“I drank birch sap in the spring forest ...” - these words evoke nostalgic feelings in most of us. But besides the fact that for many he is the personification of the motherland, what is remarkable, what is the use of birch sap? It is a rich source of vitamins and minerals, sugar. Birch sap is harvested in spring, during the month, during the period when sap flow in the tree trunks begins and before the leaves bloom. It is preferable to do this in places warmed up by the sun, since there the process of movement of juice begins earlier. Juice is collected from trees with a diameter of at least 10–20 centimeters. The best collection time is considered to be from 10 a.m. to 18 p.m. The roots of the tree are not located close to the surface, but go deep and therefore do not absorb toxic substances from the surface layer of the soil. A birch can produce about 2 liters of juice per day, but if you pick up more, the tree can dry. After collecting the required norm, the holes should be closed with moss, cork or wax. Later, the amount of juice decreases sharply, and he has a bitter taste.
Birch sap is not stored for a long time, so it is advisable to drink it fresh, but it is also preserved, like all other juices. 100 grams of this healthy drink contains 20 kilocalories.
The beneficial properties of birch sap are due to the presence of trace elements such as potassium, sodium, copper, manganese, aluminum, iron, magnesium, and calcium. It also contains malic acid, polysaccharides, essential oils, fructose, sucrose, organic acids, and B vitamins.
What is useful birch sap? And the fact that it can be perfectly absorbed by the body and has wonderful properties - diuretic, anti-inflammatory, anthelmintic and regenerating. During menopause, juice will help relieve fatigue, drowsiness, irritability, as well as other unpleasant phenomena. It is especially useful to rinse hair from dandruff with birch sap, it also gives them shine and softness. The decoction of birch leaves has the same qualities. If you have a chronic runny nose, it is advisable to drink one glass of juice every morning, and with a cold and cough it is better to warm it up, add milk and a small amount of starch.
Birch sap, whose properties are used not only in traditional medicine and cosmetics, has long been known in Russia. There are practically no contraindications to its reception. But people with an allergic reaction to birch pollen should not drink it.
Many different healthy drinks are prepared from birch sap, such as kvass, syrup, vinegar. And this is not all that birch sap is useful for.
Kvass is prepared in this way. The juice is heated to 35–36 degrees, then yeast, honey or sugar, raisins and lemon zest are added. After the dishes are closed and allowed to roam for 1-2 weeks. Then the drink is bottled and put in a cold place for storage. To make birch syrup, sugar is added to the juice and boiled until thick sour cream.
Birch sap is suitable for making vinegar. The process is very simple: the juice is poured into a barrel, vodka, honey are added there and put in a warm place for two months. Ready vinegar should be stored in a cool place.
To answer the question of how birch sap is useful, it is worth remembering that it has the ability to restore kidney tissue, helps the process of scarring stomach ulcers and intestines. Its benefits have been proven in the treatment of obesity, as well as pneumonia and tuberculosis.
With diseases of the stomach and intestines, you can prepare a birch-oat drink. For this, one glass of washed whole oats is poured with 1.5 liters of birch sap and insisted in the refrigerator overnight. Then cook until the volume is halved. The broth is filtered and taken three times a day, 150 milliliters for a month.
Birch sap is a gift of nature, and you need to treat it carefully so as not to lose. Otherwise, it will turn out as in the saying: "What we have, we do not store, having lost weeping."