How to Use Birch for Health

Birch trees, with their delicate silver bark, are among the first to bloom in spring. Their early appearance is associated with life, renewal and fertility. As a result, birch bark and birch leaves have a rich history as ingredients in folk remedies. Follow a few simple steps to use birch for a variety of health conditions.

Things You'll Need

• Birch bark
• Birch leaves
• Water
• Kitchen hammer or pestle

Show More

Instructions

• 1

  Treat diarrhea. Brew birch bark tea. Use a teaspoon of ground birch bark and 8 ounces of boiling water. Allow the bark to steep for 15 minutes. Drink 3 cups spaced 4 hours apart to eliminate this health problem.

• 2

  Address skin conditions. Make a birch bark paste. Use sufficient water to cover the bark. Boil until soft and then mash with a kitchen hammer or pestle. Apply the paste to sores, abrasions and inflammations. Repeat daily and watch for improved skin health within a week.

• 3

  Soothe sore muscles. Rub them with birch oil, also called birch tar. Massage with the oil after exercise to reduce pain and stiffness.

• 4

  Repel insects. They carry diseases that can compromise health. Use birch bark extract. It has a high concentration of acid that wards off mosquitoes, gnats and other bugs. Combine 25 drops with 4 ounces of water. Use a spray pump bottle to distribute the mixture evenly over exposed skin.

• 5

  Accelerate hair growth. Brew a tea using two handfuls of birch leaves. After shampooing, use the tea as a final rinse. Massage the scalp.

• 6

  Increase urination. This is important for the overall health of the urinary tract and prevention of kidney and bladder stones. Brew a birch leaf tea or take a tincture made from 2.5 grams of dry birch leaves. Drink one cup of tea or 25 drops of tincture, 3 times a day.