of the bottle on the pipe and you can go for a walk in the woods for a while, admire the primroses.

6. Periodically check the containers for filling with juice. At the same time, do not forget check the juice for taste and smell if they are unpleasant, this means that the tree is affected by a fungus; in no case should you drink such juice. If you have made the desired hole in the tree, and the juice is extremely slow, seal it with var or cork, and collect the juice from another tree.

7. After the containers are full, remove them and clog the holes with a wooden plug, or a knot, cover with pitch or plasticine. This must be done without fail, otherwise our birch can be easily affected by various diseases and pests. Try not to "milk out" the tree to the last drop, it is better to make a hole in another birch.

8. Immediately after collection, it is imperative to drink fresh juice until it has lost all its beneficial properties.

Advice
You will bring much less damage to the tree if you cut off one branch on a knot, and on the other branch, tilting it down, hang a container to collect the juice.

Birch is a purely Russian tree. Despite this, legends about its medicinal properties, and the medicinal properties of its juice are known all over the world. Many people feel peace in the birch forest. They go there to remove all the negativity and recharge their batteries. It is enough just to sit under a tree, or stand near it, leaning back. Not without reason, birch has long been a kind of deity that was worshiped.

The healing properties of natural birch sap are known to all. In addition, it is an environmentally friendly and tasty drink.

Birch sap is taken not only to quench thirst. It is also used in cooking. It is in demand both by traditional healers and traditional medicine, in which not only juice is used, but also leaves and buds of a tree.

Birch sap is considered a common folk remedy. It can be drunk on its own or together with other juices or infusions.

Following the advice of doctors, birch sap should be drunk if you decide to cleanse the body of toxins and toxins. It is able to relieve pain during migraine, helps the resorption of salts in arthritis and rheumatism. Using it regularly, you can improve metabolism, get rid of constipation and intestinal colic. His help will be noticeable in chronic gastritis and obesity, as well as low acidity of the stomach.

In order to prepare a healing drink, you need to knead 150 g of lingonberries and squeeze out the juice, add 1 liter of birch sap and cook in an enamel bowl for 5 minutes on low heat. The resulting mixture is filtered and 1 tablespoon of honey is added to it. It is recommended to take it warm, one tablespoon half an hour before meals three times a day. Reception time - three days. After a break, the course is recommended to be repeated.

Birch-oat drink is recommended for those who have chronic inflammation of the liver and pancreas. To prepare it, you need to take a glass of oats, rinse, then pour birch sap, in the amount of 1.5 liters. You need to insist such a drink in the refrigerator for 12 hours.

After this time, the contents must be poured into a bowl suitable for boiling and boil over low heat until half of the broth has evaporated.

The drink is cooled to room temperature and filtered. You need to drink it three times a day half an hour before meals for three months.

Birch sap is an excellent diuretic. It is used to remove sand and stones that may be in the kidneys and bladder. After consulting with your doctor, you can prepare the following decoction: pour the crushed wheatgrass root with a liter of birch sap. Boil on fire - the volume should be halved. You need to drink the resulting broth every hour, one tablespoon.

It is possible and necessary to use birch sap for both healthy and sick organisms.